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Overview
The land of the Mamuthones and Issohadores
In the Sardinian hinterland, in the heart of Barbagia, Mamoiada is a municipality steeped in traditions and mysteries. The huge Mamuthones masks should mark the first step on your exploration. Together with the Issohadores, the Mamuthones are the traditional Carnival masks in Mamoiada. To learn more, you can visit the Museum of Mediterranean Masks and explore one of the craft workshops where masks are still made by hand.
Every 17th January, on the feast day of Sant’Antonio Abate, the Sa Prima Essida festival marks the “first outing” of the year of the masks of the Mamuthones and Issohadores, who dance through the streets and around the fires lit by each district to pray for a good harvest.
Diving deeper into local tradition, you can visit the Sa Perda Pintà, a stele dating to 3000 BC, decorated with concentric circles and cupels. Equally fascinating is the domus de janas of Sa’e Mazzozzo rock-cut chamber tomb with its menhir.
Take the chance to wander through the alleyways of the old town, admiring the many murals and sculptures that adorn it. In the heart of the village is the old stone fountain called Su ‘Antaru Vetzu.
