The 'Matida' Sanitary Assistance Residence in Sassari, managed by Sereni Orizzonti, celebrated Saint Anthony's Fire Day, which marks the start of Carnival. The grandparents coloured all the Sardinian masks, which later decorated the walls of the residence.

As is well known, the beginning of Carnival in Sardinia is marked by an evocative event capable of providing a memorable spectacle: the fires of Sant'Antonio Abate. This is a festival that is actually widespread throughout Italy, but in Sardinia it marks the first outing of the typical masks: Mamuthones and Issohadores in Mamoiada, Boes, Merdule and Filonzana in Ottana, S'Urtzu and Su Pimpirimponi in Sadali. Those who participate do not remain indifferent: it is an almost ancestral rite, rooted in the legend according to which Saint Anthony the Abbot stole a spark in the underworld to give it to men so that they could defend themselves from the freezing temperatures.

"The event was an excellent opportunity to create social moments," says Paola Elena Borsato, director of the facility. "Our guests really enjoyed talking about traditions and experiencing them first-hand.  

In Sassari, the St. Anthony's Fire Festival is part of a busy calendar of initiatives that the residence has been organising for a long time. The 'Matida' residence can accommodate the elderly with varying degrees of self-sufficiency. It is managed by Sereni Orizzonti, one of the first three groups at national level operating in the construction and management of assisted care residences, with about 80 RSAs and more than 5,000 beds in Italy and abroad.