July
THE ISLAND OF S. ANTIOCO AND CALASETTA
Driving along the state road SS 126 from Carbonia, passing the isthmus connecting
it to the mother island, one can reach the island of S. Antioco, which is flat
in the north-east, characterised by the mountains of Perdas de Fogu in the south
and Sa Scrocca Manna in the north. To the south, the Isolotto della Vacca (=
the Cow islet) and the scoglio del Vitello (= the Calf Rock) stand out, together
with the Isolotto del Toro (= the Bull islet), 10 Km off shore. The town of
S. Antioco is the main centre of the island, the “heir” of Sulcis, one of the
most important Roman-Punic towns of Sardinia. There are many significant traces
of the past, such as the pre-Nuraghic village (next to the hospital bordering
on the municipal old people’s home) and the pre-Nuraghic village at Canai, in
the south of the island. There are also a few domus de janas (= fairy houses)
at Serra Nuargia and Is Pruinis. Near the isthmus, one can admire two menhirs:
“Su Para e Sa Mongia” (= the priest and the nun), belonging to the culture of
San Michele of Ozieri. The Nuraghic civilization is represented by thirty nuraghi,
the tomb of giants of Noccus, the pit-temple of Grutti and the tomb of giants
of Su Niu ‘e Su Crobu. Among the Phoenician towns of Sardinia, Sulcis has provided
the most complete records of the island early colonization. The excavations
made in the area of
the hospital (the modern part of S. Antioco) disclose the remains of an ancient
house dating from 750-740 B. C. The town sanctuary, conventionally called “Tophet”,
dates back to the same period. Situated on the rise of Sa Guardia is Pingiadas,
the sanctuary is surrounded by a stone wall. The altar stands in the middle,
surrounded by a few carved stones and a number of cinerary urns containing the
ashes of sacrificed people. The parish church, situated on a rise, is consecrated
to S. Antioco, who is the patron saint of Sardinia. The church, whose interior
is very simple, was erected in 1102 by the Vittorini monks from Marseille on
a former building consisting of three naves and three apsis. From the southern
outskirts of S. Antioco starts the asphalt road to the southern and western
beaches of the island. Five kilometres from here, passing the beach of Maladroxia,
one arrives at a wide stretch provided with a well; turning to the right, one
can reach the splendid beach of Torre Cannai, dominated by a Spanish tower,
and, farther on, Capo Sperone. Passing the splendid Cala Lunga and continuing
towards the Rock of Maccoi and Il Nido dei Passeri one arrives at Calasetta,
which is the second centre of the island. Once a wine production centre, to-day
a tourist resort, Calasetta shows an almost Eastern form: the church resembles
a mosque, whereas the Spanish tower dominates the town.The inhabitants of Calasetta
are different from those of S. Antioco: costumes and language, in fact (Genoese
is spoken here), are similar to those of Carloforte. From the port, many times
a day, ferries leave to the island of S. Pietro, carrying cars and people. Worth
seeing are the marvellous beaches of Sotto Torre, Le Saline, Spiaggia Grande
and the cliff dropping vertically to the sea. Over the last twenty years, the
island of S. Antioco has achieved a great tourist development. At present, the
island offers the visitor a good choice of hotels, restaurants, pizza-restaurants,
camp-sites. Of course, most meals include fish, such as fish soup or mixed grill,
which is accompanied by the Doc wine Carignano del Sulcis.
NUORO
THE FEAST OF THE REDEEMER
This
year, too, on Sunday (just for one day!), Nuoro is going to be the “capital
city” of folklore. The “Sagra del Redentore” (= Feast of the Redeemer), eagerly
awaited every year by Sardinians, consists of two parts: the first moment takes
place on the second-last Sunday of August; the second part is on the 29th of
August. At the end of the last century (on t
he
occasion of Pope Leone XIII’s Jubilee) the Roman Church commissioned twenty
monuments of Christ the Redeemer, to be built in Italy on the top of twenty
mounts, among which was the Monte Ortobene of Nuoro: the statue, 2 tons of weight
and 12 metres tall, was commissioned to Vincenzo and Francesco Jerace, two brothers
from Naples. The monument reached Nuoro on 19th August 1901. On 29th August
it was carried, on an ox cart, up to Monte Bidda, a spur of Monte Ortobene.
On that very day, in the morning, over 3000 believers gathered there for the
opening ceremony. From then on, every year, the 29th of August has celebrated
the Redeemer. The Feast of the Redeemer has become more and more important thanks
both to the growth of population and to the opening (in 1926) of the road leading
to the mount. Thousands of typical costumes (the best of the island) are going
to parade along the main streets of the town. Surely, they will arouse the enthusiasm
of tourists and Sardinians too, since the parade of the Redeemer, together with
the Feast of Sant’Efisio and the Cavalcata Sarda, is one of the most renowned
and participated feasts of the island. In the past years, the parade used to
be interrupted by traditional music, songs and dances. Today, the parade goes
on uninterrupted, whereas in the evening, at the Anfiteatro Comunale of Piazza
Veneto, the Festival of Folklore presents Sardinia traditional music, songs
and dances. The 29th of August represents the most participated part of the
feast: it is an important religious moment. At dawn, the believers come to town,
gathering in the square opposite the Cathedral. At six a.m. the procession,
carrying a wooden statue of the Redeemer, starts moving to the top of Monte
Ortobene, where, at eight o’clock, the early Mass is celebrated. The solemn
procession of Via Jerace, at eleven, is followed by the Mass celebrated by Pietro
Meloni, Bishop of Nuoro. The event takes place on the lawn of a park, since
the small area before the altar and the statue cannot hold all the people who,
every year, attend this solemn Mass.
LA 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.
