Aritzo, Neviere

The snowdrifts are located in the town of Funtana Cungiada about 1300 m between ferns and junipers, not far from the church of Santa Maria della Neve, rebuilt around 1925 on a pre-existing building.
The neviere or snow houses ('domos de su nie') are circular wells several meters deep and made visible outside through dry stone walls. They are located along the gutters, where the snow settled, allowing them to be collected with buckets and baskets. The precious cargo was then stowed in the fridge by means of poles and covered with a protective layer of straw, ferns and earth. During the summer, blocks of ice were transported to the various island towns for village festivals where “sa carapigna” was produced, a kind of lemon sorbet that was the forerunner of today's ice cream.
From the mid-seventeenth century, the Spanish tax authorities had a monopoly on snow, imposing taxes on the activity that lasted until the installation of the first ice factory in Cagliari at the end of the nineteenth century.

History of studies
The snowdrifts are reported in studies on Aritzo or demoethno-anthropological studies.

Bibliography
G. Paba, Guide to Aritzo and his mountains, Cagliari, Si. Me., 1997, pp. 89-91.

Tag

Content type: Sites or plants

Province: Nuoro

Common: Aritzo

Macro Territorial Area: Central Sardinia

POSTAL CODE: 08031

Address: SP 48 - località Funtana Cungiada

Telephone: +39 0784 627200 +39 389 8731853

E-mail: aritzomusei@gmail.com

Website: www.aritzomusei.it

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ecomuseo-Della-Montagna-Sarda

Information on tickets and access: It is possible to take advantage of guided tours of the Neviere di Aritzo, in addition to other museum services, by contacting the Sardinian Mountain Ecomuseum or Gennargentu.

Update

5/4/2024 - 11:10

Services

Guided tours