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VOL. XLIII, N°1...................................WASHINGTON
.......................JANUARY, 1923
THE ISLAND OF SARDINIA
AND ITS PEOPLE
Traces of Many Civilizations to Be Found
in the Speech, Customs, and Costumes of This Picturesque Land
* in Italiano **
la galleria
BY PROF. GUIDO COSTA
With Illustrations from Phofografhs by Clifton
Adams, Staff Photographer,
National Geographic Magazine
HUB of the western Mediterranean is Sardinia.
Along the trade route spokes which bind this rocky island to
surrounding- lands, a thousand diverse influences came to flavor
the life and color the character of the Sardinians.
From the time when Ph(Enician .ships found in Sardinia a counterpart
of their home ports, where Lebanon comes down to meet the sea,
the island west of the instep of the boot of Italy lias been
overrun by one race after another. Three continents have left
their impress on tlie life and features of the people.
The island has lain open to influences from without. But the
mountains, which almost monopolize the land, have so segregated
the various parts that to this day each village lias a flavor
of its own.
Sardinia is still unspoiled. The banditry of the open road lias
become a mere tradition and the most romantic islander is liable
to prove a solicitous friend. Hotels are few and trains are leisurely.
But so diverse, so interesting, is tlie life among tlie rounded
hills and on tlie widespread Caiiipi(hino that tlie traveler
is well repaid for such discomforts as result from sharing tlie
life of tlie people, whose hospitality with the little they have
shames the greedy magnificence of famed resorts.
Poor though she be in worldly goods,
Sardinia is rich in welcome for those friends who come to visit
her, try to understand, and willingly submit themselves to the
same curious study that they give to the Sardinians in whose
homes they live.
IRRIGATION AND AUTOMOBILES
MAKE THKIR ADVENT IN SARDINIA
And let not tlie apostle of progress and standardized life be
discouraged. European clothes are displacing tlie brilliant costumes
for which Sardinia is rightly famous. Cagliari, citadel-crowned,
now jangles with tram-cars which serve tlie lower town, with
its steel-framed buildings beside wide thoroughfares. Automobiles
are already disputing the roads with slow-paced oxcarts on crude
wooden wheels. .Irrigation works are under way, and soon the
turbulent streams will be impounded in great inland lakes, with
all the countryside enlivened by electricity, while vast regions
are reclaimed for agriculture.
As yet, however, the tory of travel need not mourn too much.
In tlie inland regions, Sunday flames forth ' in scarlet glory
from the somber garb of working days, and diminutive donkeys
and patient oxen slowly plod the roads which Romans built when
Rome was mistress of tlie world. If the motor car does intrude
amid bucolic solitude, it serves to carry one through charming
scenes of rich diversity and thread upon a brief itinerary such
smiling welcomes as one would travel far to see in larger and
more favored lands.
The greater portion of the island is covered with low mountain
ranges, most of which have a round, smooth shape. The southeast
regions have peaks of Alpine grandeur, but the highest mountain
in the island, the Gennargentu, is
more imposing for its mass than for its altitude of 6,233 feet.
Its summit, which commands a wonderfully extensive view, may
be easily reached on horseback, although its loftiest peaks are
snow-covered during much of the year.
"SARDINIA TURNS ITS
BACK UPON ITALY"
Along the eastern coast of Sardinia runs a mountain chain which
presents a brusque escarpment toward tlie mainland and makes
the island difficult of access on this side. No safe natural
harbor or well-sheltered bav is to be found between Cape Carbonara
and Aranci Bay.
On the western side, the mountains have gentler declivities,
and here are situated the most beautiful gulfs of all the island-the
gulf of Palmas, so much spoken of by Admiral Nelson, and the
Porto Conte near Alghero, a natural harbor capable of sheltering
the most powerful fleet in the world.
The most extensive Sardinian plain is that which stretches northwest
from Ca-gliari to Oristano. It produces on the traveler a strange
impression. Although it is scarcely 50 miles in length, it appears
immense, for it is proportioned to the scale of surrounding objects,
especially to the modest height of the mountain ranges which
limit it.
In spring tin's plain, the two parts of which are respectively
named the Campi-dano of Oristano and the Campidano of Cagliari,
is covered in its uncultivated tracts with the most beautiful
wild flowers, which impart to the scenery a warm, variegated
tint and greatly embellish the landscape.
During the summer months a pitiless sun witli scorching rays
dries and burns everything, and the plain, covered as it is with
a yellow, monotonous mantle of dried herbs, takes on a desolate
appearance. The unpretentious villages, built of sun-baked bricks,
acquire an aspect more miserable than before.
FIVE MONTHS OI' THi; YEAR
WITHOUT RAIN
From June to the end of October no rain falls on the island.
From week to week one cannot detect the slightest cloud in the
blue sky, which in the hottest hours assumes a milky tint.
Two other plains, less extensive and interesting, lie in the
upper part of the island-the Plain of Nurra in the northeast,
which ends at Argentiera Cape, and tlie Campo of Ozieri, which
lies near Chilivani, a junction point where four railway lines
converge. Both have a somewhat different aspect from the Cam-pidano.
With these exceptions, Sardinia, especially in its central part,
is but a network of mountain ranges, an uninterrupted mass of
round-topped, treeless hills, green and lovely in spring, yellowish
brown and desolate in summer, although here and there, along
the slopes of the Barbagia Mountains, patches of verdure are
found, even in tlie liot season.
DEVELOPMENT DEPENDS ON FOUR
RIVERS
Naturally one would expect many rivers in an island of many mountains;
but in Sardinia this is not the case. Owing to the scarcity of
rain during several months of the year, Sardinian streams hardly
deserve the name of rivers. In winter, after drenching rains,
they become true torrents and are rapid and dangerous in their
course; in summer they dry up almost completely, and a narrow
rivulet of muddy water, which can easily be crossed at one step,
is frequently all that remains of an impetuous winter torrent.
Sometimes a four-arched iron bridge spans a narrow ribbon of
water between stretches of flints which mark the course of a
wet-season river.
The four main rivers deserve a special note, because on their
regulation depends tlie welfare and prosperity of the wliole
island.
The Tirso has its source in the granite table-land of Budduso,
in the upper part of the island, and after a course of 84 miles
debouches at Oristano Bay, where in ancient times rose the Roman
town of Tharros. The Flumendosa rises in the mountains of Barbagia
and enters the Tyrrhenian Sea near Muravera, on Co-rallo Bay.
The Coghinas, which has its source in the mountain ranges of
the Marghine, in northwestern Sardinia, empties into the Asmara
Gulf, and the Temo enters the sea near Bosa.
SARDINIA EXPECTS TO HAVE
LARGEST ARTIFICIAL LAKE IN EUROPE
In the central part of the island an imposing dam, 235 feet high
and 250 feet thick, has been constructed. It is designed to retain
and collect the waters of the Tirso in such a way as to form
an artificial lake about 12 miles long and 40
miles in circumference, which will be the largest of its kind
in Europe. Electric turbines will supply current throughout a
large part of the island.
