The Ing. Luigi Conti Vecchi company

The Ing. Luigi Conti Vecchi company is 100% controlled by Eni Rewind. It manages the salt pans of the Santa Gilla lagoon for the production of sea salt. The production potential is around 400 thousand tonnes per year, of which 150 thousand are for food and livestock use and 250 thousand are for the industrial and de-icing sectors. Given the qualitative and organoleptic characteristics of the salt obtained, the company is committed to certifying it according to the sustainable sea salt standards and towards market valorisation.

The Conti Vecchi saltworks play a significant role in stabilising greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Since 1977, they have been protected by the Ramsar Convention. This includes around 2,200 wetlands that are of strategic international importance for the protection of the world's biodiversity. The nature reserve is also a Site of Community Interest (SCI) and is included in the Natura 2000 ecological network.

Located in one of Europe's most important wetland areas, the salt pans cover a total area of approximately 2,700 hectares between the municipalities of Assemini, Capoterra and Cagliari. The area was swampy and malaria-infested in the late 1920s. Engineer Luigi Conti Vecchi carried out an ambitious and innovative project to remediate the lagoon and set up impressive saltworks. He also created a “salt community” with a residential village for employees and workers, with houses, schools and recreational facilities. A concession was granted by royal decree in 1921, the salt pans opened in 1931 and became a solid industrial reality within a few years. In 1974, the family heirs sold the Ing. Luigi Conti Vecchi company to the SIR group and, ten years later, it was legally transferred to the Eni group. In 2019, the Sardinia Region renewed the concession until March 2046.

In 2015, Eni's environmental company entered into a partnership with the Fondo Ambiente Italiano (FAI) for the historical, cultural and environmental revaluation of the Conti Vecchi saltworks. This unique experience included the renovation of the historic buildings, after which the area could be opened up to the public. It has been possible to visit part of the historical salt-pan complex since 2017. Some parts were restored to their 1930s appearance, so as to allow visitors to relive the atmosphere and events of the “salt community”. The tour includes a train ride through salt pans and evaporating basins, white mountains of salt and wildlife. The nature reserve is an ideal habitat for many species of aquatic birds: the area is home to a large colony of pink flamingos, as well as herons, falcons, ducks, sultan chickens and moorhens. The different water salinity results in many different environments and a rich and heterogeneous flora. Without a doubt, the Conti Vecchi salt pans are a special place where the work of nature and man have been able to blend together in harmony. 

The Conti Vecchi saltworks are open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, ten months a year. Information on how to book a visit is available on the Fondo Ambiente Italiano website.