Special Sub-Topic: Sardinia: Halfway Europe And Africa Click Here To Play: Sardinia: Halfway Europe And Africa

Sardinia is famous among tourists for its 'nuraghe'. What are they?

towerlike structures made of loosely piled stones. The 'men dressed in sheepskin' are the Mamuthones as you see them at Mamoiada. A famous nuraghe village is to be found at Tiscali, where the nuraghe were hidden in some kind of crevice.

Another association made by people when they hear the name Sardinia is 'bandits'. Which of these villages became famous for its 'banditti' because of a film by Vittorio de Seta?

Orgosolo. Oliena and Jerzu are famous for their Cannonau (red) wine . Santu Lussurgiu is well-known for its carnevale horserace. De Seta's film was called 'Banditti a Orgosolo'.

Another successful film about life in Sardinia was based on a book by Gavino Ledda:'Padre Padrone'. It won a 'Palme d' Or' at Cannes in 1977. Who made the film?

the Taviani Brothers. Gramsci was not a filmmaker at all. In 1921 he founded the Italian version of a 'communist party', became a Member of Parliament and was later arrested by Mussolini's fascists. He died in prison in 1937. His 'Quaderni del Carcere' (Notes from prison) were published in 1976.

What's Sardinia's 'national emblem'?

red cross with 4 Moorheads wearing some kind of bandanna. The one Moorhead might be Corsica ! The 4 Moorheads probably derive from the Aragonese influence on especially the Sardinian Westcoast (Alghero).

What is the village of Pattada famous for?

long-bladed shepherd's knives. Genuine Pattada knives are hard to come by {;} tourists tend to pay lots of money for cleverly faked ones.

Bottarga is a local Sardinian delicacy. What is it exactly?

salted and dried fishroe.

Which Sardinian town was founded as recently as 1938 and originally called Mussolinia?

Carbonia. Mussolini did a good job in laying the marshes dry in that part of Sardinia. The U.S. Army continued the job and planted large amounts of eucalyptus trees. In doing so , the malaria problem finally was solved.

A local traditional speciality made at Tonara is 'torrone' (what they call nougat at Montelimar). Which of these is NOT a basic ingredient in genuine 'torrone'?

butter. Other nuts such as hazelnuts and walnuts can be used as well. - In industrially manufactured NOUGAT some fatstuffs may be used such as coconut oil, but even then butter is not suitable at all. Moreover in Sardinia butter is a very unlikely additive for a local traditional speciality.It certainly could never be a BASIC ingredient.

When the Phenicians, Carthagians and ultimately the Romans, began to 'visit' the island, the original population withdrew into the (mountainous) so-called Barbagia (from Latin Barbaria). What did the Romans use the flatter areas of the island as?

deportation colony.

At a given moment Arabs were trying to conquer the island. Whose help did the Pope ask for to keep Sardinia out of Muslim hands?

Pisa and Genoa. The Pisan influence can be seen in some fine Romanesque churches such as the fascinating Santissima Trinita di Saccargia.

Sardinia never managed to really escape foreign conquerors and rulers. Which of these is the only one that never 'owned' the island?

Napoleon. Apart from the above mentioned, also Frederic II of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, Philip II and Philip V of Spain all had the island in their grip at one moment of history or other.

True or False: Sardinia was the last piece of territory that was added to the unified Italy.

F & False. On the contrary .. It even became Garibaldi's private residence.

True or False: the Sardinians managed to stay out of the First World War?

F & False. On the contrary :the Sassari Brigade was among the most valuable Italian forces.

Along the Sardinian coast some 'ruins' of Phoenician settlements still can be visited. Among them: Tharros, Sulcis, Nora. Another Phenician settlement was Karalis. What is its modern name?

Cagliari.

Which of these politicians was the only one NOT born on Sardinia??

Giuseppe Garibaldi, 'founder' of the Italian state.