Ciao, people of Hive!
Today I want to show you some glimpses of authentic Sardinian culture and, at the same time, a wonderful story of human resilience that expresses very well the stubborn love that Sardinians feel for their island, their roots and their identity.
This story is related to a medieval village named Tratalias, that I reached with my bicycle last April.
After enduring tragic floods since 1954 to 1971, its residents were forced to abandon their village and seek refuge in a higher and safer area not far away. There, they built a new town and a new life: but they weren't able to forget their past.
For this reason, even 50 years later, they are still taking care of their old houses, their properties and even the ancient church. Doing so, they made their previous village a great open-air museum.
This is probably how the village appeared 200 or 300 years ago. Just imagine little children playing on the streets, women with long shawls, men returning from the fields...
This church was built in 1213. Even today, it remains one of the oldest and most important Romanesque-style churches in Sardinia.
In Middle Ages, these small houses were likely intended for pilgrims who arrived to visit the cathedral.
Nowadays, some houses still belong to private individuals. Others have been transferred to the Municipality (due to a lack of living heirs) and are now part of some conservation projects. There are also a bar, a museum and some artisan shops. Some villagers have decided to open their houses to visitors, allowing them to explore and learn about what remains of their happy past, which is also a precious testimonial of a time that will never come back.
S'omu de cía Crara means, in Sardinian language, the house of aunt Clara. This 1800s-style furniture has been passed down from generation to generation until today.
Presepe trataliese
A local artisan decided to devote his house to a huge Christmas nativity scene.
Its uniqueness lies in the fact that each doll wears the typical traditional costume of the village of Tratalias, as was common in Sardinia until a few decades ago.
It becomes an exceptional reenactment of the life on this island in past centuries.
Even though the nativity scene is generally associated with Christmas, this particular house can be visited throughout the year. You'll always find some people here, especially elderly ones, ready to share their traditions or their memories about the flood... which of course swept away their childhood, but couldn't take away their dignity and love for the place they call home.
🙏 Thank you for being here, for reading my articles and for supporting me. It's a pleasure to be part of this community 🙏
See you on the road!
Alessandro
This beautiful open-air museum is filled with so many notable attractions! I enjoyed your commentary on the sights here, and the details you chose to highlight! The nativity scenes are really captivating. I like how their creator found a way to add a real human feel to the way they are posed.
Thanks for sharing the strength of the roots in Tratalias in this blog, it was a great read! 😁
Thank you for your comment! :)
I really found it so tender. I went there just to bike in a sunny morning, didn't even know these things existed, and didn't think about the flood. When I came there, these histories hit me by their own will. This is why I decided to talk about it. I'm happy to see that someone appreciated them even somewhere else in the world :)
Beautiful to see how much the people of Sardinia hold on to the traditions and things they believe in. It surely is an interesting place!
Yeah... writing the post I was also thinking of what you told me about Netherlands.
I feel like a nomad and would have no problem to move away, but this is great, to be able to take care and give value to something you have, even if it seems useless :)
New information and nice article. I liked your post.
Thank you so much :)
It is hard to leave our village either it is natural disaster or some other situations. We really suffered with our old memories. It was good people adopted their new environment. Your culture is really amazing, if I got scholarship I must visit your country, it is my big dream.
Yes, I agree :)
It's so difficult. A house is not only a house. But it was touching to see how these people managed to keep those old memories alive.
And yes, you should definitely come to Italy! I’m sure it will be an amazing experience :)
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