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Sardegna

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Vivere la campagna

Handicrafts

Carved wood

The traditional economy of Middle Campidano, closely linked to agro-pastoral activities, has influenced the production of handicrafts, for the most part consisting of items having specific functions in daily activities.

Expert artisans’ hands used to produce handicrafts of a surprising workmanship and quality, exclusively created using local raw materials, such as leather, wood, herbs, reed, wool, animal horns, cork, clay and earth, forged according to individual fancy and skill.

Housework and farming needs have thus determined shape, size and practical qualities of handicrafts: jack-knives were essential in the agro-pastoral world; baskets of various types were used either as containing tools in the fields and as household fittings, as young brides’ indispensable dowry (such as the stresciu ‘e fenu); cooking earthenware; linen, carpets and tapestries; chests, cork trays etc. and even beehives.
Skills have been preserved by handing down traditions and knowledge through the production of items whose primary utility was replaced by a mere aesthetic/decorative function of great quality and value.
Visits to laboratories and explorations of craftsmanship exhibitions, organized on the occasion of village fairs and festivals, constantly attended by local artisans, offer an opportunity to discover a world, still intact, which has inherited arts and techniques from centuries of farming and pastoral culture and know-how.
It is not a simple journey to buy souvenirs, but a real route of knowledge, intensely smelling of farmed land, pastures, bakery and ancient traditions.

 

 

Product list

  • Gold jewels Jewellery
    Sardinia can boast a long artisan tradition in jewel manufacturing, also thanks to its mineral wealth, namely silver, widely used in the creation of ornaments...
  • Arresoja arburesa (typical Arbus knife) The knife
    Undoubtedly, Sardinia could be defined as a land of metals and knives, being blacksmiths’ and cutlers’ activity widespread in the whole island. Production range includes sickles and knives. With special reference to these latter, a few of them are renowned, such as the ‘Arburesa’, also referred to as ‘old-style’(type) or ‘gonnese’...
  • Decoration on a wooden main door - Tuili Wood
    Wood working is widespread in the whole island, related to both manufacturing and carving of traditional furniture - either simple fittings for daily purposes and finely, richly decorated fixtures...
  • Ceramics object for wall decoration Ceramics
    The origins of Sardinian ceramics art are rooted in pre-history. Mainly consists of terra-cotta items, due to the large presence of clays in the island, it has always been characterized by simple forms, including daily-use tools, such as pitchers and jugs (marigas), plates (prattus), glasses (tassas), pots and pans (pingiadas) and cups or coffee-cups (ciccaras), finely decorated...
  • Sa crobi Basketry
    Being Sardinian vegetation rich in shrubs, it has always been an ideal supplier for basketry. Raw materials used were different: in the territory of Villacidro, rush, reed, willow and wild olive, while in the whole island, wicker from willow trees, wild olive, lentisk and reed...
  • Detail of the weave ‘a pibiones’ Weaving
    The art of weaving is the most traditional activity performed by Sardinian women. Besides its practical purposes, the production was aimed at embellishing the house. Among the fabrics produced are carpets, i.e. the leading products of Sardinian craftsmanship, chest carpets, blankets, napkins, tapestries, traditional blankets (‘fanugas’ or ‘burras’) and furniture textiles...
  • Cork tray Cork
    Cork is a distinctive material of Sardinian woodlands. Finely worked, it is used to create a variety of items and household trinkets. Artistic cork working includes a wide range of products, depending mostly on individual artisans’ fancy...