Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Bauladu—Country Living in Sardinia

On my way from Cagliari to Alghero, I stopped to see the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi near Barùmini and the Phoenician colony of Tharros, just outside Oristano, so I decided to lodge in the countryside.

I choose a bed & breakfast run by a sheepherder and his wife who live in a small town called Bauladu, which lies in an area that is filled with ancient historical sites.

As I was driving about the town, I ran into some young teenagers who were dressed in the traditional local dress!

After I asked them permission to take their picture, they explained to me that they are part of a folkloristic dance group called “Gruppo Folk Bauladu,” which performs at special events and festivals.

The boys and girl were dressed in the typical dress of their village, which differs in many ways from other cities and towns throughout the island.

Notice the spacious white shirt, normally made of linen or cotton and called ghentone, which often has an embroidered collar and buttonholes for gold jewels.

Over the shirt is a vrassette, a type of vest, which can also be a double breasted jacket of corduroy with red borders and a red inner lining.

Pants, called cartzones, are made of white linen or cotton and, while wide at the top, are tucked into boots. Around the waste, they sport a leather belt—chintorja—whose embroideries used to display social class.

Over the pants, they boys are wearing a short kilt-like black skirt known as the cartzones de vresi, which, gathered at the waste, is usually made of the coarse Sardinian wool called orbace (pronounced orbache in English).

Not seen here is the floppy black cone-shape cap called sa berretta, which tops off the outfit. Sometimes a brown or black long-hair fur coat called sas peddas is worn over the jacket.



Photos & slideshow Copyright Men's Fashion by Francesco.