So, Why Cuglieri?

Many ask us why we ended up in Cuglieri, not in Tuscany or for example the Costa Smeralda which has Sardinia's most famous beaches. Our children, who mostly have lived in big cities, sometimes think that Cuglieri is too poor, both in terms of money, youth and events. Some visitors feel that the village is just too unkept and for instance wonder why there aren't any rubbish bins. Even if we agree to these complaints, for us the village is rich in its own way. Ugly-cute. If you are into the beauty of the raw uncurated history of Sardinia, Cuglieri is a gold mine. Maybe that is the reason why so many photographers buy a house here.

But more important; Cuglieri is a way of life. Good cohesion, quality of life. The village basically consists of an old town centre with narrow alleys in the middle of an agricultural area. This means that you can get locally and small scale produced food all year round. Most families in the village have some land for cultivation and simple animal husbandry, an orto, outside the village. Many have chickens, pigs, sheep, goats and even cows that roam all year round. And many share when they have a little extra of something. Not infrequently someone we know comes with gifts in the form of lemons, goat's milk, potatoes, wine or olive oil. The olive oil and some wines are unbeatable, and the quality is related to the fact that the village is high above the sea, often windy, and with volcanic soil.

Cuglieri's stone houses are worn and simple, but many are beautiful, even if some were "renovated" somewhat unhappily in the 60s and 70s. Often families have lived here for generations adding one floor after the other as the family has grown. There is a life in the village all year round with restaurants and bars. It also has an interesting history, with odd angles. Once upon a time, the village was the capital of the area and had a seminary for 700 future priests, which did its part, because the small village of 2500 inhabitants still has seven active churches.

It is important to us that the village is not dominated by tourists, that there is a local integrity even though it is close to the sea. Even the beaches have a sort of wild and unspoilt feel about them here. Many in Cuglieri are rightly proud of their small village. But also, curious and positive to newcomers like us.

The people in Cuglieri are special. We have friends from Milan who think they are lazy and headstrong. When it rains, no one works. There are many local religious holidays when no one works either. We believe that it is a matter of the area never being industrialized, many have never had any wage income. Here, many people work with food in some form. Or build houses. Basic. With a rhythm that is closer to an agricultural society than an industrial society. Because it is quite poor, many of the young leave to work in Italy, the UK or France, but many also come back. Something pulls. We want to do our part in taking the good parts and place it in the 21st century. It may sound embarrassing, but we see Cuglieri as a role model for a future, more sustainable society. Where industrial society is complemented by a more sustainable way of life.

Disadvantages? Certainly. Like all places. There is a for me an incomprehensible hang-up about some local customs, such as that (the rather tasteless white) bread. The traditional ones from Cuglieri are deemed acceptable, but not the almost identical bread from Bosa, a little over a mile away. Also, I have some problems with the language, the Italian here is often mixed with the local language, Sardo. (Almost no one knows English, although French works a bit better.) As a Swede I know Jantelagen, and it is here too. Many of the locals speak of jealousy, that if you do better than your peers someone will put the evil eye on you. Also, if you really want to be respected in Cuglieri, it is not at all enough to earn money or have a career, you should grow your own food and it should be top quality and you should preferably speak Sardinian. We have not got there yet, so…

Lena Clyne