TAPPETI DI ARMUNGIA CASA LUSSU

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Armungia is a small village on the highlands of  Gerrei, in the south-east of Sardinia. “Casa Lussu” is a hand weaving housework; here it is possible to attend activities and workshops about organic dyeing of wool yarns and weaving,  as well as to be accommodated.

In our workshop we knead Sardinian sheep wool, that sometime we enjoy dyeing by ourselves at home,  with plants and fruits from natural flora of our territory (walnut, pomegranate, elderberry, fig leaves, an so on). Traditional weaving is realised on horizontal wood looms, using the so called “a litzos” or “launched weaves” technique. 

Laying the warp is a hand made traditional work and it is realized alongside Casa Lussu’ courtyard walls. This weaving technique creates geometric patterns whose matrix is outlined during the loom fitting. The result is a “rose” or “lemon leaf” or “broom” or other motifs that are so called on the basis of the images that resemble the real ones.  

The warp threads pass through a system of heddle eyes that are connected to some pedals which produce different interweaving. Weave sequences can be combined in order to create different geometric design.

In this way, each fabric becomes a unique piece of work, thanks to the assortment of motifs and to the variety of weave yarn: wool, linen, cotton of every kind of thickness and coloration. Nowadays this kind of weaving is not too much common in Sardinia, so our work come from the recovery of the traditional motifs with a perspective that we call of “dynamic conservation”: i.e. we maintain techniques, wood looms and design patterns but we experiment different sizes and combination of colors.

Until the 60s, weaving teaching was handed down orally. In Armungia some weavers began to schematize these designs on paper. These pattern have been handed down from our grandmother Giovanna to us, in order to avoid the risk that all this cultural heritage could be forever lost.

  

TURISMO RURALE LE GRAZIE

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About fifteen years ago, my wife and I decided to buy a land with two crumbling rural buildings on the top of a hill overlooking the village, from where you can enjoy an enchanting view on the mountains and the valley.

With great efforts and several loans we began the restoration and the enlargement of the existing building, using only local materials, stone, wood, etc.. everything to offer to prospective guests a peasant, biological and ecological living in a simple (but natural)  structure.

The farm is located in the area 1 (full buffer zone) of the Cilento National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage (UNESCO 1998) MAB Reserve (Man and Biosphere 1997) GEOPARK (2010) in between the Cilento coast and the “Vallo di Diano”, and it is strategically close to the most fascinating places of historical and landscape interest in the Cilento: Mount Cervati – Gorges of Heat – Old Roscigno - Padula’s Charterhouse- Paestum and Velia.

The rooms are all equipped with private bathroom, furnished with authentic antique furniture, free WiFi, satellite and terrestrial TV, courtesy eco set. On the table there’s plenty of Cilento specialties, homemade bread and pasta, vegetables from the garden, lamb, goat, cheese, salami, cooked in several delicious recipes in the respect of the original and now revalued Mediterranean Diet.

Silence, quiet, ease, cozy ambience make of the “LE GRAZIE" a ideal place for a relaxing holiday and an excellent starting point for many exciting itineraries in the area.

We have recently been rewarded by ‘Legambiente’, an Italian NGO recognized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs engaged in the environment development, and the National Park of Cilento for, we cite, "to distinguish themselves and have characterized their history and activities, in the respect of the environment protection, using energy from renewable sources and placing emphasis on energy saving ....... . Preferring the production and purchase of Km 0 organic products and supplies. "

C + Ͻ , CAGLIARI, SARDINIA

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Our Laboratory  located in Cagliari (in Sardinia), in the historical Villanova area, is where we design and create our hand made bags, and where we continue to experiment and evolve our ideas for our designs and the materials we use.

We are committed to safeguarding the rich Sardinian tradition of textile making - still in practice in
Samugheo, a small village in the middle of the island - but our concept is to reinterpret the traditional into design led pieces combining ancient wisdom and contemporary aesthetics.

All our bags are individually handmade using mostly a variety of different wool fabrics, all originating from Sardinian sheep and crafted according to local traditions, (which we alternate with velvets, wool/cotton blends and linens according to the season), with an added modern twist, weaving together traditional textiles with today's materials.

