A vacation in Sardinia can be diversified with historical and cultural excursions
Vacation in Italy is bright and varied. The island of Sardinia stands apart, offering a huge diversity of both beach and active recreation, as well as educational activities. And all of it is concentrated in small areas.
Thus, while relaxing on the beaches near Cagliari (Marina di Capitana, Villasimius, Chia, or Santa Margherita di Pula), you can study the architecture of Sardinia. For lovers of Christian architecture, it will be interesting to get acquainted with a distinct type of altar art – the retablo, which differs from the altar only by the presence of sculptural decoration of the iconostasis and its location behind the altar. Retablos appeared in Sardinia at the very beginning of the fifteenth century with the arrival of the Aragonese on the island and have Catalan origins.
A large collection of retablos is gathered in the National Pinacoteca of Cagliari. The earliest is called the Retablo dell'Annunciazione, dedicated to the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, attributed to the brush of the Spanish master Juan Matas, and dated to the 6th-10th year of the fifteenth century; it was created in Barcelona and exported from there to Sardinia. The second most significant retablo is also there, the Retablo di San Bernardino, dated 1455. Its authors were the Spanish artists Rafael Tomás and Juan Figuera, who arrived in Sardinia with the purpose of creating retablos due to the high demand for this church decoration. Both retablos were located in the Church of San Francesco.
Also in the National Pinacoteca of Cagliari is the magnificent Retablo della Porziuncola, the real name of the author is unknown; all that is known about him is that he worked in Sardinia at the end of the fifteenth – first half of the sixteenth century. Subsequently, for distinction, he was called the Maestro di Castelsardo. The retablo was made for the Church of San Pietro in Sanluri.
The collection of this art gallery also includes a retablo from the school of Pietro Cavaro and his son Michele. But the more famous work to come from the masters of this school is considered the Retablo dei Beneficiati, dated to the year of creation 1527. It adorns the Treasury Cathedral in Cagliari.
Tours to Italy, to the shores of Sardinia, will provide the opportunity to combine blissful contemplation on the island's magnificent beaches with the knowledge of the great creations of Italian and Spanish masters of the Middle Ages.