August
PORTOSCUSO
SEA TOWN
Portoscuso
is a beautiful sea town, situated on the south-west coast of Sardinia, at about
80 Kms from Cagliari; it can be reached either from Carbonia or Iglesias. The
origins of the town date back to 1594, when tunny-fishing nets were established,
in order to fish for the tunas which lived in the area near Cape Altana. In
the town centre there is the Spanish Tower, built during the period of the Spanish
domination (XVI century), so as to protect the tunny-fishing nets. In Piazza
Santa Maria d'Itria (Saint Mary of Itria Square), there is the building of the
tunny-fishing nets, called "is barraccas", which includes the fishermen's houses.
It is trapezoidal in shape and has an inner space - "Su Pranu" - which overlooks
the sea. Built during the 2nd half of the XVI century this building underwent
various changes because of the frequent attacks of African pirates. Su Pranu
is a completely independent fortress: it has an oven and a warehouse, where
people kept flour, cereal crops, oil
and wine; there are also the workshops, where nails and hardware and the ropes
were made, and the fishing tackle was. On the roof of the main fisherman's house
(known as "Rais"), there are two small columns and a 12 Kg heavy bronze bell,
which was pealed to gather the fishermen. In 1870 the covered shipyard was built:
it is characterised by 28 granite columns and 6 round arches; inside there is
a passage where there were the ropes used for the garaging of the boats. In
the adjacent square there is the Church of Madonna d'Itria, the saint of Portoscuso,
which dates back to 1655and was rebuilt in 1950s; inside the church there are
two pictures painted in the XVII century and some valuable wooden simulacra.
In Via Marco Polo (Marco Polo Street) there is the old town hall, built in 1868
and restored in 1990. From there the promenade "Cristoforo Colombo" (Christopher
Columbus) takes you to the modern harbour, which can take up to 400 boats. The
coast of Portoscuso extends from Cape de S'alliga to Guareneddu, and is characterised
by rocky shores and sandy beaches, such as "is Canneddas", "sa Caletta" and
"Portupaleddu". The beautiful beaches and the sea are characterised by the presence
of various plants and animals; moreover, the inland is inhabited by many kinds
of birds. In the pond of "Boi Cerbus" situated in the area known as "Paringianu",
one can observe and study the flamingos and other kinds of wading birds which
live there. The typical cuisine of Portoscuso is characterised mainly by dishes
of fish, in particular of tuna, which is cooked in many different ways.
CABRAS
THE CORSA DEGLI SCALZI
The
old name of Cabras was "Masone De Capras"; like the nearby towns, it was founded
in the 11th century, when Tharros, the capital of the reign of Arborea was abandoned
because of the Islamic invasions; the city developed around a castle, situated
on the east shore of the pound "Mar'e Pontis". The area of Cabras includes the
"Penisola del Sinis" (Pesinsula of Sinis), located in one of the most impressive
wetlands in Europe. The village of Saint Salvatore, situated in the peninsula,
is a small town famous for the festival and the ceremonies in honour of the
saint, which take place between August and September. The village is located
along the roads leading to the beaches and the town of Tharros. It is doubtless
the quaintest old town in Sardinia: the houses were built around an old hypogeum
dating back to the nuraghic age, where people performed the ritual of the waters
and, during the Roman age, the ceremonies in honour of Mars and Venus. During
the period of the Roman domination, the Catholic religion was introduced in
Sardinia and the church dedicated to Saint Salvatore was built over the temple;
as a result, now one can get to the temple only by means of a trapdoor. The
celebrations end on the first of Sunday of September with the "Corsa degli scalzi",
a procession during which some people run barefoot from the village to the Church
Pieve of Saint Mary Assunta in Cabras, carrying the statue of Saint Salvatore.
This celebration is one of the most impressive in Sardinia: 4.500 young people
wearing a white frock run barefoot along the lanes until they arrive at Cabras
and then go in procession to the church. Those who take part in the procession
make a vow to the saint, and pray him to protect their crops, the fish and the
flocks. The first race takes place on the first Saturday of September at dawn,
when the people run barefoot towards the village of Saint Salvatore; the following
day, in the afternoon, the young people take the statue back to Cabras. We are
not sure about the origins of the race, because the history mingles with the
legend; according to the tradition, in 1506 during an invasion, the women took
the statue of the saint to Cabras, so as to save it. The old people tell that
until 1929, the ceremony was different: people walked instead of running; the
changes were made when the number of people taking part in the celebration increased
and it was possible to rest more often.
THE ROUTE
FROM GERGEI TO ORROLI
This 
month's
route starts from Gergei, a rural town situated to the south of Nuoro. It is
famous for the church dedicated to Saint Vito, which has a Gothic Aragonese
architecture and where several works of art are kept. If you want to visit the
town, take the road n. 131 "Carlo Felice" and then turn at the fork for Villamar
(41st Km); once you have arrived at Barumini, turn on the right and will get
to the village. In the area of Praganti, there is a beautiful Tomb of Jiants,
which consists of a long cell partly floored with pebbles and a door, which
was once closed with square blocks. Keep driving along the road, pass Escolca
and get to the crossroads with the road n. 128. Turn right and take the road
to the village of Serri; once passed it, you will arrive at the plateau and
see the ruins of the village of Saint Vittoria, an important religious and political
centre, whose origins date back to the nuraghic age. Situated on the north side
of the plateau, the village is characterised by a huge meeting place, which
is elliptical in shape and includes round huts, shelters for the wanderers,
rooms with huge stone tables and arcades. There are also a temple, which was
originally dome-shaped, and an altar in front of it. At the end of the tableland
there is the medieval church dedicated to Saint Vittoria and close to it a tower,
the ruins of an ancient fortification, some other round huts and the leader's
hut, a beautiful building made of big blocks and including a rectangula
r
avant-corps. Once back to the road n. 128, turn at the fork for Seui and Lanusei.
