Italy/Sardinia/Discover it!

Behind the Baskets

Not much goes on inside the ancient castle walls of Castelsardo these days. The town itself has one of the most dramatic, mountainous settings of any in Sardinia (on the north coast of the island). But up within the old walls, there's not much happening. Commercial establishments are few. Only a couple of small eating places. And a few small souvenir shops. But there're still many women sitting in their doorways. Making baskets. The same way their mothers & grandmothers did before them. Castelsardo is famous for its basket history.

The best introductory to the craft of Castelsardo basketry is a visit to the Museo dell'Intreccio Mediterraneo. The museum is located within the castle walls, where interesting displays of antique baskets are exhibited. Different shapes, sizes, designs & purposes.

Walking along the narrow lanes, we first encountered the basket ladies at work. Roberta, one such artist, smiled & shook hands with us, when we asked "Come sta?" (how are you?)

Roberta's asinara baskets are typical of the craft. They aren't visually outstanding, when compared to other ethnic baskets we've come across. But discovering Roberta doing her craft, was reason enough to buy a few. The lady's friendly manner & willingness to make herself understood, gave us some insight into what she does, day after day, sitting in her doorway.

The palm reeds (asinara) used for weaving are gathered in the countryside. They grow wild along roadsides, among the prickly pears & artichokes. It takes Roberta 3 hours to make a small, lidded basket, which costs about $6.00 USD. We watched her thread a reed through a needle & work the uniform stitches. Her fingers were calloused, but nimble. A hard way to make a living. But an ancient craft she enjoys.

We bought small jewelry & potpourri baskets (with slits in the lids). But you can also find flat woven trays & other styles, too. Some have colored bands or figures woven into them. All are sturdy & very well made.

You can find similar, massed-produced baskets in many Sardinian towns. Too many in fact, make them less desirable. And puts them into the category of tacky souvenir (which most are).

But discovering Roberta was more important than the product itself. The Sardinian lady, behind our baskets, turned a common object into a treasured craft to bring home. More importantly though, by allowing ourselves time to appreciate the daily work of one Castelsardo lady, we felt a little closer to the heart of Sardinia.