Amedeus Alexander of Savoy

At the table

Tomatoes were a daily staple food

During the eighteenth century, tomatoes were already part of the daily diet in Sardinia and were preserved for long-term use with vinegar, a preparation known as sa pibarda.

What people wore

Valuable Inherited Traditions

Traditional clothing was considered a highly valuable heritage passed down through generations, often held as a precious treasure or heirloom. Families in each community were responsible for preserving the specific techniques and processes required to manufacture this traditional attire.

Getting around

Hours spent walking to fields

Commuting to distant fields often took several hours of walking, because agricultural lands were generally far from the villages.

What it cost

Price of butcher's meat

Butcher's meat in Nice generally sold for 3 sols per pound, though the local pound was only twelve ounces.

Music

The launeddas: a traditional wind instrument

The launeddas, a wind instrument made of three cane pipes of different lengths, was played professionally during processions, religious festivals, and dances in southern Sardinia.

Daily life

Primitive one-room homes for the poor

For the poor, homes were primitive, one-room ground-floor dwellings built from raw bricks or stone with packed-earth or cobblestone floors and no windows. The hearth was dug into the floor in the center of the room, and the home contained only a large parents' bed and mats for the children.