Alà dei Sardi
Encyclopedia
Alà dei Sardi is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Olbia-Tempio
in the Italian
region Sardinia
, located about 160 km north of Cagliari
and about 35 km southwest of Olbia
.
Alà dei Sardi borders the following municipalities: Berchidda
, Bitti
, Buddusò
, Monti
, Olbia
, Oschiri
, Padru
.
Alà is characterized by a predominant use of Sardinian as everyday language. It is home to the Trofeo Alasport
, an annual cross country running
event.
The origin of the name has been connected to both the Balares and the Ilienses, two Sardinian people who lived in the area and had never totally been submitted by the Romans
.
The modern Alà appeared in the 16th century, and has since then been traditionally connected to the breeding and agricultural activities. The mining of coal
begun in the 19th century.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Olbia-Tempio
Province of Olbia-Tempio
Olbia-Tempio is the name of a province in the autonomous region of Sardinia, Italy.The territory includes the historical region of Gallura , the northeastern coast of Sardinia , and the island of La Maddalena ....
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, located about 160 km north of Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
and about 35 km southwest of Olbia
Olbia
Olbia is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.-Geography:It is the...
.
Alà dei Sardi borders the following municipalities: Berchidda
Berchidda
Berchidda is a comune in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 170 km north of Cagliari and about 30 km southwest of Olbia....
, Bitti
Bitti
Bitti is a comune in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 140 km north of Cagliari and about 20 km north of Nuoro....
, Buddusò
Buddusò
Buddusò is a comune in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 150 km north of Cagliari and about 45 km southwest of Olbia...
, Monti
Monti, Italy
Monti is a comune and small town of Gallura, northern Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Olbia-Tempio. The town is surrounded by the cork oak forests and vineyards which form the twin bases of its economy. The vermentino grape, once known as ‘arratelau’, has been cultivated here since the...
, Olbia
Olbia
Olbia is a town and comune of 56,231 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages and Terranova Pausania before the 1940s, Olbia was again the official name of the town after the period of Fascism.-Geography:It is the...
, Oschiri
Oschiri
Oschiri is a comune in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 170 km north of Cagliari and about 40 km southwest of Olbia...
, Padru
Padru
Padru is a comune in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 180 km north of Cagliari and about 15 km south of Olbia...
.
Alà is characterized by a predominant use of Sardinian as everyday language. It is home to the Trofeo Alasport
Trofeo Alasport
The Trofeo Alasport, also known as the Cross di Alà dei Sardi, is an annual cross country running competition which takes place in March in Alà dei Sardi on the Italian island of Sardinia. Unusually for a high-profile cross country event, it has often been held after the IAAF World Cross Country...
, an annual cross country running
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
event.
History
The ancient origins of Alà dei Sardi are testified by the numerous archaeological findings in the area.The origin of the name has been connected to both the Balares and the Ilienses, two Sardinian people who lived in the area and had never totally been submitted by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
.
The modern Alà appeared in the 16th century, and has since then been traditionally connected to the breeding and agricultural activities. The mining of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
begun in the 19th century.