SARDEGNA ARITZO "dove il passato è presente" di Davide Mocci Sardinia food e tradition

A documentary by Davide Mocci - Inland Sardinia is easily accessible via comfortable roads and picturesque landscapes. Nestled in the Gennargentu mountains, in the Barbagia region, we find the charming village of Aritzo, an ancient town rich in history and culture. Immersed in nature here in the heart of Sardinia, it welcomes visitors to these mountains. The houses, many built with schist stone, overlook one another and form narrow alleys accessible only on foot. Among the narrow streets is the Bovida, a former Spanish prison from the 17th century, disturbing yet fascinating. In the center of the village, along the main street, stands the imposing 12th-century parish church, filled with valuable works of art, and the medieval-style Arangino Castle. Along the village streets, several ancient houses tell a tale of the distant past, including the De Villa Manor House, which houses the Aritzese Cassapanca Museum, crafted from finely inlaid chestnut wood by local artisans. Another museum, housed in the old town hall, houses the works of Aritzian painter Antonio Mura. In the "Pastissu" municipal park, on the outskirts of town, you can visit the Ethnographic Museum, rich in artifacts from the agricultural and pastoral life of the Aritzians. In the town itself, with its cool summer climate and pleasant winters, you can stop at one of the many fountains, springs of refreshing water, and refresh yourself at the characteristic eateries, savoring typical mountain Sardinian dishes featuring fine meats, cheeses, local cured meats, and the inevitable traditional desserts. You can also choose from a variety of accommodations. Getting to know Aritzo means discovering the most authentic Sardinia, where life flows slowly and its inhabitants often live to be over a hundred years old. The generous, creative, and hardworking Aritzo community lived through one of the most beautiful chapters in the island's economic history until the last century. For hundreds of years, in the mountains surrounding the town, the Aritzo niargios, or snow men, collected precious ice in capacious iceboxes and transported it across the island. Today, this ancient custom, unique in Sardinia, is revived at the Sagra della Carapigna, a day dedicated to mountain sorbet. The woods around the town, beautiful to explore, are rich in centuries-old chestnut trees, walnut groves, and hazelnut trees. To fully appreciate the Aritzo area, you need to visit Funtana Cugnada and the ancient iceboxes overlooking the Gennargentu, or the Texile heel, a UNESCO-recognized natural monument, which towers above the town. The Chestnut Festival takes place in the autumn, an event that attracts tens of thousands of people who flock to the town and its surrounding countryside for a few days to appreciate the natural, cultural, and gastronomic beauties that have made this place famous. On these occasions, it's not uncommon to be enlivened by the traditional songs of the Bachis Sulis Choir. The sounds and silences, the scents of unspoiled nature and good food, but also the kindness and warmth of its people, are absolutely worth discovering and experiencing in this corner of Sardinia far from the sea.