An island, a continent: Sardinia

Here’s my region: geographical and historical outline

Some hints about history

The first inhabitants came from Northern Africa, from the Iberian peninsula, from Liguria and from Tuscany. The settlers tilled the land, started to trade and exploited the obsidian, a volcanic glass, that they sold to merchants from Corsica and Provence.

In about 2,500-2,000 B.C. with the people from Greece and Crete, we have the first urban settlements and some sheep-farming activities. They made tools more pleasant, introduced the cult of the dead with tombs and niches called “domus de janas”(fairies’ houses) and reproduced the dwellings of the first Sardinians, circular and with a cone shaped roof.

From the Nuraghi onwards In about 1,500 B.C. we have the Nurarghic Age or the Bronze Age,

characterized by the creation of the “nuraghi” and the fusion of bronze.The nuraghi, made with huge stones and a vaulted roof, situated in a commanding position, represent the mark of this age, the most flourishing in the history of Sardinia.

The domination of the Phoenicians in the IX and VIII century B.C. influenced life on the coasts, with the building of sea ports and later, with the Carthagenese, of a road network, houses and water facilities.

The Roman conquest in 238 B.C. brought streets, baths and temples, and the seeding of land for corn growing.

The Christian Age introduced olive trees and vines and factories for brick-works.

With the Vandals and the rise of the Byzantine in 533 A.C., followed by the Pisani, the Spanish, the French, the Austrian and the Piemontesi, Sardinia started to acquire some habits of the conquerors but it remains a wild land, with a routine life mainly influenced by winds and the sea.

Geographical features Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with

its 23,815 square km, including the small islands surrounding it: S. Antioco, S. Pietro, the Asinara, La Maddalena and Caprera.

It has the shape of a footprint or of a sandal print, and for this reason the ancient Greeks called it Ichnusa (footprint) or Sandaliotis (sandal print). The edges of this shape are the coasts, very pictoresque and varied.

The hinterland is characterized by fruitful planes called Campidani (from the Latin campus), plateaus and mountain chaines, such as the Gennargentu (literally the silver door) with the Lamarmora peak, the mountains of Oliena and the needles of the Sette Fratelli (the Seven Brothers).

Geographical features 2 The coasts of Sardinia are generally high and rocky, with deep bays

and inlets surrounded by small isles. Sardinian rocks go back to the Ancient Paleozoic (300,000 years ago), so there aren’t any high mountains because of the long erosion process.

The Gennargentu is the highest peak in the center of the island (1,384 m.) and the Mount Limbara (1,362) is the highest in the North.

The climate is generally mild, influenced by the Atlantic, African and Artic air masses. During the year, approximately 300 days are sunny and the others rainy, with a great concentration of rainS in winter and autumn, sometimes in spring too.

The island is very windy, the mistral ( a North-West wind, fresh and strong) dominates but also the Sirocco and the Levant are very frequent, especially along the east coast.

The map Here’s a map of our

island with its four provinces: Cagliari (the headtown), Sassari, Oristano and Nuoro.

Some photos of our main towns CAGLIARI ORISTANO

Nuoro and Sassari Nuoro Sassari

Towns and villages of Sardinia – The new provinces In Sardinia there are 377 villages, 1.648.046 inhabitants,

on a surface of 24.090 kmq and a density of 68 inhabitants for kmq.

Sardinia has got 4 new provinces: (CI) Carbonia- Iglesias, with the chief town Iglesias-

Carbonia (MD) Medio-Campidano, with the chief town Sanluri (OG) Ogliastra, with the chief town Lanusei-Tortolì (OT) Olbia-Tempio, with the chief town Olbia-tempio

SARDINIAN TRADITIONAL COSTUMES

The most typical costumes are local, varying from village to village. The typical element of the man’s costume are the cap, the shirt, the gilet, the jacket, the “ragas”, the white pants of linen, the coat, the characteristic “gabbanu” – typical of the pastoral tradition and the mastruca, a big skin capsize of ship with wool. Besides we often find the “collettu”, a coat of leather as long as the knee, opened in the front and held by a leather belt.

The female costume The female costume is, usually very

rich and colurful, with a shawl and a head scarf, a white blouse and a corset of different materials and colours. The skirt is pleated and usually completed by a a colourful apron made with fine materials.The costume is decorated with rich jewels made with gold or silver, and coral or pearl mounted in it.

The costume represents an ancient way of dressing thet reveals where you come from, your social class and your origins. It is still popular in everyday life, especially in small centres, in a less decorated and poorer version.

Archaelogy in Sardinia Nuraghi are defensive structures

dating back to the II millennium b.c., that is the Age of Bronze. They are circular towers with the shape of a truncated cone made with polished stone, with internal rooms and dome-shaped ceilings. Their use is still controversial, some think it had a defensive role, some think it was used a s a religious structure to gather the community in particular situations (wars, plagues, social innovations)

Archeology in Sardinia The city of Nora was founded

by the Phoenician around the IX century b.c. In the early period of Roman domination, Nora was probably the seat of the Governorship and later it was proclaimed a municipium, enjoying a period of prosperity especially in the II and III century a.d.