A special feature of the construction is that the turbines and
tlie electric machinery are placed in the very body of the dam.
The overflow is to be collected in a large reservoir near Fordongianus,
and by means of three canals the water of the Tirso will be directed
to flow through the plains which surround Oristano, watering
an extensive tract of cultivable ground, to the great advantage
of agriculture and improvement of health conditions. The turbines
are already at work and electric current is being provided at
a cheap price, both for lighting and industrial purposes.
The scenic features of the valley where such imposing works are
being carried out will be quite changed, and in summer the plain
near Oristano will not have the same appearance as now. When
the artificial lake is formed, the rocky, barren flanks of the
hills, now covered with wild shrubs, will be replaced by large
tracts of cultivated, well-watered ground. Factories
will rise where now there are only a few miserable huts, inhabited
by opoor shepherds who g'uide their flocks in search of scanty
food.
The Flumendosa, though it has a shorter course than the Tirso,
is certainly more impressive, both for the volume of the water
it carries and the pictnresqneness of its banks. It flows between
barren hills, but during' the summer its banks are covered with
oleander shrubs. The landscape assumes a lovely appearance, and
the pink flowers of the oleander mingle with the brown hillsides,
while the river, which even in the hottest months retains a considerable
volume of water, winds here and there, or spreads wide its flood,
according to the conformation of its bed.
The landscape in this part of the island is typically Sardinian.
Villages are situated far apart. Occasionally a flock of white
sheep studs the side of a lull, where a small stone inclosure
around a cone-shaped, thatch-roofed hut indicates the existence
of a fold. The highroad, in splendid condition for motoring,
in spite of innumerable curves and hairpin turns, runs along
tlie side of overhanging hills, barren and white.
Another stream which enters the sea on the western coast is the
Temo, on whose banks the town of 13osa is built. It looks more
like a river than any other watercourse in Sardinia. Boats with
widespread sails can ascend the current for almost two miles,
and near 13osa the river flows amid the most beautiful orchards
and gardens in Sardinia; but its course is so short and the roadstead
into which it empties so open that the Temo has no commercial
importance.
The same firm which has planned and carried out the construction
of the Tirso dam has been commissioned to build similar reservoirs
for the Coghinas, Flumen-dosa, and Temo rivers.
SEA POOLS A FEATURE OF THE
SOUTHERN PROVINCE
Along the Sardinian coast, chiefly in the southern province,
are considerable sheets of water, popularly known as stagiil
di mare (sea pools). Cag'liari is surrounded by such pools, which,
being in direct communication with the sea and
retaining in their water a considerable amount of salt, are not
dangerous to health, as the larvae of mosquitoes cannot live
in them.
The lake of Santa Gilla near Cagliari forms a striking feature
of the landscape and is the haunt of innumerable wild ducks and
other waterfowl. Especially is it a favorite spot for the flamingoes
that emigrate from Africa to spend the hottest months of the
year in the neighborhood of Cagliari.
In August, a little after sunset, those 'strang'e birds mav be
seen flving high above the city, in their daily journey from
the west pool to the east. Seen from lie-low, they look like
so many crosses, with their outstretched necks, trailing legs,
and short wings.
THE MAIN ISLAND SURROUNDED
BY ISLETS
The stern Sardinian coast, with its spurs and cliffs, presents
an abrupt eastern wall with few indentations. On the western
side, the shore has a gentle slope as far as the Gulf of Alghero
and Porto Conte. the latter, however, being surrounded by high
cliffs which form Cape Caccia, site of the famous Neptune Grotto.
This is well worth visiting, but is difficult to enter, as its
mouth is situated at sea-level and the slightest breeze piles
waves against the entrance.
The main island is surrounded hy small isles, of which Sant'
Antioco is the largest. A narrow tongue of land, with the aid
of a short bridge built by the Romans, connects it with the mainland.
Next comes the island of San Pietro, on which is Carloforte,
center for the most important tunny fisheries in Sardinia.
Off the northeast corner there is a group of small islands, the
most important being La Maddalena and Caprera. The latter is
justly called the Sacred Island. Here lived and died the great
Italian patriot Garibaldi, hero of two hemispheres. Many other
unimportant islets are scattered around the Sardinian coast.
Sardinia is rich in prehistoric remains. No part of the island
is entirely devoid of those quaint old monuments, which have
defied time and weather and are still standing as evidences of
an old civilization and a demonstration that the first Sardinians
could not have been mere savages.
The traveler has always before his eyes these relics of the earliest
ages, over which the cloudy wings of time have spread their shadow.
These niiraglii are un-mortared megalithic constructions shaped
like truncated cones. After much controversy, archeologists have
at last agreed that they probably served as fortresses, watch-towers,
and even habitations for the tribal chiefs* (see page 56).
Many of these prehistoric structures, of which more than 3,000
are scattered throughout the island, are in an excellent state
of preservation.
Nor should the visitor fail to see such other ancient ruins,
dating from the bronze age, as the domus de gianas (witches'
houses) and sepol-turas de gig antes (giants' sepulchers), which
are tombs excavated in the natural rock or temples to ancient
deities. Sardinia spreads wide its history book
at the page which records man's earliest existence. Treatises
on Sardinian archeology are numerous and valuable, and whoever
wishes to do so may study the subject thoroughly.
ANCIENT ROMS HAS I.BFT HER
INDELIBLE IMPRESS
The Roman occupation left interesting remains. Both in the Northern
and the Southern Province there are relics of bridges, temples,
and aqueducts. Cagliari can boast an amphitheater almost entirely
excavated in the natural rock, where steps, corridors, passages,
and dens for wild beasts are still to be seen (see page 10).
Called by the Romans Carales, this was in ancient times, as it
is to-day, the principal town in the island (seepage 74).
Of such old Roman towns as Nora, Suici, Olbia, and Tharros, all
situated on the coast, only a few remains can now be traced,
where solitude and silence reign. It is sad to wander among those
relics of piers, temples, houses, and paved roads, so busy with
life when Rome was the mistress of the world. To give an account
of the medieval history of Sardinia, however short, would be
a hard and useless task. The Sardinians themselves, incredible
as it may seem, are as ignorant of their own history as any foreigner
who comes to visit the island.
It is, however, convenient to convey a general idea of Sardinian
history, as many existing conditions are explained by incidents
in the past.
Such medieval monuments as Sardinia possesses are in complete
ruin. Of the castles only a few moldering walls remain; so that
any investigation concerning their shape, the disposition of
their halls, or the splendor of their stately rooms is almost
impossible. A ruin, a name, a legendary history of doubtful accuracy-these
are all that remain of the castles which once held the summits
of the Sardinian hills.
The age of Pisan domination was not a happy one for Sardinia,
for never as in that period were the people so imposed upon and
taxed; nevertheless, the island is indebted to that city tor
its art. Many Pisan churches of exquisite Tuscan architecture
are scattered throughout the island, but as they formed a part
of monasteries
and convents, they were built in spots remote from the main roads,
so that those beat preserved cannot be visited without some trouble.
