Summer has finally arrived and Villasimius turns into a continuous coming and going of tourists. Foreigners and Italians spend their days visiting the characteristic beaches with crystal clear water and then moving to the restaurants, pubs, and bars of the city center to experience the night. And then there is the moment of pause to spend at the marina, in the heart of the Marine Protected Area of Capo Carbonara, a destination for boats and yachts but also a meeting point for a coffee with friends. Walking along the docks we met Nicola, owner of Les Chic Fruit, intent on delivering his products to a boat moored at the pier.

Attracted by the thousand colors and the scent of fruit and vegetables delivered, we decide to go to his shop to learn more. The aromatic herbs release sweet and delicate aromas inside the room. Immediately we are “kidnapped” by the scent of thyme and lemon basil.

The fruit counter is a mosaic of colors and among watermelon, melon, bananas, cherries, grapes, plums and kiwis we also notice the fruits of the territory, sardinian strawberries, and different varieties of melon and peaches including the pesc platinet, a variety of flat nectarine with white pulp and a very sweet taste.

While we continue our tour inside the shop, we decide to taste something and we have some “pineapple for walking” prepared, cut at the moment it is ideal to cool off during this hot summer day.

We are intrigued by the particular colors and shapes of exotic fruits, among all the carambole – also known as Fruit Star for their star shape – and the Dragon Fruit or Pitaya, typical of South America, in two versions: red and yellow. There is no shortage of the most famous tropical fruits such as mango and avocado, all imported “by air”, as we can read on the label – they reach the island in a few hours so that they can retain all their freshness.

From fruit we move on to vegetables and Nicola explains that many vegetables, as well as fruits, are local and are grown on the Saboris Sardus family farm, managed by his wife Michela.
Looking at the counter, full of colors, that we have before our eyes, we imagine the thousand salads and the many side dishes that we could prepare in our kitchens.  The varieties of vegetables on display are many and we are not even sure we know them all.

Corn cobs for BBQ, yellow, red, orange and green datterini tomatoes, different varieties of zucchini, potatoes, onions, cabbage and peppers. From purple Sardinian potatoes to those special to prepare super crispy chips, from highly digestible peppers to yellow and purple ones.

In the end we decide to be surprised by the Facussa, a vegetable that has spread from the union of the Arab and Ligurian civilizations in Carloforte, and precisely because of its origins and its appearance is also called “Carloforte cucumber”. Tasting it we discover that its flavor is not comparable to that of the cucumber we know but rather to that of a zucchini, but more salty and seedless.

The last part of the shop is dedicated to typical products, excellences with a very short supply chain, produced and packaged in the territory: pasta, jams, olive oil, cheeses, bottarga, artichokes in oil, local wines and many others.

After experiencing this tour to discover the flavors of fruit and vegetables from Les Chic Fruit, we understand why this shop after three generations is still chosen by locals, tourists and VIPs who return every year on holiday in Villasimius.

Once back home we thought that tasting other products from Les Chic Fruit we would not mind, so we took a look at their website and after seeing that shipments are made, domestic and international, we made our first order.

Sindia, grave incidente nelle campagne: agricoltore cade dal trattore, soccorso con l’elicottero.

Momenti di grande paura nelle campagne di Sindia, dove nel primo pomeriggio di venerdì un agricoltore del posto è rimasto vittima di un grave incidente sul lavoro.

L’uomo, impegnato nelle consuete attività all’interno della sua azienda agricola, stava manovrando un trattore quando, per cause ancora in corso di accertamento, ha perso l’equilibrio ed è caduto rovinosamente a terra. L’impatto è stato violento e ha subito destato l’allarme tra i presenti, che hanno immediatamente richiesto l’intervento dei soccorsi. In pochi minuti sul posto sono arrivate le ambulanze del 118, i carabinieri della stazione di Sindia e quelli della compagnia di Macomer, insieme agli ispettori dello Spresal, incaricati di verificare le dinamiche dell’incidente e la corretta applicazione delle norme di sicurezza sul lavoro. Considerate le condizioni dell’uomo, è stato richiesto l’intervento dell’elisoccorso: l’elicottero è atterrato in un campo adiacente all’azienda agricola, permettendo il trasferimento d’urgenza del ferito all’ospedale di Sassari.

Durante le operazioni di soccorso l’agricoltore è rimasto sempre cosciente, riuscendo a parlare con il personale sanitario, ma ha riferito di non riuscire a muovere le gambe, un dettaglio che ha fatto temere conseguenze serie alla colonna vertebrale. Le sue condizioni, pur gravi, non sarebbero tuttavia tali da metterne in pericolo la vita. La comunità di Sindia è rimasta profondamente colpita dalla notizia, che si è diffusa rapidamente nel pomeriggio. In un territorio dove l’agricoltura rappresenta una parte importante dell’economia locale, incidenti come questo riaccendono l’attenzione sulla sicurezza nei campi e sui rischi che quotidianamente affrontano coloro che lavorano con i mezzi agricoli. Gli accertamenti delle forze dell’ordine e degli ispettori dello Spresal serviranno ora a chiarire le cause dell’accaduto e a stabilire se si sia trattato di una tragica fatalità o di una manovra sbagliata. Intanto, in paese, cresce l’attesa per avere notizie confortanti sulle condizioni dell’uomo, mentre familiari e amici si stringono intorno a lui con l’auspicio di una pronta guarigione.