The ability of the coppersmiths of Isili. Heirs to the Pisans or to the Gipsies...

Isili (Sarcidano) is the centre in Sardinia where is high the specialization in the copper working, as can be inferred from a visit to the local Museo Civico per l'Arte del Rame e del Tessuto (The Civic Museum for the Art of copper and the Tissue). The tradition was introduced by foreign peoples, but many are the hypotheses: it is assumed that they were the Pisans, the Genoeses, the Slavic Gipsy or, even, the Padri Somaschi (Somaschi Fathers). The only certainty is that this metal was already known to the nuraghic peoples, that used it in order to produce the bronze with which the small bronzes were manufactured.

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 Sardegne.com, in some experiences, proposes the visit to the workshop of a coppersmith.

Sometimes it is possible to notice some blemishes on the surface of the finished products: they are caused by 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.

In Isili, straddling August and September, you cannot miss the Mostra del Mercato isilese (the Exhibition of the Market of Isili), with the products of the local tradition, in particular those obtained from the copper and the iron working. Even the wrought iron is common in Isili: cancels, railings, scales, beds, curtain poles, chandeliers, objects for the fireplace, spits and grills are the main handicraft products that are put on the market.