TWO SARDINIAN CASTLES FIGURS
IN DANTE'S EPIC
Two castles built in the Middle Ages
are worthy of mention, both for their historical importance and
because the names of their owners are recorded in Dante's "Divine
Comedy."
The first is the Castle of Goceano, known also as Castello di
Burgos, a name taken from the village which lies at its foot
(see Color Plate VI). It was built in 1127 by Gonario, one of
the giudici of Logudoro, and there lived and died the unhappy
Queen Adelasia of Torres, wife of Enzio. a natural son of Frederic
II. This Sardinian queen also seems to have had some connection
with that Michele Zanche whom Dante pictures in the depth of
his Inferno, among the barattieri (cheats). The castle stands
in a very picturesque position and commands a splendid view of
the whole district knov/n as the ^Goceano.
The other castle, situated near Iglesias,
was called Aqua Fredda (cold water) and belonged to the powerful
Pisan family of the Counts of Gherardesca, of whom Count Ugolino
was one of the most important members. Those acquainted with
the "Divine Comedy" will recall the celebrated canto
of the Inferno where Dante gives a thrilling description ot the
death of Count Ugolino, doomed to die of hunger with his sons
and nephews in the famous tower of Pisa.
Other castles, such as that of Mala-spina, erected on the hill
overhanging Bosa (see illustration on page 9), and Castle Doria,
in the Northern Province, are in a state of utter neglect and
desolation, though they still afford precious material for the
historical and sensational novelist.
HISTORY O? THE MIDDLE AGES
IS CLOUDY
The Vandal invasions, the destruction of the monasteries, the
neglect of ancient monuments, the lack of books and parchments,
the many conflagrations which destroyed archive and sacristy,
the mania of Sardinian peasants for digging and destroying every
ancient monument in the hope of finding hidden treasure-all make
the history of Sardinia in the Middle Ages rather a cloudy one.
With the exception of Cagliari, whose Castello, with its preserved
towers, entrance gates, ramparts, and fort, retains even in modern
times many traces of medieval life, the towns and villages in
Sardinia have scarcely a monument worth mentioning.
The history of Sardinia might be. summed up in a few words. Invaders
in every age came to pillage, to carry away treasure, and to
impose heavy taxes on the inhabitants, who had to fight incessantly
lest they be torn to pieces by these o birds of prey.
Then Sardinia had to endure Spanish rule, which brought misfortune
to the whole island. Even at present many prejudices, hypocrisies,
and false standards for judging life are but lingering traces
of those Spanish rulers who carried away all the treasure they
could, but left as a sad souvenir of their sway the worst traits
of their character.
The Sardinian historian, Enrico Costa, has written a sonnet entitled
"The History of Sardinia." It gives a better idea of
Sardinian history than many textbooks on the subject. Mere is
a literal translation:
Phoenicians and Greeks and Africans made her their prey and built
the Nuraghi.
Carthaginians tried to make the most of her and the Romans contented
themselves to keep lier in slavery.
Then the Vandals, the Greek emperors, and the Moors worked her
complete ruin.
Under the Pisans she had monks and lords, but Genoa, the usurer,
treated her as a vile servant.
The Aragon dynasty gave her feuds, Spain kindled petty jealousies
and asked for gold.
Piedmont appreciated the trick and ruled over her between altar
and gibbet.
She was French and German, now she is Italian, but it God does
not save her, no one knows what slic will become.
The last verses of Mr. Costa's
sonnet sound rather too bitter. The author wrote them several
years ago, when the Italian Government almost completely neglected
the island and when political offenders were sent to Sardinia
as a penal colony. Sardinia will always be Italian. Her
sons have a strong attachment for their motherland, and Italy
in turn owes much to the Sardinians for what they did during
the World War. No soldiers proved more faithful and brave.
In tills connection, it is appropriate to record that Sardinia
will never forget what the American Red Cross has clone for her
children. This great organization has taught us to train our
young people as Americans train tlieir own.
VARIETY IN MANNERS AND COSTUMES
In Sardinia, which is so small in comparison with the countries
hy which it is surrounded, an intelligent visitor is at once
impressed hy the variety of scenery within a limited field. He
notes, too, a difference in manners and habits between the inhabitants
of neighboring districts and his ears soon detect the different
dialects spoken in the villages through which he passes. The
infinite variety of manners, speech, and costumes enhances the
pleasure of his tour.
In reply to a letter from the Italian
poet D'Annunzio, asking for some colloquial expressions in Sardinian
dialect which he wanted to put into the mouth of one of the characters
of his comedy, "Piu che 1'Amore" (More Than Love),
Enrico Costa replied:
"Your faithful Sardinian servant, who is very affectionate
toward his master, begs leave to point out that it is erroneously
believed by the people of continental Italy, and often by the
islanders themselves, that Sardinia has but one aspect. It is
not so. Sardinia may be divided into zones, and from zone to
zone there is a great change of scenery, habits, customs, language,
and expressions. Tell me, then, if you please, in what part of
Sardinia you want your servant to be born ?"
Five years later J. E. Crawforcl Flitch wrote, "Sardinia
is as surprising in its physical as in its racial contrasts."
He makes a comparison between the highlands of Nuoro, which he
calls the Switzerland of Sardinia, and the low, marshy lands
of Oristano, which suggest to him Holland;
yet from one district to the other is but a few hours in what
he calls "toy trains." One cannot too strongly stress
the diversity within an island only 160 miles long' and 70 miles
broad. So, instead of giving a systematic description of Sardinia
from north to south, or from east to west, it will be much better
to treat separately such regions as present the greatest contrasts.
It will be easy for any reader to trace them on a map (see page
4).
A BIT OF OLD SPAIN IS TRANSPLANTED
IN SARDINIA
If one visits Alghero and has previously traveled in Catalonia,
he is at "once struck bv the resemblance between this Sardinian
town and various places in Spain. In fact, Alghero cannot be.
called a Sardinian town. It is a colony from ancient Catalonia,
and has kept unchanged the character of its early Spanish settlers.
The very appearance of the streets, with their four-storied houses;
the men, with their faces neatly shaven, who suggest some Spanish
matador ; the language, which is almost pure Catalonian-all make
Alghero seem actually "foreign" to such a place, for
example, as Villanova, with its gorgeously costumed women, situated
only a few miles away.
Sassari, the capital of the Northern Province, is surrounded
by olive groves whose stretches of gray-leaved trees are now
and then broken by vast vineyards. The white limestone rocks
are very soft and the country roads, incredibly dusty, have a
whiteness which da/./.les the eyes. The town itself is not so
peculiar, but its inhabitants have a character which differs
greatly from that of the other islanders. The Sassarese is talkative,
gay, sociable, and hospitable, with a bit of humor tingeing every
subject he discusses.
No writer, ancient or modern, has ever failed to speak of the
Fountain of Rosello. It is curious to note how authors of different
ages have invariably reported wliat was said about that modest
monument by previous visitors; so that a legend has arisen about
the extreme beauty of a fountain which possesses little.
