Human towers conquer Alghero: the city recovers a Catalan tradition thanks to the Mataresos
The performance at the Focs de Sant Joan with an encore for the Sant Miquel festivities in SeptemberPer restare aggiornato entra nel nostro canale Whatsapp
Colla Castellera "Los Mataresos de l'Alguer" has activated a cooperation project with two Catalan colles to bring the castellers back to the city, 25 years after their last visit.
The project, which has a historical significance in the context of the castellera culture and the relations between Alghero and the rest of the Catalan Countries, was born from the collaboration with the Colla Castellera dels Xics de Granollers, with which the Mataresos participated in the Castells Competition of Tarragona in October 2024. On the occasion of the Competition, the Mataresos were able to establish relationships with the Castellers de Sants, one of the strongest Colles in the city of Barcelona, who expressed their desire to visit the Catalan city in Sardinia.
The result of these contacts between colles produced the final project "Castells ad Alghero", thanks to which this year, for the first time in history, they performed at the Focs de Sant Joan this weekend and the encore will be for the festivities of Sant Miquel in September.
The Mataresos and the Castellers de Sants, also known as the "Borinots", held a joint training session on Saturday afternoon on the seafront in Barcelona, while on Sunday they performed in the streets of Alghero and on the wall.
For the Focs de Sant Joan, on the occasion of the rite of the comparatico, the castellers joined the procession and then built a final human construction in the area where the fires were lit, on the Lido beach, in front of the large audience and candidates ready to jump, strictly dressed in white, involving them in every moment of the rite. The Focs of Alghero are organized by the Pro Loco Alghero Riviera del Corallo with the contribution of the Municipality of Alghero, Alghero Turismo, the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, Salude&Trigu, Fondazione di Sardegna, directed by Chiara Murru. A popular event that has become an unmissable appointment to welcome the summer with the best auspices. The castells project in the intentions of the Mataresos, is not limited to 2025, but has the ambition of becoming a regular event, aimed at placing Alghero on the world map of the construction of human towers. An embrace between two sister cultures, a way to protect the shared history between Alghero and Catalonia. Those interested can contact the group through social networks or by email at mataresosdelalguer@gmail.com