23 November 2011
Culture in Sardinia
The meaning of the flag of Sardinia have its deep roots in an ancient past soaked in legend and confirmed by the historical facts: the origin of the standard of the four Moors, symbol of Sardinia, is shrouded in mystery still today.
Originally, the meaning of the flag of Sardinia was related to the war events of the
Kingdom of Aragon, that ruled the Sardinia from 1324 AD to 1479 AD. The historical tradition has it that the four heads represent four victories achieved by the Kingdom of Aragon against the invading Moors:
Zaragoza,
Valencia,
Murcia and the
Balearics.
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22 November 2011
Culture in Sardinia
Christmas in Alghero becomes magical. Every year on Christmas Eve in the cathedral of the city renews an old medieval tradition called "
Song of the Sibyl". The Song of the Sibyl, or Pythoness, was born in France at the turn of the ninth and tenth centuries AD. With the conquest of James I this custom thrives also in Mallorca and the Balearic Islands and to follow in Sardinia. Despite the Council of Trent orders to cancel the ceremony, the singing can only be preserved through the centuries in Majorca and Alghero.
The Christmas carol, in Catalan, narrated through the use of images the anger of Christ and the day of Judgement, which will be biblically in the valley of Jehoshaphat, the seat of the divine tribunal. In the tradition of Alghero the singing provides, during the choir performance, two altar boys who are challenging a sword as a symbol of divine justice, and the other a scepter, a sign of the authorities capitulate.
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15 November 2011
Culture in Sardinia
In
Caprera, in Sardinia in the archipelago of
La Maddalena, there is a
white house overlooking the sea. It was the last residence of
Giuseppe Garibaldi, built in 1856 on that part of the island that he wanted to buy.
Inside you can still find the furniture and objects of the general's life and the memory.
Garibaldi lived here after the death of Anita, for 26 years until the fateful June 2, 1882.
(more…) 25 October 2011
Culture in Sardinia
If you’re wondering what’s the most
ancient town in Sardinia, the answer is
Nora. The
sunken town of Nora. Some kilometers from
Cagliari, on the southern coast of the isle, little off from the well known touristic center of
Pula, Nora is one extraordinary site of high archeological interest. There it was discovered an ancient town of the Phoenician-punic era. But there’s who uphold the theory of former origins of the settlement. Afterwards, the place was settled by the
Romans (III century b.C.) in confirmation of the wonderful and strategic positioning of the ancient town. It was abandoned in the Medieval era due to frequent Arabian pirates raids.
A
Roman amphitheatre, some
temples,
thermae and
mosaics are visible on the coast, in the
archeological area of Nora, but the most of the ancient town is
sunken beneath the sea. Such a paradise for archeological diving lovers and, generally, for diving passionate.
(more…) 7 October 2011
Culture in Sardinia
Barumini nuraghe, in
Su Nuraxi archeological site, is one of the most important of the whole Sardinia and is an
Unesco Human Heritage site since 1997. It’s located near the small town of
Barumini, 1.413 inhabitants, in
Medio Campidano area.
The attention on
Su Nuraxi nuraghe was drawn by the fact that this is one of the biggest and the better preserved model of nuragic settlement ever discovered. The oldest building is dated back to the
XV sec. b.C. For the strategic position and the resilience of his buildings, Barumini nuraghe has been used as fortress by Phoenicians (between VIII and VII century b.C.) and Carthaginians (between V and IV century b.C.), was then abandoned after the Roman conquest, in the III century b.C.
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