In 1849 an Knglish writer said: "Few cities can boast a
handsomer fountain than Rosello." In 1885 another English
writer printed the same words, and the quaint old monument, so
modest in' its dimensions and so plain in its ornaments, having
nothing but historical interest, is favorably compared with the
splendid fountains in which the-Italian cities are so rich.
The legend is, however, so strongly rooted that not to speak
of the fountain of Rosello when describing Sassari would be considered
a serious fault (see p. 57).
Sassari may lie called one of the foreign towns of the island,
such as La Madda-lena, Carloforte, and Alghero. It was a Pisan
colony and the dialect spoken there still retains some Tuscan
characteristics.
La Maddalena is a Corsican colony and life is conducted there
in accordance with the customs and habits of the motherland.
The language spoken is almost a pure Corsican dialect, mingled
with some Genoese words; but the visitor must be extremely careful
in judging racial characteristics, for in La Maddalena live many
Italian families.
Carloforte, which has taken its name from King Charles Emanuel
III, is a pure Genoese colony. The isle of San Pietro, on which
the town is situated, was given to the inhabitants by King Charles
when he ransomed them from slavery. In former days the people
inhabited the isle of Tabarca, off the Tunisian coast, and through
an incursion of pirates all its inhabitants were made slaves
and sold at the slave market in Tunis. That small, clean, lovely
town is making successful efforts to thrive and improve, but
being a smaller island, unconnected with Sardinia, its isolation
is doubled.
FAMOUS NOVELIST DEPICTS ONLY
ONE PHASP, OF SARDINIAN LIFE
The Sardinian novelist, Mrs. Crazia Deledda, has through her
stories made the island known to Italians and to such other readers
as have had tlie fortune to read them, but she has pictured only
one phase of Sardinian life.
The description which she gives of that part of Sardinia where
her heroes and heroines live is not inaccurate, but her works
have had a deleterious influence on the estimate formed by people
generally concerning the island. The part of Sardinia pictured
in Mrs. Deledda's descriptions is a small region, which, however
interesting and characteristic it may be, is extremely circumscribed.
On the green plains of the Campiclano, which surround Cagliari
like an ample lawn, are large villages which are sure to interest
the tourist or artist in search of tlie picturesque.
ROADS ARE HEDGED WITH CACTI
The Campidano villages are approached by long, dusty, sunburnt
roads, widespread between hedges of the prickly pear cactus,
with its purplish edible fruits, so common on the Mediterranean
shores. The fleshv stems bristling with spines. which in the
southern variety are long and stiff, are so tightly interwoven
tliat trespassing is quite impossible.
During" August and September women are often seen near these
hedges, gathering the ripe fruit, which is fed to pigs. They
use a long reed, which lias been split at tlie top so as to form
a kind of funnel that serves to clutch the fruit, tear it away
and throw it on the ground. When a certain number of pears are
thus plucked, another woman with a broom brushes off the microscopic
prickles, after which the fruit is put into a basket (see page
26).
Sometimes tlie plain extends monotonous and uninterrupted for
miles and miles and the villages, whose houses are invariably
built of sun-baked bricks, almost disappear amid brown furrowed
fields.
The village streets are broad and sunny, but frequently in the
very middle of the thoroughfare is a puddle of muddy water, which
disappears only in the hottest months of the year. Now and then
newly built houses with whitewashed walls and some pretensions
to architecture, form a strong contrast to these long streets
bounded In' high, bare walls.
At short distances the flanking walls are interrupted by arched
gateways, with large doors which have in the lower part two apertures,
like those we often see in tlie lofty entrance doors of convents.
This entrance is called in tlie Campidano dialect su portiili.
These doorways constitute one of the characteristic features
of a Campidano village, and the traveler is quick to notice them,
as well as the almost complete absence of windows, which makes
the street look solitary and gloomy.
In an open space, usually on the out
skirts of a village, is the norm, on a circular stone platform,
where a patient, blindfolded ass goes round and round, voked
to the wooden bar which turns tlie water wheel. Earthenware buckets
are attached to a rope belt which revolves around its rim. The
buckets, which go down into a cistern or well. overturn as soon
as they reach the top of the device, pouring the water into a
trough, whence it is led to a large reservoir to be used when
tlie garden needs watering.
This device, so frequently found in Spain, is called by tlie
Campidano villagers su iniiHiiti (the mill).
There is something oriental in the disposition of the village
houses, streets, and gardens. From behind the high walls which
shut in the streets, one often sees the waving tops of luxuriant
palms, which suggest enchanting gardens and hidden flower-beds.
This suggestion of concealed beauty is strengthened if the passenger
catches glimpses of the inside of the compound through the small
door in the portali when it happens to be ajar.
THE "LOLLA" IS
THE PRIDE OF THE CAMPIDANO HOUSEWIFE
On passing the threshold, one finds himself in an ample courtyard,
which in most houses is divided into two parts. On the western
side. where the sun shines nearly all day, is a kind of veranda,
upon which open the doors of the various rooms of the house.
The veranda is decked with most beautiful flowers, cultivated
in earthen pots. In front of the veranda is usually a small garden,
where oranges, palms, and a variety of fruit-bearing trees grow
luxuriantly. This porch, or veranda, is called sa lolla.
Tlie lolla, with the open space in front, is a modification of
tlie Spanish fialio, and the same name is used in tlie dialect
of tlie Northern Province to indicate the open space before a
country house. The lolla is the pride of every Campidano housewife,
whose passion it is that everything shall be neat and beautiful.
In a small room is the millstone, for every household has its
own gristmill, turned by a patient little ass which is blindfolded
to prevent dizziness. The in-closure is so small that there is
scarcely enough room for the maidservant to watch the industrious
animal and inspire him with a short rod when he stops (see
illustration, page 22).
The flour thus ground is screened through sieves made at home
by the women of the household (see Color Plate III). This operation
is often performed in the middle of the courtyard. The hran is
stored to feed the fowls, which are invariably found either here
and there in front of the lolla or perched upon the cart shaft,
which they use as a roost.
The contrast between the lolla full of flowers, with every comfort
of modern life, elegant in appearance, and lighted during the
night by electric lamps, and the other part of the courtyard,
with its rural aspect, is both striking and interesting.
The lollas of the Campidano are not always the fine verandas
just described. In the houses of poor families the portico is
primitive, with a battered, slovenly tiled roof, supported by
rough wooden posts, which are sometimes replaced by pillars of
masonry. Other lollas have no gardens in front: but always one
finds flowers or a climbing plant, adding color to the wall of
the house. Everywhere are evidences of the good housewife's efforts
to beautify her lolla as best she can.
THE MOTOR CAR VERSUS THE
OXCART
The courtyard of a Campidano home is always cluttered with quaint
Sardinian carts, with their frames formed of long poles.
The oxcart is still to be found on all Sardinian roads, in strange
contrast with the speedy motor car, to which the slow Sardinian
vehicle is often a serious hindrance, for the cart is usually
loaded with fagots piled to an incredible height and spread so
wide that the road is completely blocked. It is often quite useless
to sound the horn. No one hears. The driver of the cart sleeps
and the oxen, too.
