On Saturday, San Vito will remember one of its most illustrious sons, Antoni Cuccu, the man so enamored of Sardinian poetry that he wandered the squares across the island. He did so to attend poetry competitions, which he then transcribed into booklets that he printed at his own expense, selling them in the squares of Sardinia itself. A great, extraordinary historical memory.
Born in 1921 in San Vito, the town of launeddas, Uncle Antoni traveled in his car with a cardboard suitcase filled with these historic little books, which perhaps many still jealously guard. He earned very little, but his true goal was something else: to save the Sardinian language.
On Saturday evening, Tziu Antoni Cuccu will be remembered in San Vito, his hometown, with Sardinian Poetry Day. On this occasion, at 5:45 pm, a mural created by Stefano Pani will be unveiled. Mayor Marco Siddi, other municipal administrators, and Tziu Antoni's son, Vittorino, will be present at the ceremony. Also in attendance will be Luigi Lai, a launeddas player from San Vito, the teneros of Seneghe, and the Logudorese poets Cristoforo Muntone and Celestino Mureddu, who will perform in a poetry competition at 9:30 pm.
Stefania Angiu introduced the event: "An evening dedicated to Tziu Antoni Cuccu," said Mayor Marco Siddi, "an extraordinary figure remembered by everyone in San Vito: a man who shaped the history of Sardinian poetry, championing it with his extraordinary librettos. Tireless, incredibly intelligent, a man of immense culture: almost a legend."
There was widespread attention throughout Sarrabus, and not just for this gentle, quiet, and unforgettable man. Some remember him as "a reserved man of few words; he carried out his mission in silence, in all seasons and in all weathers, never giving up, until the day of his death in 2003."