Inspired by the island of Sardinia, our color palette ranges from shades of black, grey, brown and cream for our Winter collections, to a freer, softer look for Summer, muting from white to grey with the occasional dash of vibrant color in total contrast.

Influenced by the Sardinian landscape, the color palette is black, black with white, grey and chocolate brown.

in soft shades of white, cream and grey, with the occasional dash of strong color.

ALESSANDRA FLORIS BASKET WEAVER, SINNAI (CA), SARDINIA

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Ciao, I am Alessandra Floris from Sinnai, in Sardinia, and I have been a basket weaver since 1994.
Although I come from a family of embroideries, I became fascinated by waving after attending a local workshop and decided that I had found my calling, despite the difficulties I knew I would encounter.
For starters, there was nobody growing the right wheat.

For basket weaving, you need a particular type of wheat, called  "Grano Capelli", which has a longer, stronger stem and a smaller flower head (and less seeds, which is ideal for weavers) but it also has to be grown on ground that is protected from strong winds, which could damage it: so nobody wanted to plant it anymore.

Eventually, together with one of the teachers from the workshop, I set out to grow my own, and to arrange for the gathering of the rush, the other main material for weaving baskets, which grows wild alongside rivers and streams.
Fortunately, along the way, we made a wonderful discovery: the Grano Capelli makes excellent bread, which is another incentive to grow it!



It takes about one and a half months for the materials to be ready to be woven and each basket is individually hand decorated with drawings, inspired by local traditions or sometimes just images from magazines that we reinterpret.

We use predominantly red and black in our designs, with red representing joy and celebrations and black associated with sadness.
In past times, you would have your best basket, "Su Strexu Bonu", which was part of a girl's dowry and used only on special occasions, and the everyday version, "De Maniggiu".

It takes at least 7 hours to make a basket, and most people who chose to buy them now are private clients.
Although I can say that I have made baskets in every possible shape and size following our village's weaving tradition, I am now breaking from the past and enjoying experimenting in creating other forms and shapes, anything from clocks to mirror frames, chandeliers and lampshades, even hair clips and earrings.

I also run short courses and workshops, in the winter months, for those if you who might want to learn something about the traditions and crafts of Sinnai, my village.

AGRITURISMO LA CERRA , LA CERRA TEMPIO PAUSANIA (SS), SARDINIA

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The Cerra "stazzo" (which is a typical sardinian farm) was bought by my family in 1981.

I was immediately charmed by it: the beautiful land and its unique type of farming, which takes into consideration and respects the land's local biodiversity.

The first years were very challenging and, if we were able to make a success of it, I have to thank my neighbours  who taught us so much about the land of Gallura, with its unique landscape and earth which are so different from the rest of Italy.

The farm and its land had been abandoned for quite a few years, without electricity, no water, no roof on the main house and the most part of the fields were covered in weeds.

For the first 20 years we concentrated exclusively on salvaging and improving the house and its land: we cleared the land, started the vegetable garden, built the barn, and began farming wild, free range cattle: all our cows are raised organically and allowed to roam the land freely, as is customary in this area.

In 2001, thanks to the European Community's grants for local agriculture, we started a small hospitality business, only 5 rooms, but which were designed and built to be in total harmony with the surrounding countryside, and in 2009 we introduced a separate photovoltaic system that allows us to generate our own electricity.

Our guests love to come here to be at one with nature, in an environment which protects and values local traditions - at peace with nature, relaxing surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes and enjoying our superb local cuisine which is rich in organic ingredients and local flavours.

BROZZU BIO ORGANIC FARM - BIO OLIVE OIL MELIDDU

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The bio-organic BROZZU farm was founded in 1981 buy Giuseppe Brozzu, with the aim to produce high quality, organic wine and olive oil.

First introduced to agriculture by his father and later his uncle, Giuseppe decided to continue with the family agricultural tradition by introducing different types of olive trees in order to identify which would better respond to the local climate and landscape.

The "Bosana" variety was eventually chosen ( Brozzu now grows over 7000 olive trees, distributed over 30 hectares of land, predicted to produce 30 to 35.000 kg of olive oil per year ) for its superb olive oil, characterized by a strong, distinctive aroma and by a high concentration of poliphenols, which naturally ensure the product's longevity and preservation.

