Pattada and a journey back in time. A week end in the centre of Sardinia.
Pattada è il paese natale di mia madre, e si trova nel cuore di quella che era la provincia di Sassari, a metà strada circa tra la costa est e la costa ovest. La strada per arrivarci è particolarmente tortuosa, nel tratto finale di 15 chilometri dalla città di Ozieri ci sono circa 100 curve, e si sale da circa 350 a circa 800 metri sul livello del mare.
Il paese conta meno di tremila abitanti, l'atmosfera è molto tranquilla, forse anche troppo. Per le strade non si incontra quasi nessuno, nei negozi non si fa mai la fila. Di negozi tra l'altro ce ne sono ben pochi. Ma la cosa affascinante è proprio questa. E' un'oasi di tranquillità a 800 metri di altezza. L'aria è sempre fresca e pura. E' possibile respirare il profumo del pane appena sfornato, dei dolci appena cotti, e a mezzogiorno o all'ora di cena l'aroma della carne o delle zuppe corre tra i vicoli.
Pattada is my mother's hometown and it's located in the middle of the former Sassari province in northern Sardinia. It's located halfway between the eastern and western coast, and it's a bit difficult to reach. Just as an example, the last 15 kilometres from the nearby town of Ozieri are on a road with more than 100 bends, and you go from around 350 to 800 metres above the sea level.
The village has less than three thousand inhabitants, the atmosphere is very relaxed, maybe too much. You rarely meet someone, and you never queue when you visit a shop. By the way, there are not many shops. But this is the fascinating thing about Pattada. It's an oasis of calm and relaxation, fresh air is guaranteed and you it is still possible to smell the inviting perfume of just-baked bread or cakes. At midday or in the night the powerful smell of roasted meat or delicate soups invade the narrow alleys.
Questa è la chiesa del Rosario, nel centro del paese.
This is the church of "Rosario", in...ehm...downtown
Per le strade non si incontreranno molte persone ma in compenso si incontrano tante vecchie case, alcune delle quali stanno letteralmente cadendo a pezzi.
You might not encounter many people, but you can't miss all the old houses, some of which are unfortunately literally falling apart.
This one was partially restored and someone lives there.
A Pattada forse nessuno compra l'acqua al negozio, tutti vanno a prenderla da una delle numerose fontane del centro.
In Pattada no one ever buys bottled water from the mini markets. Everybody takes it from one of the numerous fountains in the city (!) centre.
In the evening though the village is taken over by a large community of singing birds, who sing till late in the night.
The bell on top of the church of Santo Spirito
The church of Santa Sabina.
The fountain in front of the church.
The main portal.
Since we go there so rarely, sometimes we have to solve some issues in the town hall. This is the lobby.
And this is the ceiling of one of the rooms.
The road leading to the town hall and the church of the Rosario.
This is the church of San Giovanni. Next to it, the local liutist's workroom.
A corner of Japan in the local Saturday market!
A spider's web in the cemetery.
Un angolo di Jamaica
A bit of Jamaica in town
My grandparents'house. The loft where they use to make homemade pasta and other delicacies.
One of the many bedrooms.
The "Singer" sewing machine.
The old telephone!
The cellar.
Pattada is renewed for handmade knives. This is just one of the many workrooms
I was tempted to call in all those languages just to check if they really spoke them!
A ladybird
A truck with my name!
A view of the local pine forest, "il boschetto"
It never gets crowded in the summer, let alone in winter!
The church of the Carmelo. It looks like a circus!
I couldn't resist. "To everywhere". A bit generic, isn't it?
On top of a hill called "San Gavino" I can see the other cities are still hiddeng by the morning fog.
It had a past as a bench...
The church of San Gavino
A black and white shot of the church of San Gavino
A view looking east. Lake Lerno looks very close to the village, but in reality it's some 10 kms away!
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