The legend behind Punt ‘e Nù

I recently received a tantalising email from Anita L. of Concord, Ontario. She asked me if I’d heard the tale of the creation of Punt ‘e Nù. “No, I don’t think so.”

Anita first learned of Punt ‘e Nù about 30 years ago, in an old Italian magazine called “100 Cose”. This is Anita’s retelling of the story behind the embroidery, based on the magazine article and other sources:

A man known as Ziu Antoni Salis (i.e., Uncle Antoni Salis) fell in love with a young lady and his love for her was so great that he and the lady could not bear to be apart; however, the young lady was already married and, she was pregnant by Ziu Antoni. The lovers eventually murdered the young lady’s husband. Ziu Antoni was condemned to death by hanging; the lady however, being female and pregnant, was sentenced to life in prison.

In the boredom of her cell, the lady spent her time embroidering and invented the Sardinian Knot stitch (or punto Teulada / punt e’ nu / etc.) Eventually, knowledge of her great skills became known to the Baron’s wife who wished to have some items embroidered. So, the imprisoned lady struck a deal with the Baroness. The prisoner would embroider an item for the Baroness that would be so fine that no one would be able to discern how the stitches were made and therefore could not be reproduced, in exchange for her freedom. She embroidered a blanket as a gift for the Baroness that upon receipt, the prisoner was immediately pardoned.

Legend tells that the young lady subsequently lived a very long life embroidering and praying the rosary for the repose of her lover’s soul.

Anita also mentioned that “in the 100 Cose edition there is a detail stating that the events surrounding the legend occurred during Spain’s domination of the island of Sardinia sometime between 1300 and 1400”.

Isn’t that a fascinating story?! If you’re from Teulada, does this correlate with the story you’ve had passed down to you?

Thanks so much for sharing the legend of Punt ‘e Nù with us, Anita!