The Museum of Costume in Nuoro

There is nothing to see in Nuoro which is always a relief, wrote DH Lawrence when he visited this inland Sardinian town in 1921. You might say that nothing much has changed, and we found the place to be quiet and unremarkable when we visited one Monday morning.

There were a few things that made it worth a second glance, however, and one of them was the Museo della Vita e delle Tradizioni Sarde, otherwise known as the Museum of Costume.

It’s not huge but if you enjoy fashion and costume, this could be the place for you. The first room reminded me a little of the Museum of Fashion in Bath, with a large display of the most beautiful Sardinian costumes, layers of lace, embroidery, coral and gold filigree jewellery. In cases along the side were other room-sets with rich displays of the finest textiles, carpets and household objects.

Weird and sinister costumes and masks at Nuoro

If you’re interested in the festivals of this area you can also displays of the weird and sinister costumes and masks that are worn in some of the parades. I felt I might have stumbled into a Dr Who set with alien creatures that could come alive at any moment.

The black hooded creatures tied together with ropes and bells are from Orotelli and with their faces covered in black soot they leap on their victims and tie them up during the Carnival procession.

Then there are the white hairy goatskins from Marmoida known as Sos Merdules and the even scarier black skinned Mamuthones with dark wooden masks and rows of goat bells so you’ll hear them coming.

Although they look rather Devilish, they are supposed to be symbols of good luck and abundance. On the festival days before Easter they parade through the streets, whipped on by a red jacketed guardian. Every so often they jump in the air and their bells clang.

If you want a bit of fun they have wooden life size cutouts of the different costumes that you can stick your head through for photographs. The museum attendants were very friendly and only too happy to take photos of us messing around.

Once we’d finished looking round the Museum we walked down the hill into the centre of town, only to find from the posters in the shops that we’d missed a major festival the day before, where we might have spotted many different costumes like this. No wonder the town so quiet, when it was recovering from it’s Carnival celebrations the night before!

More Sardinia articles to enjoy

Bandits and Murals at Orgosolo in Sardinia
Medieval frescos at Orosei – in Sardinia
A prehistoric village with a sea view in Sardinia