The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-10-19
SARDINIA



Washington. D. C.-When Europe, at
peace once more, invites the Ameri-
can traveller to its shores. one of he
few spots whose ruins will not sug-
gest the ~sanguinary struggle which
mas brought sorrow and desolation to
practically all that war ridden con-
tlnent is little known Sardinia. the
subject Of a communication from Helen
Dunstan Wright. to the National Geo
graphic society. A part of the writ
er's descriptive article has been issued
oy the society as a geography bulle-
tin. which says:
Those who have taken the Mediter-
ranean route nave at least had a
glimpse Of Sardinia from their steamer
a day out Of Naples. The island is in
sight for some hours, and, If the
steamer passes sufficiently close, q
pold. rocky coast "a be seen on which
Roman outlook towers remain. similar
to those scattered along the south
shores Of Spain. The tourist seldom
includes a trip to Sardinia in his trav-
els. as neither of his advisers. Thomas
COOK nor Baedeker, recommends it to
olm. It.. oWever is one Of the few
foreign fields that has not been over
run n overfed by the tourist, and in
nary of the villages a traveller is still
regarded as a guest and not as a prey
10 be bounced upon.
Some day, when tourists are tired
Of taking the tours laid out for them
by the guide books. perhaps they will
break away from the continent and set
,ail for Sardinia. especially if they are
1ot travelling just to enjoy hotel com.
sorts. One can rent a good automobile
1t Cagllari, and a week spent touring
,round the island would probably
cave the ~pleasantest of recollections
IND an experience long to be remem-
oered.
Sardinia can be reached by an
.ight hours night voyage from Civil
a%vecchia, the port Of Rome. to the
forth end Of the island. The crossing
s comfortable. The beauty Of the
'unrise over the sheer cliffs and the
traggy isolated rocks of Golfo Degli
Aranci compensates for getting up at
: in the morning.
AS soon as one lands, a refreshing
fragrance in the air is noticed-a per-
Tue, certainly, to orange trees, as sug-
sested by the name of the port, there
being none in this district, but to the
many wild herbs and Shrubs all over
the island.
Except for the eucalyptus and pine
planted near the stations, there is a
noticeable lack of trees along the rail
way routes. Among the mountains.
however, which occupy the eastern half
81 the Island and occur to some extent
along the western coast, there are i'm
portant forests Of oak, lick, cork and
wild olive. In the mountainous areas
OF the island are many fertile valleys.
The town of Macomer is the center
of a region where many fine horses are
pred for the Italian army, as are also
the small ponies used in Naples. Gag
llari, at the southern end Of the island,
is often visited for a few hours by tour
lists taking the weekly steamer from
Genoa and Livorno to Tunis. The bay
of Cagliari is most impressive. On h
right and left as you enter are hills,
With mountains in the distance, while
rising up from the lowlands directly OPP
posite the entrance is the city, on a
rocky hill 400 feet high. The top Of this
hill is encircled by a massive wall, built
by the Pisans in the 18th century. At
two Of the angles rise the towers Of
the Lion and the Elephant, but Of the
the triangle, only the base remains. In
the center of these Notifications is the
Old town. On the slopes Of the hill
outside the walls is built the modern
city Of $4,000 inhabitants, the largest in
Sardinia. The entire population of the
sity Of population Of IS per quare
mile; that is a much lower figure than
In any other part of Italy.
Among the objects historically in
teresting in Cagliari are the rock cut
tombs on the hill side below the Cas-
tello. These are probably Of the same
period as the nuraghi, the famous pre-
historic truncated cones 80 feet in d.
ameter at the base and built by the men
OF the bronze age.
The 'nuraghi' were undoubtedly for
titled ~habitations. They are usually
situated in commanding positions at
the entrance to tablelands, near the
lords Or rivers, or on almost inaccess-
!ble mountain peaks and within sig
mailing distance of n another. Traces
Of at least 5000 of these remains have
been found.
1.-THE ancient tombs of the inhabitants
II the nuraghi' are usually found near
hem. These are called the 'tombs Of the
giants n are 3k feet wide and from
50 to 40 feet long, with a roof of flat
slabs or rocks and with the sides made
Of the slabs or Of rough walling The
bodies were probably arranged in a
sitting position. In front of the tombs
are circles about 40 feet in diameter
surrounded by stones; these were. no
doubt, used for sacrifices and burial
.ites.
ITO get an insight into the life of the
inhabitants Of this isolated island, one
should visit it's villages. It is in the
entire eastern half, with its mountain
,us valleys and villages, where the real
Sards now live. Here one will find them
boou looking ana IN good health, gener-
BUS, ~hospitable, honorable and quite
poor. Politeness is carried almost to as
extreme. Often as one rides through the
small villages the women children and
the old men sitting at the doorsteps rise
and wish wou a 'buon viaggie'; or If it
happens to be noon, some may wish you
= 'buon appetite. Even the young boys
are taught to take their hats off when
strangers pass by; and If n is in an
automobile and happens to stop to get
out his kodok, a crowd Of youngsters
seems to spring up around the car, all
anxious to be in the picture. To refuse
a cup of coffee or a llqueur when visit
Ing the house Of an inhabitant of a vii
!age is an act of great discourtesy, and
even the poorest have some beverage
to offer.
Generally speaking, the peasants
seem to be somewhat downtrodden and
DO not realize their just rights. The
music Of the Sards is Characteristic; not
all quick mi vivacious like that of the
Sicilians or other southern Italians but
monotonous and slow, resembling very
much the music OF northern Africa. The
Sards' costumes are one OF their
nrnn t<.e -