112 Galoppini
the population spoke its own language (linguam propriam sardiniscam
loquentes).79 Adorno sailed along the western side of the island, rich in cit-
ies and important ports. Sassari, an episcopal seat, was not a very large city,
but was densely populated. Nearby was the Porto Torres, which was accessible
to small embarkations.80 Alghero, with its imposing fortifications and streets
paved in granite, was an excellent port. The city, inhabited almost exclusively
by Catalans, contained a Jewish quarter protected by the city walls. The city’s
economy was based on harvesting coral along the coast, however, the sea was
dangerous due to the presence of pirates. Beyond the small city of Bosa (par-
vula Bosa) is Oristano, the island’s largest city and an important port with a
busy commercial square.
Adorno also underlined two serious problems facing Sardinia at the dawn of
the sixteenth century: the consequences of the conflicts between the rich and
powerful (dives et opulentus) judge of Arborea (marchio naturalis Sardus) and
the king of Aragon; and the vast marshy lands, which caused sickness among
the populace. These problems would affect the island for many centuries to
come. Although Sardinia was losing its position in international commercial
exchange, it remained an important resting place along Mediterranean routes
and played a privileged role as an observer in the center of the Mediterranean.
79 In the Middle Ages it was believed that it was difficult to understand the Sardinian
language, because it was archaic and conservative. Fazio degli Uberti stated that the
Sardinians spoke in an incomprehensible language and thus were not well disposed to-
wards those who did not speak Sardinian: “una gente che niuno non la intende / né essi
sanno quel ch’altri pispisglia” (Dittamondo, III, XII, vv. 56–57). Dante Alighieri’s De vulgari
eloquentia judged Sardinian harshly while, however, highlighting key terms: “Sardos etiam,
this is not Latii sunt sed Latiis associandi videntur, eiciamus, quoniam only sine proprio
vulgari they videntur, gramaticuam tanquam simie homines imitantes: nam domus nova
et dominus meus locuntur” (I, XI). A harsh judgment—always deemed lower than the
Genoese language—which has aroused strong objections by scholars of Sardinia (Vittorio
Angius, Pasquale Tola, Filippo Vivanet). The idea that Dante was based on written docu-
ments that were circulating in Tuscany can be found in Marinella Lörinczi, “La casa del
signore. La lingua sarda nel De vulgari eloquentia,” Revista de Filología Románica 17 (2000),
pp. 61–76. See also, Max Leopold Wagner, Dizionario etimologico sardo (Heidelberg,
1960–1964).
80 Jacques Heers and Georgette de Groër, eds, Itinéraire d’Anselme Adorno en Terre Sainte
(1470–1471) (Paris, 1978), pp. 60–65.