Atzara

A sneak preview
A charming village of Medieval origin, Atzara was probably founded around the year one thousand by the inhabitants of three nearby villages. Tradition tells that the first settlement was to be found at “Bigia 'e josso”, near a spring. Even today, the village still preserves the original urban fabric of the Catalonian period with the typical low granite buildings with oak-beamed ceilings. A number of houses too, have charming chiselled decorations on the doors and windows. The oldest neighbourhoods are “Su frusci”, “Sa Cora Manna”, “Su Cuccuru de Santu Giorni”, “Montiga 'e Susu”, “Lodine”, “Zuri” and “Montica 'e josso”.

Atzara is still a thriving agricultural centre of the Mandrolisai area and stretches out in a landscape rich with woods and hills, cultivated with orchards and especially vines, from which the famous "Mandrolisai" red wine is produced, using traditional methods and generally destined for the Sorgono wine-growers’ cooperative.

Why visit Atzara?
Atzara has been portrayed many times and is famous for the light and colours of its landscapes, as well as for its particular traditional women’s costume with the characteristic “Sa Tiagiola” headdress, often the subject of the works of prominent Sardinian artists from the first half of the twentieth century. In fact the village has played host to the studios of Spanish costume-painters like Eduard Chicharro and Antonio Ortiz Echagüe, followed by the Sardinians Antonio Ballero, Filippo Figari, Giuseppe Biasi, Mario Delitala, Carmelo Floris and Stanis Dessì. The presence of these leading artists is still alive and kicking, thanks to the setting up of the "Antonio Ortiz Echagüe" Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the historic centre which houses their most important masterpieces.

The parish Church of Sant'Antioco is worth a mention, a notable example of Gothic-Catalonian style architecture dating back to the end of the XV century. The characteristic façade with its flat battlemented parapet is decorated with a splendid trachyte rose window; inside there are two wonderful wooden altars from the Baroque period and a statue of the “Madonna with Child” dating back to the second half of the XVI century. Another church which must be seen is “Santa Maria Bambina”, of Romanesque construction and probably the oldest in the area. The territory is also scattered with numerous prehistoric remains; “domus de janas”(chamber tombs) and Nuraghi, of which the “Abba Gadda” Nuraghe is still in good condition.
The traditional textile industry is very refined and ensures that the carpets and the traditional costumes made in the village are among the most famous on the Island.
The Wine Festival in May must be remembered taking place at the same time as the celebrations for the Feast of Sant'Isidoro. On the 13th November, it is the turn of the festivities for the Patron Saint, Sant'Antioco. For this occasion in the past, great numbers of strangers came to the village and were offered “Su pane 'e sapa”, board and lodging. Two kinds of bread were prepared , one called "fioriu" with walnuts, hazlenuts and almonds and the other with just sultanas for the poor passers-by.