ROMAN THERMAE Fordongianus is the most

important Roman city in the interior of the island. During the period of the Roman invasions the Romans changed the settlement into a fortified outpost: Forum Traiani. The Roman baths are the main attraction of this place where hot water still flows from some springs.

PRANU MUTTEDDU The necropolis of Pranu

Mutteddu, a few kilometres from Cagliari, is an important remain of the Neolithic civilization in Sardinia. The main attraction is the “domus de janas” graves, dug in large sandstone blocks carried from far away to the centre of a large circle with menhir. The long line of menhir is orientated along the course of the sun.

THE TOPHET The foundation of the

Phoenician town of S. Antioco (Ca) was accompanied by that of the tophet, a particular form of necropolis and sanctuary typical of the Phoenician-Punic civilization in the Western Mediterranean sea; it is an open air sacred area where only the ashes of dead born babies and children were buried.

MAIN FESTIVALS The festival of S. Efisio begins

on the 1st of May. It is dedicated to the omonymous martyr that the ancient Sardinians used to implore to be saved from the terrible effects of a plague and during the pirates’ invasion in 1655. A solemn procession with the statue of the saint leaves from the district of Stampace, in Cagliari, and finishes in a small church dedicated to the saint in Nora

THE SARTIGLIA It takes place in February in

Oristano: it is an ancient equestrian joust with Spanish origins during which the best riders have to take a steel star hanging from a rope with the point of the sword, without stopping their fast riding along the streets of the town. The winner is the rider who takes more stars. Riders wear traditional costumes and a characteristic white mask.

THE REDEMEER FESTIVAL It is the most important

religious festival in Nuoro; it takes place every 29th August from 1901 on the Ortobene Mountain. It is dedicated to Christ, the Redemeer: pilgrims go on foot to the town of Nuoro till the top of the Ortobene and there they take part to all the religious events celebrated by the Bishop of Nuoro. It is a very solemn festival.

SARDINIAN GASTRONOMY SARDINIAN GASTRONOMY IS ORIGINAL AND RICH,

BASED ON ANCIENT RECIPES HANDED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

Each province has its own tradition and uses the typical products of the area. The geographical posiition of the island, surrounded by the sea, the main ingredients of Sardinian gastronomy are very different but also very simple and natural.

STARTERS Starters, preceding

lunch and dinner, are represented by mixed salted pork meats, cured ham, Sardinian pecorino cheese, olives, and fresh vegetables. You may also find starters including crabs, mussels, clams, snails, lobster, octopus and sea dates.

BREAD AND PASTA The Sardinian tradition has

different kinds of pasta, dried and fresh, and typical breads. The basic ingredient is the hard bran of grain, used to prepare malloreddus, the bread “carasau” (also known as “music card”); the fregola, made with a handmade pasta in a small marbles shape and toasted in the oven; the “culurgionis”, with ricotta stuffing.

SECOND COURSE The most characteristic meat

dishes are pork on the spit, roasted and flavoured with branches of myrtle, kid and stewed lamb, and also mixed grill of fish.

PORK MEAT In Sardinia pork meats are

prepared according to ancient procedures and with very simple ingredients: salt, few spices and an accurate seasoning. The characteristic pork meat is the pig or wild boar mountain ham; also dried or smoked sausages are considered a symbol of the island.

CHEESE SARDINIA IS THE SYMBOL

OF THE PASTORAL CIVILIZATION. GOAT AND SHEEP BREEDING REPRESENTS THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMICXAL ACTIVITY. Among the most appreciated cheeses we find the Sardinian pecorino, a D.O.C. cheeese produced exclusively in Sardinia.

SWEETS The traditional Sardinian

pastry is varied and has sweets for every event. The basic ingredients for most of them are the almonds; the most appreciated by everybody are the famous “amaretti” and “is pabassinas”, with raisins and sapa.

WINES SARDINIA HAS AN

ANCIENT WINES-PRODUCING TRADITION, WITH HIGH QUALITY WINES. They are strong and with a high gradation. The most famous wines are the Cannonau, the Malvasia, the Vermentino, the Nuragus, the Monica.

LIQUORS Also the liquors have a very

ancient tradition, as they contain many aromatic plants characteristic of the island landscape. The most typical is the myrtle, white and red, but also the liquor of the Indian fig and the “aqua vitae”, known as “filu ‘e ferru” are very popular.

SOME SHOTS OF THE ISLAND

The end… Dear friends, this is the end of our long journey

across our region. We hope you will like it, even if it’s a bit long…We would have liked to say many more things, well then, come and see what we missed!

We send you our best greetings and we are sure that you can forgive us if we were boring. Lots of love from classrooms 2nd a and 3rd a of the “Giovanni Pascoli” school and from our teacher Ms. Cambosu. Byeeeeeeeeeee!!!!