When, after a great amount of hallooing, sounding- of the horn,
and shouting, the cart moves slowly aside, the motor car is rudely
brushed by the bristling ends of the fagots.
The roads of Sardinia, once deserted and silent, are now traversed
by many motor busses. Nowadays every part of the island is easily
reached in a public automobile, but the old-time cart is always
there also. It moves slowly and takes days to reach a village,
but now and then it
avenges itself on its modern enemy, the automobile. The engine
gets out of order, a spring is broken, or the magneto does not
work and a ferocious sun shines over all the scene. Then the
Sardinian cart takes in tow its dejected and humiliated enemy
and the passengers gaze morosely at the scenery, knowing that
the village is distant and that on country roads are neither
inns nor hotels.
In the central regions of the island the cart is smaller and
has wheels of solid wood. It is just such a vehicle as was used
by the Romans twenty centuries ago (see page 55).
NO WINDOWS LOOK UPON THE
STREET
The house of the Campidano is almost always the one-storied building
so common in Spanish countries. No windows look upon the street,
a condition said to be due to the fact that in former days men
were so jealous of their women that nobody would expose his wife
or sister to the curious glances of strangers.
This reserve and all these efforts to conceal the business of
the household are so common in Anglo-Saxon life that readers
will not understand how it could be otherwise. Yet life in the
southern part of Europe is so open to inspection that this characteristic
of the villages of the Campidano deserves notice.
, The heroines in Mrs. Deledda's works are rude types, all flesh
and blood, with strong passions, often unchecked by education
or religion. Slie describes the women of that small portion of
the island which is called the Nuorese. In the Campidano nothing
of the sort is to be found in the beautiful, quiet, open faces
of the women, whose cares are all directed to bringing up a family-women
who have in their eyes the reflection of the broad green plains
of their beloved Campidano and whose bucolic souls are free from
any dangerous passion.
In their lollas, full of sunshine and flowers, they superintend
the household. Their men cultivate the fields and tend large
tracts of vineyards, coming home at sunset. The large gate is
opened wide to admit the cart loaded with casks of wine or bags
of corn. Then the ample courtyard with its lolla is inclosed
again and the happy domestic life continues in the sanctuary
of the family. A visit, however short, to the villages situated
in the northern part of Sardinia and a hurried glance at a Campidano
house are sufficient to reveal the great difference which exists
between the northern and southern parts of the island.
SARDINIA PROVIDES MANY CHANGES
OF SCENE IN SMALL SPACE
As soon as one quits the plain and ascends the first hills, the
appearance of nature suddenly changes, and before reaching the
highest summits of the Sardinian mountains, one has passed through
so many diverse regions, has admired such variety of scene, has
been charmed by so many different costumes, that he gets the
impression of having made a very long journey.
Here is Gallura, with its granite peaks and cork trees, of which
entire forests cover the mountain slopes, with villages overawed
by rocks which seem about to tumble down on them at any moment.
There is Aggius, with its long range of saw-tooth peaks; Tempio,
with its houses made of granite, giving the town an appearance
unique in Sardinia; Nuoro, which combines the comforts of modern
civilization with the opportunity to inspect Sardinia's ancient
customs.
Then the mountain landscapes, with their incredible contrast
of colors ! Rude valleys and lovely glens, orchards and gardens,
and long tracts of tancas (in-closures), limited by fence walls
in the northern regions and by cactus hedges in the south, all
covered with asphodel and aromatic herbs, with flocks of goats
pasturing on barren slopes.
Then there are Oliena, with the resplendent costumes of its inhabitants,
and Fonni and Orgosolo and Desulo, the sad village lost in the
solitude of woods, where dwell the most beautiful women in Sardinia,
all dressed in red, a color which becomes a mass of flame when
a procession of praying women is projected against the intense
green of the chestnut woods.
In the district called Ogliastra are Lanusei, Arzana and Villagrande,
villages which command extensive and magnificent views-a series
of hills towering one beyond the other as far as the sea which
washes the shore of Tortoli.
On the western side is the marshy district of Oristano, so powerful
and important when Eleonora d'Ar-borea reigned, and near at hand
Cabras, a village situated on the shore of a large pool, rich
in fisheries, but unhealthy, where, in the summer months, malaria
kills many of the inhabitants.
The villages in this part of Sardinia are almost all in miserable
condition, for the delta of the Tirso is very unhealthy. But
when the great irrigation works are finished its course will
be better regulated, and it is believed that dread malaria will
disappear.
There one sees pale girls, with fevered eyes as black as a raven's
wing. They are barefooted and wear a colorless costume as somber
as their countenances. Even the peculiar head-dress, which consists
of a bright yellow kerchief tied under the chin, serves but to
render the faces more sad and pale. What a difference between
them and the pink-cheeked, blue-eyed, black-haired girls of the
mountain district 1 Yet both are daughters of the same land.
BREAD-MAKING IS AN IMPORTANT
OPERATION
One of the most important operations in Sardinian villages is
making bread, for it is the chief food of the peasants.When they
have to work in fields distant from their homes, they carry with
them enough bread to last a week. Once a week every Sardinian
housewife is busy making bread, and until late at night she is
superintending' the maidservants, who display the utmost activity
in the performance of this domestic duty and are helped by every
member of the family.
The oven must be lieated, fagots heaped close at hand, and the
fire carefully regulated, for as the quantity must last a week
it must be well prepared in order that it
may not become stale. From village to
village the shape in which bread is fashioned varies considerably,
and even its composition presents slight differences.
The kneading of the flour is conducted in the kitchen, often
in large earthenware bowls, but it is finished on a table so
short-legged that it compels the operator to kneel before it.
The dough is rolled very thin. When baked and cooled, it becomes
so hard and brittle that it cannot be broken without crumbling
into innumerable bits (see pages 22, 23, and 24). This bread,
having little yeast in it, lacks the flavor of the fermented
variety, and has different names. In northern Sardinia it is
called carta dl musica (paper to write music on). In Barbagia,
as at Desulo, Aritzo, and Sorgono, they call it pillonca (see
page 25).
In autumn, flies are a great nuisance in Sardinia. They cover
every inch of the kitchen tables and every particle of food.
In the Campidano houses, whose main features are cleanliness
and order, these winged pests liave relentless enemies in the
housewives, who employ all means to banish them; but in the villages
situated in the center of the island, where cleanliness is not
at all in accord with tlie beauty of the scenery, the tourist
unaccustomed to such sights becomes terrified and swears never
to taste such bread, remembering his lessons in hygiene. He wonders
how tlie people live and thrive.
Fortunately, the fire which burns briskly inside the oven destroys
the germs. The aromatic shrubs by which it is fed send out a
smoke which has a distinctive odor.
Instead of escaping- through the chimney, it often oozes out
between the weathered tiles of the roofs. The whole village reeks
with smoke, which tells the visitor that it is baking day.
