Legno, sughero, rame, argento, fibre tessili sono i materiali da cui mani abili traggono piccole meraviglie: mobili in legno intagliato, ceramiche, cesti intrecciati, gioielli, tappeti, arazzi, costumi tradizionali. Typical of Sant’Antioco is, for example, the processing of bisso, the precious “sea silk“, secreted by Pinna Nobilis, an endangered mollusk, whose filaments are used in the textile field, following an ancient yet rigorous and laborious process. On the Island, splendid artifacts can be admired inside the Bisso Museum, and in the workshop of the last artisan custodian of this art, Chiara Vigo.
Resting in the textile field, mention is also due to the artifacts of Giba and Villamassargia, in the inland Sulcis area, where in the workshops you can buy curtains, cushions, towels, bench covers, carpets and other fabulous household linen, produced by artisans still using manual horizontal looms and traditional techniques, such as pipiones and grape cluster.
The Iglesiente, a land with a strong mining tradition, stands out instead for the high level of cutlery production, which creates pieces sought after even by collectors, called Arresoias, (the typical shepherd’s knife), whose blade is forged directly between anvil and hammer, and hardened using techniques each artisan jealously preserves.
