As extreme summer temperatures increasingly challenge Mediterranean cities, Sardinia is looking to one of its oldest building traditions for a surprisingly modern solution. The island's raw-earth bricks, known in Sardinian as ladiri, are attracting renewed attention because of their natural ability to moderate indoor temperatures while requiring very little energy to produce.
For centuries, ladiri were fundamental to architecture across southern and central Sardinia, particularly in the Campidano plains and areas including Sulcis, Cixerri and Sarrabus. According to Italy's Ministry of Culture, the surviving Sardinian heritage includes approximately 30,000 raw-earth buildings, making the island one of Italy's most important territories for this construction technique.
