INSPIRATION

Today’s road is very hard. Not only because I was ill last night, but above all because of the heat and the many kilometers of uphill I have to do. I realised that in the total path I could have inserted Tula between Ozieri and Oschiri, always remaining in the Chilivani plain, which today appears particularly yellow, while from Erula I could have gone directly to Chiaramonti and stayed at high altitude. Path errors I mentioned earlier in some articles.

I climb slowly through the red volcanic rocks and after a while I see Chiaramonti appear on the top of a hill. It seems close but the climb to get there never ends. In addition I left very late so I get to the Town Hall around noon, where the Mayor Alessandro is waiting for me. As he sees me in a not very great shape, he gets me lunch settles me in a b&b in the center where I can rest.

In the afternoon the Deputy Mayor Luigi comes to get me, to take me around the territory. The first stop is the domus de janas of Murrone, with the particular summit rocks excavated, to delimit the burial areas. Not far away is the Nuraghe Ruju, where, however, we cannot get close due to the high vegetation and the risk of ticks. We move to visit the rural church of Santa Maria Maddalena, beautiful with the two-color of the rocks, red trachyte and white limestone, very abundant in the area. From here we then move to another rural church, Santa Giusta, surrounded by a beautiful park equipped for picnics and with water springs.

Back in the village, we climb one of the two limestone hills surrounding the old town, Cudinarasa, where there is a former windmill, which remained active until the end of the nineteenth century. From here we dominate the whole town, an ancient medieval village built around the Doria castle, clearly visible on the opposite hill. And as a last stop we go right to the castle, whose ruins dominate the surrounding area. We manage to get inside and admire what remains of ancient halls.

Returning to the centre village, I am again joined by the Mayor Alessandro, who takes me around the historic centre, very well cared for, full of narrow streets, under arches, stone houses, Aragonese style architraves.

Alessandro talks to me about foreigners who have recently bought a house here, and he shows me these many well-restored houses, more than seventy! We pass near the parish church of San Matteo and we stop in a pizzeria in a narrow street to eat outside, on a very pleasant summer evening.

SOUND FRAGMENTS

SHORT SARDINIAN STORIES

Mayor Alessandro speaks to me of a series of paths that cross the territory of Chiaramonti, and that form a sort of “daisy” with the town at its center. In every direction you go you can visit something and then return to the center of the village. One of these is for example the path of the petrified forest Carrucana, a ‘petal’ heading north towards Martis. Then Alessadro tells me about the SIC (Sardinia International Country) Folk Festival, where for some years performances of Sardinian folk groups and groups from all over the world have alternated, for a union of cultures and traditions.

Browsing online I bump into some historical documents that attest to the presence of gangs of criminals in the famous “Sasso di Chiaramonti” in the mid-eighteenth century, as well as in neighboring countries, especially in Sedini. There was in Chiaramonti a bandit, Juan Fais, who dictated the law throughout the village. The situation was often aggravated by fights, riots, thefts and murders, which took place both during the day and at night. Justice was not feared or respected. From what I can see today the situation in Chiaramonti has completely changed, a tidy and peaceful village!