After about
8 Kms you will get to a crossroads: take the road to Nurri, an important rural
town situated on the slopes of an extinct volcano. At the end of the village
there is the parish church and close to it, in a wide square, the bell tower,
built in the 16th century, which has a beautiful Gothic Catalan door. After
you have visited the village, take the road to Escalapiano; after about 4 kms
you'll get to a fork: turn left into the road that leads to the Nuraghe Arrubio,
the only existing example of pentagonal nuraghe. It consists of a central tower,
which is surrounded by five other towers joined by high walls, and a central
yard, which has the shape of an irregular pentagon. The whole building is surrounded
by another wall with 6-7 towers. The 14 metre high central tower is supposed
to have been at least 13 metres higher than today; the ruins of the tower include
a room on the ground floor and part of a room on the first floor. The central
yard consists of a bench situated on the right side, a hearth, a reservoir,
which has the form of a well and a container, excavated in a single sandstone
and used during the rituals. Only one of the five towers was cleared of the
stones that have fallen down; all the towers are directly or indirectly connected
with the central yard, and are not accessible from outside. Between the pentagonal
building and the external walls, there are several yards connected by two stairs.
SARDINIA
THE IMMERSIONS
Thanks
to the mild temperature and the clearness of the sea, which allows a range of
visibility of over 40 metres, Sardinia is one of the most favourite destinations
of those who love immersions. The Marine Diving Center of Porto Conte is located
in the centre of the beautiful homonymous bay; from there, it takes only a few
minutes by rubber dinghy to get to Cape Caccia and Cape Giglio, which are characterised
by a number of cliffs and undersea caves. The immersions to the undersea caves
are the most favourite activities, mainly because the caves are beautiful and
inhabited by red corals (which can be found at a depth of only 4 metres), lobsters,
groupers, morays and crabs. The O.Mar Diving Center, situated in Orosei is open
all year round; from the pier of Osala and Cala Liberotto it takes only a few
minutes by boat to get to a beautiful and colourful sea, inhabited by big groupers,
moon-fish and an increasing number of barracuda. The Centre organises immersions
to the wreck 
of
KT 12, which is at a depth of 30 metres; moreover, the most expert skin-divers
can take part in the speleological immersions to the cave of Su Gologone. The
Argonauta Diving Center, located in Cala Gonone, on the mid-east coast of the
island, organises a number of immersions: one can visit two wrecks dating back
to the Second World War, or the caves, like the "Galleria" (Gallery) characterised
by a fossil undersea beach and the "Grotta delle Ostriche" (The cave of the
oysters), whose walls are covered with big living and fossil oysters; moreover,
they can take the motor yacht Mizar, a comfortable 14 metre long boat, to visit
the cliff known as “La scaletta di ferro" (The iron ladder), which is characterised
by the presence of squills and eunicelle cavolinii. The Mediterranea Centro
Sub of Arbatax, organises guided immersions all year round; it owns three boats,
which can take up to 35 skin-divers to 45 different places, such as "Secca del
Perno", in the south of Arbatax and Cape Litiera, in the north of Cape Monte
Santu. The former is a granitic rock placed on the sand at a depth of about
27 metres, while the latter is a calcareous wall with hollows and small caves,
characterised by impressively colourful waters. The Centro Subacqueo Yacht Club
Cagliari is located in the small harbour of Marina Piccola, near Poetto, the
white beach situated in the south of the island. The mild weather allows the
club to organise immersions and trips to the relics dating back to the Second
World War all year round; moreover, it organises immersions in the shoals of
Golfo degli Angeli (The Gulf of Angels) and in the undersea park of Villasimius.
SASSARI
THE FESTIVAL OF THE CANDLESTICKS
Every
year, on August 14th, the Descent of the Candlesticks, a religious festival,
takes place in Sassari: the representatives of the nine Gremi, the workers'
associations, run quickly down Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Corso Vico, carrying
nine candlesticks; each candlestick is carried by eight young people, wearing
the traditional costume of the association they belong to, and dancing to the
music played by drummers and pipes. The columns showing the symbol of the association
as well as religious pictures, end with a sort of capital decorated with flags,
flowers cockades and many-colored ribbons held by the children. The representatives
of the associations leave from Piazza Castello (Castello Square) and arrive
at the Church of Santa Maria di Bethlem (Saint Mary of Bethlem) following an
order that was decided centuries ago: the most important association (the least
to leave but the first to enter the church) is that of Massai, which has the
honour of parading together with the City authorities. According to many students,
the origins of this festival date back to 1580 or 1652, when the people of Sassari
are supposed to have promised the Virgin Assunta to perform the procession of
the candlesticks, if she had saved them from the plague. The most widespread
opinion is that of Enrico Costa's, a student from Sassari, who traces the origins
of the festival back to the XIII century. On August 13th, in the afternoon,
the person of Sassari who leaves in the farthest country is given the golden
caldlestick, while the silver one is given to the person who has lived in another
Italian region longer than the others. The Palio of the candlesticks takes place
at the race-course "Pinna"; the jockeys take part in a daring horse race, in
order to win the standard showing the colours of the town of Sassari and the
pictures of the candlesticks.
