The art of copper passed down from other peoples centuries ago

From centuries the copper working characterizes specially the area of Isili. The Museo Civico per l’Arte del Rame e del Tessuto (The Civic Museum for the Art of Copper and Tissue) learned from foreign populations, wasn't set in this village by accident: some scholars suppose that they were the Pisans and the Genoeses, some others that was thanks to gypsy tribes which went across the Sarcidano where they stopped (influencing the original way of speaking of the ramai, “sa romaniska”, which can't be found anywhere else; but here too, there isn't a total agreement, because some of them think that it goes back to the Hebraic). Some others believe that the copper working is the benefit of the Padri Somaschi teaching, even if this metal was known to the nuraghic peoples, that used it to produce the bronze. The only certainty is that this kind of art was learned from other peoples.

It is very interesting watching at a coppersmith on the job in his workshop, recalling ancient atmospheres: with his tools he realizes the most disparate objects, from cooking pots and saucepans to lids and skimmers for the ricotta (soft white unsalted Italian cheese), from the boiler for the processing of milk to the braziers and from the plates to the artefacts.

Sometimes it is possible to notice some blemishes on the surface of the finished products: they are caused to the gas bubbles which are released during the smelting of metals. Very interesting are the ornamentations which characterize the Sardinian handicraftsmen from those of other areas of Europe.