can I thank Mussolini for my creamy yogurt?
Discovering Arborea
As a newbie in a foreign country, it takes some trial of different food items before you find your favourites. In the trying and tasting period I discovered ‘the Happy Cows’ in Arborea.
Arborea is an area (and a little town) in the province of Oristano on the West coast of Sardinia. Close to the sea, resting on the location of a former swamp, is the now home of the happy animals.
In this place there is a dairy, also called Arborea (a popular name it seems).
Happy cows
The dairy’s slogan is ‘L’isola felice delle mucce’which translates to ‘The Cows’ Happy Island’.
On the dairy products there is a little figure of a cow with lines coming out from it. Like it’s radiating joy, energy and happiness.
When I eat my yogurt or have the milk in my tea or make porridge with it, I look at this slogan. I look at the picture of the radiating cow stamped on the yellow yogurt pots and blue milk cartons. It makes me think of happy, radiating cows.
In my mind I see black and white cows smiling (not sure cows can smile, but I imagine they do) and almost dancing across the fields as they are happily grazing lush grass. Surely they must have lush grass to make cows happy so there must be lots of that in Arborea.
The milk and yogurt cartons also states that it is ‘Produced under the sun rays watching over the Mediterranean sea’ which sounds rather romantic, I think.
Pondering on the happy cows in Arborea, I realise I have Mussolini to thank for my delicious yogurt and creamy milk.
Mussolini comes to visit
Mussolini came to Sardinia on a few occasions, started the planning and construction of cities and towns, some for industry (mainly mining on Sardinia) and some for agriculture. The strict lines of Fascist architecture are still very visible even today. One of these towns is Arborea, built in the 1920s (inaugurated in 1928) to become the centre of a new agricultural area as a part of the Fascist agricultural plans. The area was mainly swamp and marshland; the swamp was a breeding ground for Malaria mosquitos and was of no use for anything. Mussolini gave orders to have the swamp drained and reclaimed as agricultural land.
By draining the swamp, not only did they get rid of Malaria (totally eradicated after the war by the use of DDT), but they created a big agricultural area too. Looking at a map of Arborea one can see that the area is ‘planned on the map’, the roads and fields have a strict, rectangular and geometric shape, pure Fascist style.
happy cows legacy
The little town in the area was called Mussolinia, named after the man who planned it of course. But the name changed to Arborea when he was not the flavour of the month anymore.
It dawns on me that it is a funny fact that Mussolini’s plans, ideas and actions long ago are giving me my gorgeous yogurt today and that it contributed to a Sardinia free from Malaria.
Sometimes the plans and ideas that are made long time ago have ripple effects long long after the initial actions. Mussolini is maybe not a man one thinks of with regards to leaving a positive legacy, but in this case the ripple effects of his plans and actions were good ones. A big agricultural area with happy cows.
For some photos of the Fascists buildings in Arborea have a look at this link
lots of love,
Bee