The History
Historical House from the early 1900s
Houses, convents, churches, portals: true works of art made with raw earth brick ladiri obtained by mixing clay with straw and a little water, then dried in the sun. The resources that the territory, in the last century, offered to the masons of Quartu Sant’Elena, true masters of construction. Farm-houses of peasant architecture with the portal, embellished with ornaments or a magical game of brick joints. The typical internal courtyard characterized by a portico with juniper or chestnut ceilings called sa lolla, around which relations with neighbors were maintained, parties and happy and sad events were held, products were sold. Where, a real, lively community life was spent. Sa lolla delimited by high perimeter walls marked the boundary between public and private life. The family spent daily life inside the courtyard which included the well and the house where bread was prepared, cooked and the harvest sorted. In the areas adjacent to the house, the tool shed, the animal shelter, the cellar where fine wines from the already renowned Sardinian viticulture were aged.
What means “Campidanese”?
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How do they differ from other homes? And above all why were they so important to the community? We have to imagine the Lollas (or arcades in Italian) as meeting points, trading points, as historical material remnants of those socialization events. Inside the old houses, products were sold, bread was prepared, cooked, the harvest sorted, relations with neighbors were maintained, events were celebrated, including birthdays, weddings and births. In short, the life of the communities revolved around the Lollas. And even death: even the funeral vigils, in fact, took place inside the Campidanese house. Sa Lolla outlined the perimeter of personal and family life, separating it from the public one. In inhabited centers, in general, each family unit lived inside a courtyard bordered by rather high perimeter walls, which guaranteed privacy and it was precisely sa Lolla that intervened between the fenced courtyard and the actual house. As in the cases of Quartu and Monserrato, to cope with economic and space requirements, the new roads often even originated from the succession of small courtyards side by side. Those who had the opportunity years ago to buy a property of this type have made a great deal: if they are renovated with care and with certain details in terms of furnishings, the Campidanese houses have an inestimable value and boast a well-organized and rather large space.