CURIOSITY IS A CHARACTERISTIC
OF THE
ISLANDERS
In tlie villages the people are rather inquisitive. They gather
around the tourist and ply him with questions, seeking to know
everything about his errands. At Desulo particularly tlie women
are extremely curious. "Why did you come?" "Are
you single or married ?" "Where do you intend to go?"
Such questions every visitor must answer if he desires peace.
If he carries a camera, the affair becomes even more serious.
Children, as numerous as flies, collect around the unhappy man,
and are so bold as to thrust themselves even between tlie legs
of the camera tripod. Each wants his picture taken, and has uncanny
ability in finding the very spot where he is not wanted. When,
at last, everything is ready and the shutter is about to be released,
a boy who has succeeded thus far in escaping attention comes
up and peeps into the lens. So goes another film!
Whoever carries a camera is often asked, "How much do you
charge for a portrait?" It is rather difficult to make the
people understand one's reasons for taking photographs. Pretty
girls often object to posing before a camera, for fear that their
likenesses will appear on a picture post-card-a tiling which
they abhor above everything else.
They are Eve's daughters, however. When asked to pose, they pretend
to be shy, and giggle and cover their faces with aprons, and
say that hy no means will they allow any one to take their picture.
But they do not stir; they do not run away. The ending is almost
sure to be a happy one for the zealous photographer.
CLOTH MADE AT HOME FOR PEASANT
COSTUMES
In the mountain districts in the heart of Sardinia and in some
of the northern
villages-Osilo, for instance-the cloth of which the peasant costumes
are made is woven at home. The spinning is done by women whose
parchment skin, sunken eyes, and protuberant cheek-bones suggest
a grotesque mask.
The warp is stretched on the ground in open spaces to prepare
it for the loom, at which women and girls work all day, singing
their melancholy songs to the accompaniment of the click-clack
of the sley, which forces the weft into place.
One variety of fabric so woven is called orbace. From a modern
point of view it lacks smartness, for it is rather rough and
hairy, but it is so strong and so nearly waterproof that officers
of the Italian navy, sailors, and sportsmen buy a great deal
of it for suits and overcoats.
For women's dresses, the cloth is dyed black, scarlet, or dark
red. The peasants use vegetable dyes extracted from the juice
of certain berries, and neither rain nor sun can fade the colors.
German chemists often studied the plants from which these dyes
are taken. In vain they urged the Sardinian women to use the
bright aniline dyes. Some villages experimented with them, but
they proved a failure. The contrasts were unpleasing, the tints
too bright; the whole effect was inartistic.
CARPETS AND SADDLEBAGS ARE
PICTURESQUE
From varicolored wool the Sardinian women weave carpets and saddlebags
which are truly wonderful, both for variety of pattern and harmonious
combination of colors.
The sense of art in these uncultured people makes a modern painter
wonder how women who live so far from any recognized art center
succeed in originating such pleasing designs. From generation
to generation a natural taste has been handed down by these modest
people, who embroider their skirts and bodices and make such
splendid carpets that no trained artist could do better.
From June to October the Sardinian calendar contains many festivals.
Saints, both male and female, are held in high esteem, but religion
is more the occasion
than the cause for releasing the flood
of music, pageantry, and rivalry. The Spaniards are largely responsible
for this trait of Sardinian character.
Whole families of peasants think of the feast two or three months
in advance. They hoard every penny and endure great want with
the sole aim of spending in one happy day what they have accumulated
during weeks of glad discomfort. They travel from distant places
in carts covered with tunnel-like awnings and drawn by bullocks
or horses.
FURNISHINGS OF A PEASANT
CART
The furnishings are simple. A pair of homemade chairs are securely
fastened to the sides of the cart for the mistress and any other
important personage of the household. The others accommodate
themselves as they can on mattress or cushions. The cart is cluttered
with household treasures: saddlebags filled with cheeses, bread,
potatoes, lambs or kids ready-slaughtered but not yet skinned,
caldrons, earthen cooking pots, and children of all ages and
complexions, not to mention a lean, underfed cur which is compelled
to trot under the cart, to the shaft of which the poor animal
is tied by a short rope.
Sometimes the cart is so full that there is no room for the driver,
who is compelled to sit on one of the shafts and from there guide
the unhappy horse.
No springs deaden the violent jolts which bad roads impart to
the vehicle;
but the enthusiasm of the travelers is not at all abated by the
incommodious cart, and the party finally arrives at the spot
where the feast is to take place, a little
out of breath from the continuous shaking, but in the best of
spirits and eager for, all the diversions the feast may offer.
THS WIFS WORSHIPS FOR THE
FAMILY
Religious duties must not be overlooked. Wax candles are devotedly
taken to the church and placed before the shrine by the housewives,
wlio remain all the morning on their knees before the picture
or the statue of the saint, while the rest of the party is busy
preparing dinner. All the cooking operations are performed in
the open air. A fire is made and long wooden spits on which entire
kids are put to roast are turned between two stones before the
fire. This method is called furria, furria (turn and turn) and
Sardinians employ it to perfection.
Casks of wine are put in the shade. Cheese, bread, and vegetables
are taken out of the bags, and when, at noon, mass is over and
the procession has taken the saint back to the church, the banqueting
begins and great merriment reigns.
After dinner the music begins. The accordion is in great demand
and so is the laiincdda, a kind of pipe especially common in
southern Sardinia. Songs are heard everywhere. In the late afternoon
the people get ready for the dance.
The festivals, which generally take place in small churches situated
at a little distance from the village, are more or less picturesque,
according to the costumes worn by the men and women and the
beauty of the surrounding scenery. They
offer a capital opportunity for studying the customs and habits
of the people. It is a pity that such feasts occur in a season
which is not really favorable for the tourist.
HOW THE SARDINIANS DANCB
In the Ballo Ton do or Duni Durn the dancing partners join hands
in a circle and wind to the left with a step rather difficult
to describe and equally difficult for a novice to perform. This
dance is but a memory of long-forgotten rites, when Baal and
Astarte were the popular gods. Tlie dancers hold their bodies
erect, their countenances are stern, and the feet move continuously,
advancing or receding with little leaps and bounds, all performed
on tiptoe.
Now and then, when the dance has reached the utmost excitement,
the male partners suddenly break out into wild shouts, but soon
silence reigns again. The ladies dance with grave demeanor, with
lowered eyes and modest mien. Any one may join the dance, but
the newcomer must be careful not to break the circle to the right
of a male dancer, as it is considered a serious offence to separate
a couple. That is logical enough. When a young man invites a
girl to dance he offers her his right hand, and in so doing chooses
her as his partner.
A FESTIVAL DATING FROM l6TH
CENTURY PLAGUE
In the two most important towns of Sardinia, where civilization
has had the deepest influence, some old religious festivals have
survived, and though they have lost much of their primitive splendor
they are still popular. At Sassari, on the i4th of every August,
a great procession takes place which has not a wholly sacred
character, but is a compromise between a religious procession
and an English pageant.
