The Perfect Union
Every year in the coldest weeks of the winter season, strange sculptures begin to appear in the fields all over the island. It is the moment for grafting.
Wild olive trees grow throughout the island and they produce perfectly tiny olives with a thin and bitter skin. However, though the oil from wild olives is supposedly superior to that of domesticated varieties, the yield is much, much lower. And so the grafting game begins. Wild olive trees grow throughout the island and they produce perfectly tiny olives with a thin and bitter skin. However, though the oil from wild olives is supposedly superior to that of domesticated varieties, the yield is much, much lower. And so the grafting game begins.
The Valley
Luxi Bia is the name we have given to this small town, which is called a furriadroxu in Sardinian. Furriai in Sardinian means to return or to come home and, to that point, a furriadroxu was the place that
welcomed home all the members of an extended family at the end of their day. Much of the culture
in Sardinia is based around shepherding, which is a notoriously solitary activity. So most men would
be out all alone with their goats or sheep or cows for at least a full day and sometimes longer. But the
furriadroxu was full of action, with kids (from 7-12 in each family), pigs and chickens running around
the courtyards and multiple families all crowded into the same kitchen. At the risk of romanticizing
what was an arduous existence, the furriadroxu was in most ways self-sufficient. Neighbors worked
together to divide labor - one would have pigs while the other had oxen, and each week a different
family would take turns baking bread for everyone.
The houses are renovations of modest stone structures and, having been built before the advent of cars, they are placed in a very natural environment with dirt roads and freestanding stone walls. While each apartment is outfitted with everything that is necessary for a comfortable stay (air-conditioning, heating, full kitchens) the true luxury of the property is the silence and darkness of the countryside. The sun and moon rise over the adjacent hillside. The skies are filled with a handful of circling hawks during the day and an abundance of stars at night.
The area is lovely and wild, with an extraordinary wealth of landscapes from deep Mediterranean forests to endless vineyards to rocky cliff sides and sandy beaches. The south of Sardinia was one of the earliest to be inhabited in prehistory, with constant incursions from the rest of the Mediterranean (primarily from North Africa and the Middle East). As such, there are numerous archeological sites to visit in the area.
During the renovation of the first buildings, we measured each of the windows and doors in order to maintain their particular, vernacular proportions. The floors were kept at their original levels, as were terracing and old trees. We harvested any possible materials from the ruins, so the juniper wood beams are original and the garden walls are all built from the same stones that were once part of the home's facade. Where we could, we used local building materials, such as the red terracotta tiles and the river canes for the ceilings.
The property is home to two families - our own and our neighbor, Sestilio - as well as an olive grove, three cats and a plethora of native plants and flowering bushes. We offer a small selection of local natural wines on site, which can be hard to find in neighborhood stores. But more than anything else, we offer you the opportunity to reside in a peaceful atmosphere, surrounded by both the local history and the creative community that has embraced it.
Map of the property
Luxi Bia is an ongoing project of regeneration and revitalization. There may be renovation and
landscaping on-site during your stay.
