Robert Tennant

A different “look” on Sardinia deserves to be briefly mentioned, which is that of the Englishman Robert Tennant, who differs, compared to many of his contemporary travelers, for the approach with which he approaches his journey, dictated in fact by being a manager of a commercial company that wants to explore the possibility of investing in the island. Therefore, at least in part, the leitmotif of the forgotten and mysterious island, the unknown and enigmatic land to be romantically explored, is missing.
He arrived in Sardinia in 1885 and to pursue his purpose the visit far and wide, he thoroughly documents himself and collects and compares data, statistics, documents; he contacts local authorities but does not neglect landowners, traders. However, he does not want to limit himself to compiling purely statistical pages and soon broadens his horizons: he visits countries with more care and attention and does not limit himself to commercial data but observes their customs, customs and living conditions; he hunts wild boars and mouflon, living intensely on the island for several months. The final title of the work will be “Sardinia and its resources”. Thus in a passage on religious holidays: “Every day for the duration of the festival, religious services are held and mass is celebrated, but between one ceremony and another, and until late at night, and often until the crack of dawn, we indulge in all kinds of fun. The fervent expressions of gratitude for the healing of a broken leg or a broken heart, the passionate plea for the return or replacement of a lost pig, lover or husband, the desperate lament of those who have never known maternal joys or sorrows and the humble pleas for relief during pregnancy, combined with the solemn promise not to be found in the same unpleasant situation, together with the indiscriminate sounds of fun and celebrations, form a strange and discordant contrast that it has repercussions on the ears and on the senses and makes us think of the most disparate feelings that must have driven all those people to find themselves together.”

Update

25/6/2026 - 13:21