After the terrible plague which destroyed so many inhabitants
in 1582, the people made a solemn vow to carry in
procession a certain number of huge wax candles, to be placed,
all lighted, around the statue of the Madonna di Mezz Agosto
(Middle of August) ; but as such tapers proved expensive, the
people sought a cheaper substitute. Accordingly, wooden candlesticks
were made, and to these are fastened banners of different colors
and patterns, the whole ornamented with tinfoil and tinsel.
Every corporation and trade union has its own candle, manifesting
a certain pride in decking it. The various members who follow
it in the procession hold large silk ribbons attached to the
capital of the column, and while the candlestick, carried by
the stoutest and strongest porters to be found in Sassari, goes
down the main street, the members who have wrapped upon their
arms yards and yards of gorgeously colored ribbons slowly let
them out to their greatest length.
It is a very beautiful sight to see all these silk ribbons glittering
in the last rays of sunset and waving in fanciful evolutions,
as those who hold them in their hands advance or recede. No priests
are in the procession. At the rear walks the mayor of the town,
surrounded by the council members and protected from the pushing
of the eager crowd by the municipal guards in full-dress uniform.
Most of the corporation members wear quaint old Spanish costumes
and the whole procession is enlivened by the sound of small drums,
beaten frantically and continuously while the pageant lasts,
and by the sharp notes of flutes, which play a tune so gay that
it makes the stout porters unconsciously assume a gait which
has all the rhythm of a ballet. When the procession finally reaches
Saint Mary's Church the candlesticks are placed around the statue
of the Madonna and the feast is over.
Another religious festival, the most renowned and characteristic
of all, is the
festa of S. Eficio, the patron saint of the
Province of Cagliari.
The ceremony takes the form of a procession to and from Pula,
a village situated on the south side of the Gulf of Cagliari,
where, according to legend, the saint is believed to have suffered
martyrdom. The image of the saint, an ugly, garishly colored
wooden statue shiny with varnish, is carried in a coach all paint
and gilt, drawn by a team of oxen whose long horns are covered
with nosegays and whose necks are decked with banners of rich
brocade.
The procession is escorted by a cavalcade in the costumes of
the ancient militia. and the coach is preceded by musicians playing
launeddas. The ceremony takes place on the first of May and the
saint comes back to Cagliari after sunset on the fourth. Great
efforts are being made to maintain these festivals unaltered,
but the concourse of visitors from all parts of the island is
not so great as it was some years ago. The once keen enthusiasm
for these ancient customs, which are but a relic of the Spanish
rule in Sardinia, has become lukewarm.
FEW HOTEI.S OR INNS
In a land that does not possess many hotels or inns, the system
of receiving travelers is more than a custom; it is almost a
law. Hospitality is one of the strongest traits of the Sardinians.
A stranger is always received with the utmost cordiality and
sociability, everybody being anxious to do something to help
him. Accustomed as the Sardinians are to solitude and silence,
they fear that a person may feel too deeply the loneliness of
traveling unknown in a country where villages are so far apart.
Sardinian hospitality has always been spoken of in the highest
terms by authors and travelers. It has come down to us unchanged
from the old Roman days, when the shrine of Jupiter Hospitalis
was erected in every village and palace in the island.
THE GUEST, A SACRED PERSON,
IS FORBIDDEN TO PAY
If you happen to reach a village on a feast day, you are never
left alone. Somebody is sure to come and invite you to enter
his house, to sit at his table, and to partake of his dinner.
If you have a letter of introduction for some influential person
of the place, you will receive an almost regal reception.
A foreigner who is unaccustomed to such treatment is reluctant
to accept an invitation so freely offered. He wants to pay for
every assistance he receives, but he cannot. He is forbidden,
for the guest, as in the days gone by, is considered a sacred
person, and even in towns where life is much the same as in any
other part of the world, this sense of hospitality is not completely
lost, but is made manifest in a thousand ways.
In some villages an inn, or something resembling an inn, is managed
by a person who in most cases is not a native of the place. In
such places a stranger is
sometimes overcharged, though of course only froin a Sardinian
point of view. Perhaps they charge too much for the food they
furnish; but one must consider that guests are so rare and expenses
so heavy that the business is not a profitable one. If tourists
and merchants would visit these places more frequently, inns
and hotels would provide more of the comforts of modern life.
But on this subject prospective visitors must not be deceived.
Accommodations in Sardinian inns are not good, and in the whole
island there are but few hotels.
Unless one is willing to sit at a low table in a room full of
smoke, eat roast pig and rough bread and cheese from the family
store, and drink strong wine which makes tears come to his eyes,
he cannot possibly know Bar-bagia.
And until the traveler rides on one of those ponies that with
Steady step climb the mountain slopes along-winding paths, seated
astride a quaint Sardinian saddle with a saddlebag full to the
brim of all the provisions for a long journey, and stops in the
heart of a forest to see a kid roasted according to the Sardinian
fashion, he cannot know those wild landscapes which to know is
to love.
WHERE TO ?IND THE RICHEST
COSTUMES
An accurate description of the different articles which constitute
a Sardinian woman's costume would take pages. The most artistic
are to be found in the northern districts. The women of Osilo
wear the richest dresses in all the
island. In Nuoro the women and girls retain the old fashions
unaltered. At Oliena, Fonni, Desulo, and Aritzo the costumes
vary greatly both in colors and pattern; but, sad to say, Sardinian
costumes are rapidly disappearing. Everybody is anxious to dress
in modern style. Young peasants have already put aside the male
attire of former days and only the old villagers have any attachment
for the costumes of their forefathers.
The costume of the women of Quarto Sant' Elena is described in
every guidebook, but in vain would a visitor go to that large
village in search of one. Only five or six specimens now exist
and they are jealously kept in the bottoms of family chests,
as souvenirs of a colorful past.
In Cagliari, for months and months no woman or man wearing a
distinctive native costume is to be seen. Now and then, for some
fancy ball or similar event, the elegant young ladies of Cagliari
borrow costumes for a few days and wear them through the streets.
Everybody turns and looks with admiration at the unusual sight,
to the amazement of foreigners, who on coming to Sardinia expect
to find everyone in gay attire.
. Artists and archeologists are thinking of founding in Cagliari
an ethnographic museum containing specimens of the costumes of
the various districts of Sardinia. Funds are already being raised
for that purpose (see Color Plates I to XVI).
COSTUMES NOW TOO EXPENSIVE;
FOR PEASANT BRIDES
Although costumes are a sort of family heirloom handed down from
mother to daughter, they do not last forever. A modern bride
cannot afford to have one made for her. Since the war the prices
of brocade and silk have increased four or five fold and so have
jewels. How can a peasant girl of Osilo, about to be married,
afford $800 for a complete festival costume? She must content
herself with a dress which, being designed after her own fancy,
has lost the best features of the primitive costume.
Moreover, the farmers and rich peasants in the villages are wont
to send their sons and daughters to the nearest town to attend
secondary schools. When the boys and girls return home they will
no longer wear native costumes, but want to be dressed in the
latest European fashion. In Sardinian villages, even in the interior,
you often see a mother, dressed in the most beautiful and gorgeous
costume imaginable, walking beside her daughter, who is dressed
according to the dernicre mode of Paris.
