Last week, I asked a question on My Sardinian Life’s Facebook Page about what you would like to see more of on my blog, and a few of you answered with topics I haven’t yet covered here. So, here goes a random post on tips, things to see and do and how to stay away from the crowds. Continue reading
Hand-crafted silver bladed knives, in every size from the heart of Sardinia – Mamoiada.
Upon further investigation I have found that Opinel knives originate from France. Can anyone of my followers confirm this? A few months ago I made the voyage to Mamoiada and noticed this display outside a shop window. The three knives under the Opinels look like they were made in Sardinia. My husband has a small collection and they resemble these.
This is my response to the Weekly Travel Theme: Silver.
This is a stunning monument at Ottana, Sardinia.
The mask on the left represents the typical mask worn at carnival from the rural mountain town of Ottana. Boes e Merdules represent an ox and his master. Wild pear wood is used in making these stunning, intricate masks, the star carved on the mask is for good luck and fortune.
The mask on the right is the mask of the Mamuthones from Mamoiada. The masks are made from the fig, elm, chestnut or walnut tree and are blackened to give off a phantom of a presence. The Mamuthone legacy is shrouded in secrecy and there is little documented evidence on their origins; some scholars argue that the Mamuthones had already marched in the nineteenth century while others argue that the ritual dance and parade goes back even further, to the Nuraghic Age.
This is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Grand
Mamoiada is a small rural town in the province of Nuoro and is famous for its carnival held in February. I recently had the pleasure of visiting this mountain town and it held up to my expectations. Follow me on a photographic journey to the heart of Sardinia – Mamoiada.
View of Mamoiada from the watch tower at Cantina Puggioni Giampietro.
Tzilleri = Bar
Beautiful old alleys and doorways.
Roast Pecora
Roasting chestnuts.
The most comical guy I’ve met in a long time at Mamoiada.
Tappas in Mamujada 2013
I’d like to personally thank the Mamoiadini for throwing such a BIG fabulous festival at the Tappas in Mamujada. From what I read there were about 25,000 people in attendance this past Sunday. Keep up the great work. I look forward to a return visit.
A short video of the Mamuthones from Mamoiada at the Tappas in Mamujada. My video taking skills aren’t the best and I wasn’t in the best place to capture the Issohadores. Here’s a little sneak peek into the mysterious Mamuthones.
The mystical Mamuthones from Mamoiada have always stirred my soul and made me question the origin of their existence. I have attended festivals in Sassari and Olbia where the Mamuthones preformed before the inquisitive public, but I had never witnessed their ritual dance in their town, on their turf, until this past Sunday when I attended Tappas in Mamujada. There is something so raw and connected to nature in their dance that pulls me in, curious, wanting to know more. So I went searching …
Mural in Mamoiada
The Mamuthone legacy is shrouded in secrecy Continue reading
Casu Marzu is eerie, very, very eerie. It’s a pungent cheese made from sheep milk and is left outside, uncovered, to rot. Tiny cheese flies infest the cheesy block and lay their off-spring, billions of small transparent maggots. The larvae feed on the cheese, thus causing fermentation and allowing the casu marzu to fully decompose into an eerie, stinky, creamy and highly sought after delicacy from the mountains of Sardinia. The moment I saw the sign above the door I knew what I had to do. Continue reading
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