Listen
The fact
The first song in the series, and the one everything else came from: the village perched below the Doria castle. The project's three recurring voices were extracted from this recording, and its tempo — afro house at 122 bpm — set the sound of Istella.
The lyrics
northern Logudorese
Oh-oh, Tzaramonte / Oh-oh, terra antiga
Oh-oh, monte e memoria / Oh-oh, coro chi cantat
In artu ses nàschidu, tra bentu, pedra e sole
cun ojos dae su monte, chircas mare e amore
Sas baddes ti saludant, su celu ti coronat
e ogni domo antiga una storia nde torrat
Doria ti narait tempus de casteddu e potestade
cando su ferru sonaiat pro defensa e libertade
Subra Santu Matèu sa pedra est ancora viva
ogni muru chi restat una boghe antiga iscrìat
Tzaramonte, Tzaramonte, lughe clara in sa muntagna
terra forte, terra santa, chi su tempus non iscampat
Tzaramonte, Tzaramonte, coro antigu de Sardigna
dae su monte a sa marina, sa memoria ti caminat
Aragonesos in lontanu beniant cun ferro e bandera
ma sa terra non si pieghet cando s'anima est sincera
In sas rugas de su bidda passat ancora sa cantzone
de sos mannos chi campaian cun traballu e devozione
Sa cheja est restada sola subra s'altu de su monte
ma in sa notte, cando cantat, paret viva che una fonte
Ogni pedra tenet nomene, ogni funtana tenet vida
e su populu chi amat mai non perdet sa radighina
No est solu pedra antiga, no est solu casteddu
est sa vida de su pòpulu, est su pane, est su fogu
Est sa manu de sos mannos, est sa boghe de sas mamas
est su passu de sos fizos chi torrant a sas domos
Oh-oh, Tzaramonte, no ti dismentigo
Oh-oh, terra mia, in su coro ti porto
Oh-oh, Tzaramonte, cantamus fin'a manzanu
English translation
Oh-oh, Chiaramonti / Oh-oh, ancient land
Oh-oh, mountain and memory / Oh-oh, a heart that sings
High up you were born, among wind, stone and sun
with eyes from the mountain, you search for sea and love
The valleys greet you, the sky crowns you
and every ancient house brings back a story
The Dorias told you of a time of castle and power
when iron rang out for defence and freedom
Above Santu Matèu the stone is still alive
every wall that remains writes an ancient voice
Chiaramonti, Chiaramonti, clear light on the mountain
strong land, holy land, that time cannot erase
Chiaramonti, Chiaramonti, ancient heart of Sardinia
from the mountain to the sea, memory walks with you
The Aragonese from afar came with iron and banner
but the land does not bend when the soul is sincere
Through the alleys of the village the song still passes
of the elders who lived by toil and devotion
The church remains alone on the height of the mountain
but at night, when it sings, it seems alive like a spring
Every stone has a name, every fountain has life
and a people who love never lose their roots
It is not just ancient stone, it is not just a castle
it is the life of the people, it is the bread, it is the fire
It is the hand of the elders, it is the voice of the mothers
it is the step of the children returning to their homes
Oh-oh, Chiaramonti, I will not forget you
Oh-oh, my land, I carry you in my heart
Oh-oh, Chiaramonti, we sing until morning
The reviews
The piece was presented to the people of Chiaramonti on 3 August 2026, translated line by line, and received without objection. There was no formal linguistic review: I say so because it is true, and because the later pieces did have one. Thanks to Mario Unali, who publicly pointed me to the reference on the castle and let me correct a date I had wrong.
Sources
- Gianluigi Marras, «Il Castello di Chiaramonti», Accademia Sarda — costruzione nel 1348, conferma ai fratelli Doria il 1° agosto 1350
- Comune di Chiaramonti · SardegnaCultura · SardegnaTurismo