Sometimes the daughter compels her mother to lay aside the fine
old costumes and put on modern dress. The unhappy woman, not
being accustomed to wear such inartistic modern hats, looks so
awkward and embarrassed that she is very often laughed at and
scorned by the townspeople and called a country cousin.
Authors have a lamentable fault-that of flattery through imitation.
They are too often disposed to copy one another. The wisdom of
a past generation too frequently appears under new but inadequate
disguise. Instead of describing what one sees and feels, which
would be best, one is unconsciously tempted before visiting a
place to read what some earlier visitor has said and felt about
the same place, and thus pour fresh impressions into old molds.
Often authors come to Sardinia in a hurry, hire a motor car,
run through the country at a speed of 30 miles an hour, and after
a few days go back to the Continent and write a book about what
they have seen. When they perceive that they have neglected an
interesting place or missed a useful fact, they paraphrase what
previous authors have written. Misstate-ments about Sardinia
are therefore so numerous that they would, and do, fill many
a book.
A legend too strongly rooted still persists about Sardinia as
a land which cannot be conceived without its shepherds, wearing
goatskin mantles; its large inclosures decked with asphodel;
its women all dressed in the most gorgeous costumes, dancing
and singing all the day long, and banditti at every house corner.
Many of these things still exist, but to discover them one must
go to the interior of the island, in places situated far from
the railways and highroads.
IGLESIAS DISTRICT RICH IN
MINES
A visit to Iglesias is interesting. The visitor finds himself
in a Sardinia ot which he has read nothing. Mines dot the region,
tall chimneys streak the sky with smoke, machinery of all kinds
makes the valleys echo with noise. The country is crossed by
electric wires fixed to high iron towers, the main roads are
traversed by a great number of modern vehicles, and in this district
the old Sardinian cart is seldom seen.
This is industrial Sardinia, so little known abroad, which will
have a great expansion when the reservoir of the Tirso is formed
and electric current provided at a cheap price.
Cagliari has all the appearance of a modern continental city
of the size of Pisa. Near the harbor, studded with steamers and
sailing ships, a long, wide street lined with palaces looking
out upon the sea, leads from the station to the Basilica of Buonaria.
Upon this street open two broad thoroughfares, which, with a
steep ascent, lead to the upper quarters (see illustration, page
2). The town boasts terraces which command extensive and magnificent
views. Whoever has walked for a while on the Bastione San Remy
has received an indelible impression. From this elevated concourse
the view of sea and land, of pools and meadows, is such that
to live in Cagliari is to live upon a mountainside, perpetually
refreshed by the exhilarating environment of space.
The town has monuments, elegant shops, theaters, bars, and clubs,
a good school system, a university, and a public library.
During the summer months the favorite resort of Cagliari is a
wonderful beach, with commodious bathing establishments. One
part of it is called the Lido, in imitation of the celebrated
Venetian strand,
and many say that comparison is favorable to the Sardinian shores.
In Cagliari a visitor is always interested in the medieval monuments.
Its towers, built by the Pi sans about 1300, are standing in
a state of perfect preservation (see page 6), and tlie gates
to the Castello quarter, as well as the Cathedral, are worth
visiting. In the same quarter is an archeological museum, with
a hall dedicated to pre-Roman history, presenting a picture of
prehistoric Sardinia, with its nuragJii, damns do (jianas, and
other relics of a hazy past.
CAGLIARI HAS MANY MODERN
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
The town has industries, but they are quite modern and, of course,
no guidebooks mention them. There is the chocolate manufactory,
a factory for making cement, and a porcelain industry which promises
a splendid future because of the excellent raw material in which
Sardinia is rich.
Sassari, in its new quarters, is clean and lovely, and continental
people prefer living there because it has an atmosphere comparable
to that of the ordinary Italian town. This city also has industries,
most important of which are tanneries that have already acquired
renown in continental Italy and in France. From the olive groves
surrounding the town the finest oil is produced and sold at high
prices.
Tempio manufactures the products of its oak forests into cork
(see illustrations, page 58), and in all Sardinia there is an
awakening of industry and commerce which is encouraging.
Home industries are also thriving. At Bosa the women make very
beautiful laces after old patterns, which are greatly appreciated
not only in Sardinia but in Italy and abroad.
THE HOME OF SARDINIAN BASKETS
At Castel Sardo, in the Northern Province, and at Sinnai and
Settimo in the South, the industry of basket-making is well advanced.
The baskets made in Castel Sardo are the best and are sold as
far away as Philadelphia. The leaves of a dwarf palm which grows
in the wild flat plains of the north are used. Figures of animals
and flowers fashioned from palm leaves which have been exposed
to smoke in the kitchen for several months, so that they take
on a permanent blackish hue, are cleverly woven into the pattern
(see illustrations, pages 27 and 28).
At Isili, in the Province of Cagliari, fine carpets are woven
on hand looms and sold everywhere. Sardinian artists are making
every effort to keep unaltered the native designs of both carpets
and baskets. They insist that the women continue to dye the former
with the juice of wild berries, as in the past.
The major portion of Sardinia is mountainous. and these heights,
once covered with forests, are now in the main barren and desolate.
Continental speculators cut clown the forests and converted tile
wood into charcoal, and the Italian Government and the Sardinians
have been very slow to reforest the cut-over areas.
Only one-eighth of the land is under cultivation-a fact due,
first, to the preponderance of hill over plain, and, second,
to the lack of rain in summer months
and a variability of climatic conditions
which prevents sure harvests.
The cultivated ground is well tilled. Mechanical implements are
commonly used, especially in the Campidano, and. the old Sardinian
handmade wooden plow is used only in the mountain districts,
where the turf has but little depth.
The large reservoir of the Tirso and the projected reservoirs
of the other rivers will supply the necessary water in the hot
season and will be a boon for agriculture.
Of live stock, sheep and goats constitute the majority; but even
among them, left as they are to pasture where Mother Nature has
provided food, the mortality during a prolonged drought is very
high and the loss of money considerable. When the season is favorable,
stock breeding is profitable.
LACK OF MAN-POWER IS SARDINIA'S
GREATEST HANDICAP
It has already been said that the main feature of a Sardinian
landscape is its solitude. The whole population of the island
is less than that of Naples. The few people are scattered over
a large territory, with villages sometimes more than fifteen
miles apart. Only Cagliari and its environs have a comparatively
dense population.
This lack of man-power is seriously felt in every branch of human
activity. The island's population has been further diminished
in recent years through losses on the battle-fields of the World
War.
Much remains to he. done, though much has already been accomplished.
The petty jealousies kindled by the Pisans and maintained by
the Piedmontese between the two provinces of Sassari and Cagliari
have completely disappeared.
The Sardinians are now united in their efforts to improve their
land. Especially since the World War they have put on the armor
of pride and are conscious of their strength. They know the Americans,
because they saw the Star-Spangled Banner floating everywhere,
when representatives of the American Red Cross gave to Sardinia
assistance of every kind. So, let the Americans now know the
land of the nuraghi and learn to appreciate her.
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