Historical background and roots of tradition
Belvì, known in Sardinian as Brebìe (in the local variant Brebì), is a village in the Barbagia di Belvì, in the province of Nuoro. It stands at 660 metres above sea level among hazelnut, walnut and chestnut forests covering the slopes of the Gennargentu massif, which reaches its highest point at Punta La Marmora (1,834 m). The origin of the place name is uncertain and thought to be pre-Roman: the name appears in medieval documents as early as 1388, when the settlement — already part of the Giudicato d’Arborea — passed to Aragonese rule, remaining under feudal control until 1839. The village preserves prehistoric rock-cut tombs known as domus de janas and is served by the historic Trenino Verde tourist railway. The historic centre is dominated by the church of Sant’Agostino, the patron saint, flanked by the churches of San Sebastiano and Santa Margherita.
Women’s dress
The bridal dress, estire de isposa, stands out for the richness of its fabrics and vivid colours. The head is covered by the muccadore a trubante, a square brown woollen kerchief worn folded into a triangle to gather the hair and tied at the nape; over it lies the velu ‘e tullu, a square white tulle veil finely embroidered by hand, which wraps the face and neck by crossing its ends under the chin. The cappucciu, a red cloth mantle edged with a black satin band, rounded at the back and shaped as a hood at the top, covers the head and the entire bust down to the hips.
At the bust, the camisa — a white cotton shirt pleated at the front with cutwork embroidery on chest and cuffs, closed at the neck with two gold filigree buttons linked by a red ribbon — is topped by the cosso, a white polychrome floral brocade corpetto edged with orange cotton trim, joined at the back with gold-yellow ribbon and laced at the front with a crossed sky-blue ribbon, on which two or more silver chains, is catenazzas, are pinned. The cippone, a red velvet jacket edged with blue taffeta and densely pleated polychrome ribbons and trims a biccu ‘e prama, has sleeves with two wide openings — from the armpit to the elbow and from the elbow to the wrist — from which the shirt emerges; the sleeves end in a point and close just above the wrist with a floral-patterned band. Without fastening, the jacket could be held closed by one or more silver chains.
The skirt, sautzu, is made of burgundy orbace in a sack shape, finished with a blue taffeta ruffle and densely pleated silk ribbon a biccu ‘e prama. The apron, jinta, in burgundy velvet, long and narrow with a rounded lower edge, is edged with a floral-patterned silk band, sa fetta froria, and tied at the back with a silver chain, gancios de prata.
The everyday dress, estire de ognia die, was simpler: a brown woollen kerchief, white cotton shirt, blue brocade corpetto edged with yellow floral-patterned cotton, burgundy orbace skirt and black printed-cotton apron. Mourning dress came in two forms: the half-mourning, estire attanau, without embroidery, trims or jewellery, with fully black mantle and apron and violet taffeta edgings; the widow’s dress, estire de fiuda, was entirely black save for the white shirt.
Men’s dress
The groom’s and festive dress is characterised by navy blue and black. The berritta, a black cloth hat of tubular shape with rounded edges, about sixty centimetres long, is worn falling back behind the head. The camisa, a white cotton shirt pleated at the chest, is closed at the neck with two gold filigree buttons linked by a red ribbon. The cosso, a navy blue velvet corpetto trimmed with yellow cotton-thread embroidery and a central button row, carries two further rows of silver buttons on each side joined by silver chains, is giunchillos, and is lined with red cloth. The cippone, a navy blue velvet jacket decorated with yellow cotton-thread embroidery and a small inner opening at elbow level, is also lined with red cloth and has no fastening.
The caltzones, white cotton breeches reaching mid-calf, are worn tucked into the gaiters. The caldacula, a black orbace kilt edged with violet ribbon and reaching mid-thigh, is connected front to back by a narrow strip of fabric passing under the crotch. The caltzas, black orbace gaiters edged with black velvet at the top and violet ribbon at the bottom, cover the calf, end in a rounded shape partially covering the shoe, and are secured below the knee with a lace.