What an incredible final night for our time in Bosa. The festival included a brass band, women dressed in medieval costume as well as the national costume of Sardinia. The festival started on Saturday night, with two brass bands, followed by locals carrying candles. Church members brought the statue of the Madonna from the large church in town to the Piazza della Consituzione where the fountain there was festooned in white lysianthus flowers and candles.
The following evening, just before the main event of the festival, the waiters and owner of one of the restaurants in the Piazza posed for a photo at this altarritos.
While I don’t understand the reason for this festival, I certainly enjoyed all the displays of lace. The story goes that a small Madonna figure was found in the small church that sits on top of the hill within the walls of Malaspina Castle, which was built in the 12th c and was in use for 800 years. To celebrate finding the little Madonna figure (found sometime in the 19th c), the large Madonna statue is taken from the main church down at the river and carried through the narrow, winding medieval streets of the historic Sa Costa area leading up to the castle.
The procession includes brothers from the church as well a local women dressed in medieval costumes and in the national costume of Sardinia. Somehow I missed all the women wearing the national costume.
What I noticed is that all along the Sa Costa cobbled streets women had made small altars (altarriti) that showcased their handmade lace, with copious amounts of flowers and candles and small Madonna figures. It was so impressive. Next to each of these altarritos women sat out on folding chairs talking to one another. It would have been wonderful to get photos of all the women, but it seemed invasive and inappropriate for a religious event. They were all happy to hear compliments on their lace and to have photos taken of their work.
Not all altars had handmade lace, but they were certainly impressive.
I had high hopes for finding the two lace makers I met in May on my first visit here. I was thrilled to find them, and after a few moments they remembered me when I told the story of not having enough cash to pay for the things I’d chosen. I asked where I might find an ATM, and or course, it was all the way back down near the river. I did not think I could make the trip up the winding streets twice that day in high heat, so I came back a day later, and the two women held my purchases aside for me.
On this visit Iearned how they start the needle lace. I had mistakenly thought that they must make the netting background on the frame, but this is not the case. They make the netting the same way the fisherman do it. They have the netting shuttle and make a length of lace. It grows on the diagonal from one corner to the other. I have no idea how they can tell how big to make the lace so that it will fit on the frame for the particular project they have in mind. If only I understood those words in Italian!
Walking back through Sa Costa at the end of the procession we saw lots of families eating together in large rooms with doors and windows open to the beautiful evening. Restaurants were open for dinner, and Bob and I found a charming place on a terrace overlooking a courtyard. There was a canopy of grape vines above us. It was magical, and the dinner was our best yet in Bosa. It was a wonderful way to end our time there.
Thank you to everyone in Bosa who showed us such hospitality!