Nuorese Cultural DistrictMarchi Raffaello (b. Nuoro, 1909–d. Nuoro, 1981, was an Italian writer and anthropologist.
Raffaello Marchi
Description
Marchi debuted as a writer in 1930, when Pensiero, a publishing house in Bergamo published his book Preambolo alla simpatia.
Marchi’s intellectual and romantic relationship with Mariangela Maccioni was a fundamental part of his life.
In 1947, the two founded the philanthropic social culture magazine Aristocrazia.
His destiny was not limited, however, to that of a pure writer, and he also stood out as one of the most passionate scholars of the traditions and customs of Sardinia, distinguishing himself for his innovative field research.
His research was focused on the history and popular traditions of Sardinia, in particular Carnival celebrations in the towns of Mamoiada, Gavoi, Orotelli and Orani.
He explored the relationship between dialect, national literary idiom and forma mentis/modus vivendi in, among other things, his introduction to the collection Lingua e dialetto and devoted himself to the ethnography of Sardinia, becoming vice president of the Istituto Superiore Regionale Etnografico (Sardinian Regional Institute of Ethnography).
Although he lacked specific academic titles and scientific skills, Marchi became a key source of information for intellectuals, scholars and artists, including the sculptor Costantino Nivola, the painter and sculptor Giovanni Canu and the potter Francesco Masuri.
His research on magical practices in Sardinia, begun in the 1950s, was published posthumously in the volume La sibilla barbaricina in 2006.