Not everyone knows that Nuoro, the biggest city in Barbagia, was once dubbed the “Athens of Sardinia”, in view of the many intellectuals who livened it up with their poems, writings, music and artistic output at the end of the 19th century. From the Nobel Prize Winner Grazia Deledda to the poet Sebastiano Satta, to artists like Francesco Ciusa – who triumphed at the 1906 Venice Biennale with his sculpture The Mother of the Murdered – Maria Lai and Giuseppe Biasi, surprises seem endless here.
Why were – and are- Sardinian artists so creative and imaginative? So able to convey emotions and so tied to their homeland? Sardinians are proud of their island and adore celebrating ancient traditions, and we should join in and admire their enthusiasm.
