August
DOMUSNOVAS
A
t
first sight, Domusnovas appears to be a quite ordinary Sardinian village, with
few attractions and few accomodation
facilities for tourists. Actually, a sort of “revival” has started, in order
to exploit the mountain surroundings and the natural and historical resources
of the area. Domusnovas is situated in the valley of Cixerri, on the slopes
of Mount Marganai which represents a good shelter to the north and gives the
village its optimum climate. Probably, the village dates from the XII century:
however, what makes this area interesting is the extraordinarily beautiful cave
“Grotta di S. Giovanni” and the numberless calcareous caves one can find there.
In this very special cave, traces of the first settlements of man were found.
The presence of the nuraghe “S’omu de s’orcu” (= the ogre’s house), one of the
biggest nuraghi of the island, leads us to believe that Domusnovas was a water
supply strategic point during the nuraghic period. The Cave of S. Giovanni,
situated to the north, about 3 km from the village, opens on the vertical face
of Mount Acqua (540 m). The cave was created by the failure of a huge calcareous
mass, caused by an underground river. 850 metres long, completely crossed by
a lit-up cart road, the cave is unique in the world except for two more examples:
one in France, the other in Australia. Among the churches to be seen, let us
mention 
S.
Maria Assunta (the patron saint of Domusnovas) which is the most important and
the most suggestive church of the village, together with Sant’Ignazio da Laconi.
Built in the first half of the XIII century, the church was later restored and
numerous findings were discovered, such as bones and ancient sandstone ashlars:
presumably, there was a cemetery and a church in the past, before the present
Romanesque Latin cross church was built. The feast of B. V. Assunta, taking
place on the 15th of August, comes together with the festival “Su cassu de sa
linna” (= the wood cart) which is the festival of farmers, beginning with the
cart preparations. According to tradition, the farmers show gratitude for the
harvest and propitiate the gods for the following year. The festival, involving
the entire village, begins in the first week of August and culminates after
the 15th of August when S. Barbara is celebrated. Folk groups, Sardinian theatre,
games and dances cheer up villagers and tourists for more than one week. The
Sardinian Poetry Competition, with the improvised verses (on various subjects)
of extemporaneous poets, is much appreciated.
ISLAND
AND ISLETS OF THE MADDALENA
Situated
at the north-east end of the island, the Arcipelago della Maddalena represents
one of the most beautiful places of the Region. The archipelago, consisting
of several islands, can be reached using the ferries that leave every half-hour
from the port of Palau. The nearest, largest isles are La Maddalena, Santo Stefano,
Caprera and Spargi, whereas the isles of Razzoli, Budelli and Santa Maria are
more to the north. The isles, uninhabited for a very long time, were finally
populated in the second half of the eighteenth century, when the naval officers
of the Regno di Sardegna (interested in the strategic position of the area)
occupied the archipelago. 
In
the nineteenth and twentieth century, in fact, the very position of the island
made La Maddalena, together with Taranto and La Spezia, one of the most important
shipping centres of Italy. The renown of the archipelago is due to a number
of historical events: the resistance of the people (led by Domenico Millelire)
to Napoleon’s attempt to conquer the island (last decade of the eighteenth century);
the presence of Admiral Nelson on the island; Garibaldi’s stay in Caprera (second
half of the nineteenth century), where “l’Eroe dei due mondi” (= the hero of
two worlds) spent the last 26 years of his life. Nowadays, the fame of La Maddalena
is mainly due to the development of tourism, to the beauty of its beaches, its
depths, its coast: a real paradise for the lovers of sea, sun, nature, aquatic
sports and windsurfing. In 1996 the Archipelago, thanks to its environmental
and naturalistic treasures, became a National Park where flora, fauna and scenery
are carefully guarded. The old town centre of La Maddalena, situated in the
south, stretches from the port to the nineteenth century buildings of Via Vittorio
Emanuele up to Piazza Garibaldi, called “Piazza Rossa” (= Red Square) because
of its characteristic paving.Worth visiting are the Baroque parish church of
Santa Maria Maddalena and Cala Gavetta, which houses the oldest palaces of the
town. At the north end of the town, one can visit the archaeological naval museum
of Nino Lambroglia. On the isle of Caprera, visitors can admire the Compendio
garibaldino and the Casa Bianca (= White House) of Giuseppe Garibaldi.
