New Britain herald., 1916-09-30

! trance is the city, on d rocky hill 400 feet high, The top of this hill Is en- circled 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 tower of the Eagle which completed the tri- angle only the base remains. In the center of these fortlflcations is the old town. On the slopes of the hill out side the walls Is built the modern city of 53,000 inhabitants, the largest in Sardinia. The entire population of the island is estimated at 96,000, a density of population of 85 per square mile; that Is much lower figure than in any other part of Italy.
 Among the objects historically in- teresting in Cagliam are the roek-cu. tombs on the hillside below the Gas tello. These are probably of tho snIne period as the nuraghi, the famous prehistoric truncated cones thirty feet in diameter at the base and built by the men of the Bronze Age.
 "The 'nuraghi' were undoubtedly fortified habitations. They are usual ly situated in commanding positions at the entrance to tablelands, near the lords of rivers, or on almost inaccessi- ble mountain peaks and within signal ing distance of one another. Traces of at least 5000 of these remains have been found.
 'The ancient tombs of the inhabi- tans of the 'nuraghi' are usually found near them. These are called the tombs of the giants and are three and One-half feet wide and from thirty to forty 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 sitting position. Tn front of the tomhs are circles about forty feet in diame- ter surrounded by stones; these were, no doubt used for sacrifices and bur ial rites.
 ITO get an insight into the life of the inhabitants of this isolated island, one should visit it's villages. It is Tn the entire eastern half, with its noun tainous valleys and villages, where the real Sards now live. Here one find them good looking and in good health, generous, hospitable, honor able and quite poor. Politeness is car ried almost to an extreme. Often as one rides through the small villages. the women, children and the old men sitting at the doorsteps rise and wish you a 'buon viaggio; or if 1t happens to be noon, some may wish you 'buon appetito'. Even the young boys are taught to take their hats off when strangers pass by; and if one is in an autom obile and happens to stop to get out his kodak, a crowd of young sters seems to spring up around the car, all anxious to be in the picture To refuse cup of coffee or liquor when visiting the house of an inhabitant of a village is an act of great discourtesy, ard even the poorest have some bev- craze to offer.
 "Generally speaking. the peasants seem to be somewhat downtrodden and do not realize their just rights. \ The music of the Sards is characteris- tic; not all quick and vivacious like that of the Sicilians or other southern Italians but monotonous and slow, re- se1mbling very much the music of northern Africa. The Sards' costumes are one of the greatest attractions. They are of rich, harm onious, though brilliant, colors each village having its own distinctive type"