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Lena

A Super Short History of Cuglieri


The municipality of Cuglieri extends over 120 sq km and stands at the foot of the western slope of the Montiferru massif, a volcanic mountain area that last erupted some 1.6 million years ago.  In the west, it is bordered by a jagged and rugged coast, mainly consisting of white limestone at Santa Caterina and S’Archittu that grows over to the basalt cliffs of the Capu Nieddu waterfall, the only waterfall in Italy that descends directly into the sea. The old town center, centro storico, winds its way amphitheatrically around a hill, more than 500 meters above sea level.

S'Archittu


Act 1

The first proof of settlement is from 5700-5300 BC. But an early highpoint of civilisation was the Nuraghic period from approximately 1700 to 700 BC. Sixty-four towers and grave sites in municipality of Cuglieri are evidence of this civilisation.


A Nuraghi


In the 6th century BC, a large part of Sardinia was occupied by the Carthaginians from North Africa. They built the town of Cornus by the Cuglieri coast. Its ruins can be visited today. Cornus was also the place of the decisive battle in 215 BC between the Sardinians, led by Ampsicora and allied to the Carthaginians, and the Romans. The Sardinians lost; and in 200 BC, the settlement that is the village of Cuglieri was founded by the Romans under the name of Gurulis Nova. Later Cornus became an important Christian settlement before being sacked by a Berber invasion and abandoned.

From the beginning of the 15th until the end of the 17th century, Cuglieri was a feudal fiefdom. Cuglieri became the olive centre of Sardinia and the basilica Santa Maria della Neve was built. In the end, the fiefdom was removed by the crown.


Act 2

The next high point for Cuglieri began in 1821 when it became a provincial capital with about 35,000 inhabitants. The province included Bosa, Santu Lussurgiu, Macomer and stretched past Macomer all the way to Lei, halfway between Macomer and Nuoro. However, the unification of Italy brought about significant changes for Cuglieri. Sardinia was divided into two provinces, Sassari and Cagliari, in 1859, and Cuglieri lost its status. And, the land which had been mainly owned collectively by the villagers, was privatised. In 1861, when the newborn Kingdom of Italy had its first census, Cuglieri had 4305 inhabitants, more than double the present population of the town of Cuglieri.


Carta De Candia, 1846 - from then until 1960, the town was basically unchanged


Nevertheless, Cuglieri continued to develop. At the beginning of the twentieth century Cuglieri was a thriving and prosperous town. It enjoyed public services that other municipalities did not have, such as a telegraph, the first Agrarian Cooperative Bank on the island, a workers' society, and it was also the headquarters of the regional police (Carabinieri). The whole town was served by a water and sewage network, in addition to lighting, and the municipality also guaranteed free medical assistance to 257 poor people. There were also several shops, two dairies, many hydraulic mills for cereals, and three tanneries, as well as a carriage rental and a hotel-restaurant. The surroundings of Cuglieri were crowned with olive trees which occupied more than 500 hectares.


Act 3

The final highpoint of Cuglieri, before modern times, began in 1924, when Cuglieri was chosen to host the first Italian theological faculty outside Rome, the Seminary. Every year, hundreds of priests received a higher theological education here. The seminary was up and running until 1971 when the very large building and its big terraced garden was basically abandoned. It is now only used for a few days a year but is in quite good condition including a cinema and large meeting rooms.


The Ex-Seminary


Since then, the population of Cuglieri has shrunk considerably. Many have left to find work in the Italian mainland or abroad. The population of the town is about 2000, and in the entire municipality about 2500. However, during the summer many return and are joined by visiting tourists. As Cuglieri has an unusually big historical centre, people from all over Italy and the rest of the world are buying and renovating houses here.


The village still has nine active churches and many processions.



Today, Cuglieri produces excellent olive oil, wine, meat, and vegetables, on an artisanal level.






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