The villages in the heart of Sardinia open their doors wide and offer a journey through typical flavours, culture and local traditions, the result of an identity heritage and a thousand-year history.
On 2 and 3 September, the tour for the centers of the interior of the island starts from Bitti, proposed by the Autumn in Barbagia event also known as Cortes Apertas.
Promoted by the Chamber of Commerce of Nuoro, over a period of four months, it will stop in 33 countries, ending in Orune on 17 December. Local craftsmanship, food and wine, culture and Sardinian archeology are on display: from the Sarule carpets to the Ollolai corbules, from the forged shirts of the Oliena embroiderers to the headgear of the Orgolese women's costume; from the Nuragic villages of Teti to the Su Romanzesu complex in Bitti, the home town of high-tension singing designated by Unesco as an intangible heritage of humanity. Around the villages you can taste authentic Sardinian dishes such as malloreddus (Sardinian dumplings), melted cheese, lentu bread with purpuzza (untoasted carasau with crumbled pork with spices), the ever-present roast suckling pig, to conclude with desserts, among all the famous seada (fried dough filled with cheese and flavored with honey).
And yet the casadinas, su pistiddu, the 'gattò', sweet pastries stuffed from time to time with cheese, almonds or cooked must. All seasoned with the typical hospitality of the Barbagia towns and the involvement of visitors in the experiential activities of the workshops and craft shops.
«Our villages have a very ancient history and identity heritage and on the occasion of Cortes Apertas culture, arts and traditions are revived in an atmosphere of contamination between locals and visitors», observes the Bittese anthropologist Bachisio Bandinu, «however our villages are depopulating because we can't put in order what is precious we have. And Cortes Apertas is a consecrated formula that brings us opportunities but we must look ahead and invest in our riches».
The next stage in Bitti will be Oliena on 9 and 10 September.
