Associazione Culturale Is Sinnus, Teulada

Before I visited Teulada to research for my book “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada”, I arranged to meet up with members of their town’s cultural association, Associazione Culturale Is Sinnus, Teulada, while I was there. Prior to our visit, I had email contact with two men in the group, who organised my meetings with them all.

The first meeting was arranged by the very helpful Umberto, who took me to see Maria, who was one of the ladies in the group. We visited Maria in her home. Neither Umberto nor Maria spoke English, so Umberto organised for Violetta (whose family’s establishment we were staying at – Residenza Locci – highly recommended!) to accompany us and act as interpreter. They were all very kind to spend this time with me.

Maria showed me her beautiful Punt ‘e Nù embroidery, and with Violetta’s help, answered many of my questions. We spent much time identifying the different motifs on the embroidery, such as almonds, crosses, teeth (I don’t think I’ll ever forget Maria tapping on her teeth and saying “dentini”!) etc. Violetta had quite a challenge with translating some words for me, knowing the French word for almond, “amande”, (“mandorla” in Italian, “menduledda” in Sardinian) but not the English. However, once she said “amande” I knew what she was talking about!

I also had another meeting organised by Ruben, with a larger group from Associazione Culturale Is Sinnus, Teulada. It turned out that the meeting place for this was just around the corner from where we were staying.

They were a very welcoming, generous group of people, who were gracious enough to share their beautiful embroidery and cultural heritage with me. They had made a large display on several tables of their Punt ‘e Nù and Puntu a Brodu (the other main style of embroidery that is done in the town). I was able to ask many questions, as again they had organised an interpreter for me, from the local tourist office. (They were so kind!) I spent a lovely hour or two with them all.

From both meetings I went back to where I was staying and immediately wrote copious notes, so that I didn’t forget everything!

I also visited the local library one afternoon to try to see a copy of a booklet I knew about, but hadn’t yet seen. It was a small booklet about the two embroidery styles of the town. Because I didn’t speak any Italian (apart from rudimentary basics) before I went I used Google Translate to write out what I wanted to say, to hand to the librarian. I handed him my note, and he indicated that he would go to find it. He rummaged around in a cupboard beneath the stairs and produced two copies for me. “Gratuito!” he said, presenting me with them. Even I knew enough about romantic languages to know that it meant he was giving them to me! I was shocked and so very grateful. “Grazie!”

It was indicative of the sort of kindness I met, during my time in Teulada. They were so pleased to have someone come all the way from Australia to learn more about their embroidery. They want the world to see it, as they are so very proud of it! (And rightly so!)

And they would probably be pleased to know that I have started learning Italian since I have returned home. However, as they speak Sardinian in Sardinia (its own language, not a dialect of Italian), I’m not sure that it would get me through all situations! But at least it is a start. 🙂

If you are interested in visiting Teulada, I encourage you to do it. There is lots to see in the region, very lovely beaches on the nearby coast if you want to do a bit of nothing, and a rich cultural heritage to explore. If you can time your visit right, you may be able to see a religious festival procession, and see the people dressed in their traditional costumes featuring lots of beautiful embroidery, which would be a real treat!

We really enjoyed our five day stay in Teulada, and found it very relaxing. Because it is in the south of the island, we used it as a base from which to explore southern Sardinia. Maybe that’s a post for another day!