Giuseppe Delitala y Castelvì

Particularly integrated into Spanish culture was the Baroque poet Giuseppe (or José) Delitala y Castelvì, who was born in Cagliari in 1627 and died there in 1703. Descended from one of the most powerful families of the island's aristocracy, at the age of fifteen he left Sardinia and began his military service in Spain, reaching the rank of colonel. He was appointed administrator of the Royal Tank, devoted to high-level equine breeding, then governor of the Capo of Cagliari and Gallura and, for a short time, viceroy regent in the interregnum between viceroy Fuensalido and Monteleone. He is a good connoisseur of Spanish culture and literature and, in particular, of Quevedo, for whom he has a boundless admiration. With his Spanish opera “Cima del Monte Parnassus” with the three Castilian muses, Calliope, Urania and Euterpe... “, published in Cagliari in 1627), implements the not-so-secret proposal to complete and continue the work of Quevedo himself. The almost simultaneous release in Madrid of a similar work cancels the interest that his work could have aroused in the Iberian literary world.
Delitala Castelvì, a good speaker and master of the Castilian language, is considered a poet worthy of being read again. He particularly loves the themes of baroque culture that were popular at that time. Quite well known is his composition “Montaňas de Cerdena” where he proves to be a remarkable Sardinian poet in the Castilian language.

Update

23/6/2026 - 15:10