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A.SI.BIRI - Festival of Ethical and Sustainable Tourism
A journey through time, nature and Sardinian traditions: A.Si.Biri, the Festival of ethical and sustainable tourism, arrives in Quartu Sant’Elena
From 20 to 29 June, the beautiful Sardinian town will host a long series of events dedicated to the new frontiers of tourism that respects the environment that surrounds us
by Stefano Maria Meconi, 11 May 2025
We decided to ask ChatGPT, which is ultimately the new frontier of how many, more and more, get information and communicate through the sea of the web. The question is simple, at least formally, but it hides a myriad of meanings, data and information: why is it important to pay attention to the ecological footprint when you go on a pleasure trip?
The answer of artificial intelligence, used every day by hundreds of millions of people in the four corners of the globe, has given us five points that are only apparently essential: greenhouse gas emissions, consumption of natural resources, degradation of ecosystems, cultural and social impact and personal responsibility.
Because yes, every activity we do has an impact on the environment, even enjoying a trip and a short vacation after months of work and an often alienating daily life. Attention to the world around us, to that ecosystem as beautiful as it is fragile, is now at the center of an important event that will be held in June in Sardinia: A.SI.BIRI – Festival of Ethical and Sustainable Tourism, scheduled in Quartu Sant’Elena from June 20 to 29, 2025. And that’s why it’s worth telling more about it.
Promoting the new frontiers of environmental responsibility in the world of travel
"Goodbye", or "see you soon". The expression A si biri comes from Campidanese, a variant of that Sardinian language that is the perfect litmus test of a land, Sardinia, the center of the Mediterranean from a cultural point of view even before a geographical one. See you again, but above all we hope to be together, share and tell. This is the ultimate meaning of A.SI.BIRI, an event that was born with the dual objective of raising awareness of environmental responsibility in the world of travel and, at the same time, promoting tourism that brings people to places, but does so in the name of respect.
A respect made of virtuous behaviors, of choices that reduce the impact of our actions (just think of the choice of means of transport, for example) and that enhance the territorial excellence, made of historical places, arts and crafts, of that craftsmanship that in Sardinia is a very precious value, but also scents and flavors of a land with multiple food and wine expressions, each more interesting than the other.
A.SI.BIRI is therefore not only a festival of awareness, knowledge and re-evaluation of what we (often) take for granted, but it is also the right opportunity to "see each other again", to meet once again the roots, the essential, the archetypal of a world that runs at supersonic speeds often forgetting the pleasure of that slowness that is also respectful.
All the stages (and places) of the Ethical and Sustainable Tourism Festival
And this is how, for ten days, Quartu Sant’Elena is transformed into a sort of Italian capital of low environmental impact tourism. It does so by putting in place ten excellent locations, each with a story, a curiosity, an excellence to put in the field: among these there is the Nuraghe Diana, symbol of the millenary Sardinian culture and there is the Poetto Beach, the most beloved lido in Sardinia, a fil de sable that unites Quartu Sant’Elena and Cagliari in the name of sun, sea and moments of pure relaxation. With them also the Molentargius and Sette Fratelli parks, cellars and craft workshops that contain, piece by piece, a "tailor-made" narrative.
The program of the Festival of Ethical and Sustainable Tourism also includes participation, for the public, in twelve experiential itineraries that tell the story of traditional crafts, and that range from falconry to wine production, from folk medicine to sheep farming, an activity that is not only economic, but a typical cultural element of the Sardinian landscape, up to Sa Druccera, Annamaria Sarritzu, who has taken over the centuries-old production of "gastronomic sculptures" made of almonds, sugar and aromas and that were made for the typical Selargino wedding, but also for religious events and celebrations.
Sardinia is also and above all nature, and this is why in the vast program of A.SI.BIRI there is also space for excursions, sports activities and meditation in places of great landscape value, between Poetto, the beach of Capitana, the Molentargius park and the Monti dei Sette Fratelli, passing from surfing to cycle tourism, from yoga on the beach to the increasingly widespread (also in Italy) stand up paddle
For those looking for more "static" entertainment, during these 10 days there will also be space for shows and events with music, readings, traditional markets and the re-enactment of ancient traditions in the Nuragic parade that will take onlookers back to the daily life of 3000 years ago, well before the Roman epic on the Mediterranean. A festival that is good for you (and nature)
A.SI.BIRI – Festival of Ethical and Sustainable Tourism will be held in Quartu Sant’Elena from 20 to 29 June 2025. The event is organized by the Quartu Sant’Elena Tourist Association under the artistic direction of Roby Matta (Ambassador of Quartu Sant’Elena who, with the Quartu Sant’Elena Tourist Association, has been touring Europe for years to promote a destination where sea, mountains, flamingos, archaeology, traditions come together in a single city) and with the patronage and contribution of the Municipality of Quartu and the Fondazione di Sardegna. The event has a particularly rich and constantly updated program, which can also be consulted on the website www.quartusantelena.org. To find out more, you can write an email to info@quartusantelena.org or call +39 335 6866211.