The rustling and increasing sound of footsteps, the rhythm of hooves and carriage wheels that advance in unison. Cagliari is crossed once again by a procession of 2500 people in traditional dress, coming from all over Sardinia, followed by 270 horsemen - those of Campidano, the Militiamen and the Guardiania. A combination of colours, costumes, the sound of the launeddas and the is goccius devotional songs: from 1 to 4 May, we celebrate the Festival of Saint Ephysius. The early 4th-century events linked to the warrior saint are re-enacted and the perpetual vow addressed to him during the plague of 1652 is renewed. An entire island stops to repeat a ritual that has lasted almost four centuries.