Brozzu does not make use of pesticides or chemicals in fertilizers, instead opting for the technique of "sovescio", whereby natural ingredients from legumes and other plants are used to fertilize the ground.

Equal eco-friendly measures are practiced in the olive groves, where the "olive fly" (bactrocera oleae), is kept under control with Eco Traps and natural products.

The company is certified organic UNI EN ISO 22005:2008 and the product is listed in the Slow Food guide to the best extra virgin olive oils.

Located in Castelsardo, in Sardinia, and distancing only 20 kilometers from the sea, Brozzu is set in an ideal position, benefiting from the local climate of salt and sea breezes in an area enriched by a well preserved culture of local peasant agricultural wisdom - making the marriage between the old and the new a possibility by transporting traditions into modern sustainable thinking.

HOTEL SU GOLOGONE

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In the heart of Sardinia, in the cool Supramonte countryside, wrapped in the ancient quietness of vineyards and olive groves, where the air smells of myrtle and rosemary, you can find the Hotel Su Gologone.

The charme of this country hotel resides all in its unique blend of suggestive atmosphere, quality service, comfort and tradition. Hotel Su Gologone, which is located near Nuoro, was founded in the 1960's by entrepreneur Peppeddu Palimodde and architect G. A Sulas.

Mr. Palimodde and his wife Pasqua offer an exclusive environment accompanied by an impeccable service and personalized welcoming to their guests in their beautiful, intimate hotel, which is decorated with antique furniture and rare local artisanal pieces which are both displayed and used with great care and attention to detail.

The room are a romantic refuge of great comfort: elegant in their whitewashed walls and clear-blue doors, fitted with antique furniture, traditional Sardinian fabrics and chests, precious paintings and profiled by old beams of juniper wood.

Su Gologone also boasts an impressive and increasingly recognized art collection, curate by daughter Giovanna, which has grown to include many important Sardinian artists of the 20th Century, including Giuseppe Biasi Sardinian pottery and painting of the 20th century offer us a new and unexpected view of Sardinian life and culture Su Gologone preserves and shows its guests some of the most beautiful works created by the genius of Sardinian artists. Following the route indicated will allow you to discover how raw materials are transformed into objects of art and how even the simplest artifact can be admirable and unique.

By creating an ideal space in which the surroundings reflect the arts and crafts they are showcasing, at Su Gologone you can enjoy modern art and exquisite local traditional crafts (such as embroidery, textiles and ceramics) in perfect sync with their surroundings, while having a glass of wine lounging in the "Saletta Lenci", or just unwinding by the pool or in the courtyards.

ICHNUSA BIKE

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Since 2003, IchnusaBike is an operator specialized in bike holidays, trips, bike hire and biking tours. An excursion or a bike trip with Ichnusabike is a different way and deeper knowledge of the area, a mix of adventure, fun and traditions that does not require a great physical workout because cycling is freedom, freedom of thought, movement and also a break to rest or just to admire the landscape and take a picture.

IchnusaBike offers different travel proposals that vary depending the itinerary or the road (Cycling, MTB, Road) or the sport (Biking, Hiking and Walking) and difficulty (on a scale from 1 up to 5).

As local guides, as IchnusaBike, we have in previous years created a network of partnerships that allow us to enhance both local productions and culture and to add value to our proposals that, unlike the journeys of mass "hit and run" tourism, become real experiences that give you the possibility to establish real contacts with the people and places visited.

During your trip you will enjoy the Sardinian food, making picnic((miles are only for legs and bike!) lunch and dinners where we recover the energy spent during the day.IchnusaBike is conscious about the responsibility deriving from their actions and choices.

We work and we have occasionally been engaged in restoring and operating old bikes that we give free of cost to people looking for a cheap means of transportation.

Environmental responsibility IchnusaBike is aware of the responsibility that comes from their own actions and choices. We specialize in trips by bicycle and even if we know that many of our services require the support of a motor vehicle, we try to encourage customers to use.

wherever possible, bike + train or bus synergy. We give them all the information that will reduce the wearing and provide longer life to the equipment rented. We provide advice on the promotion of the territory by bike.

We put pressure on local government and public bodies so that they understand that the development of the territories does not necessarily go through the creation of unnecessary and harmful lines of asphalt that destroy old paths and roads full of history.