Carignano Trails and the Serprino Festival honored at the 2026 Travel Food Awards.

The Carignano Trails won the GIST 2026 Travel Food Award in the "Italian Food and Wine Destination" category, a recognition that recognizes the ability to tell the story of a region through its products, landscape, and travel experiences. The awards ceremony took place at the TTG Travel Experience in Rimini , one of Italy's leading tourism events.

The Award is promoted by GIST, the Italian Tourist Press Group, an association of journalists specializing in the travel and tourism sector. Through the Travel Food Awards, GIST highlights destinations, projects, and experiences that contribute to the promotion of food and wine tourism and the discovery of local identities.

For the Fondazione Cammino Minerario di Santa Barbara , which manages the itinerary, the recognition represents an important achievement for a project that has successfully transformed the link between the path, social fabric, and wine culture into a recognizable tourism proposition, capable of attracting public interest and reaching new travel communities.

" We are thrilled that our application has been recognized ," said Mauro Usai, President of the CMSB Foundation , " an award that transcends regional boundaries and captures the value of our efforts to promote a destination that integrates local activities, food and wine experiences, and digital communication. This result strengthens the Foundation's commitment to promoting tourism that generates value for local communities, supports Sulcis producers, and showcases Sardinia's cultural and landscape heritage through quality experiences. A heartfelt thank you to the entire jury ."

The story of another Sardinia - The Carignano Trails were first presented as a destination in September 2025. Since then, the project has garnered significant success, thanks to promotional efforts that have combined the promotion of the trail with hands-on experiences in the area, press trips for Italian and international trade press, and initiatives designed to raise awareness of Sulcis from different perspectives. The project unfolds along a thematic walking route of over 220 kilometers, divided into 12 stages, which passes through the most representative areas of Carignano del Sulcis DOC production. Vineyards, wineries, villages, archaeological sites, evidence of mining history, and coastal landscapes become part of a single narrative, in which wine is a key to understanding the identity of a territory and its inhabitants.

Success also depends on the community - A significant element of the growth of the Sentieri del Carignano—and the Santa Barbara Mining Trail in general—is the involvement of an increasingly younger audience and the digital community. Numerous experiences along the trail and paths are shared on social media: images, stories, stages traveled, and moments of discovery that help introduce the destination to new audiences. This spontaneous participation amplifies the project's visibility and strengthens its narrative, combining institutional promotional activities with firsthand accounts from those who choose to experience the area firsthand. The result is a communication approach that also stems from travelers' experiences and brings the trail closer to an audience interested in slow tourism, nature, local products, and authentic and shareable forms of travel.

The Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation - For 10 years, the Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation has promoted the trail of the same name, a destination for hiking and biking in southwest Sardinia . This circular hiking route, over 500 kilometers long, crosses the Sulcis Iglesiente, Arburese, and Guspinese regions . The trail connects natural landscapes, mining sites, places of historical and cultural interest, and local communities, contributing to the valorization of a heritage deeply rooted in the island's history.

The Carignano Trails expand this offering, connecting the mining heritage with viticulture and food and wine culture . The project offers new opportunities to discover the area, promote local products, and build collaboration opportunities between tourism operators, businesses, and communities.