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.

Il futuro della carne equina in Italia è a un punto di svolta. È approdata in Senato una proposta di legge bipartisan che punta a cambiare radicalmente lo status giuridico di cavalli, pony, asini, muli e bardotti. L’obiettivo è chiaro: riconoscerli ufficialmente come animali da affezione, equiparandoli a cani e gatti, e dichiarandoli definitivamente “Non Dpa” (Non destinati alla produzione alimentare).

L’iniziativa, che vede convergere le firme di Susanna Cherchi (M5S), Luana Zanella (AVS) e Michela Brambilla (Noi Moderati), introduce un sistema sanzionatorio senza precedenti. Per chi continuerà ad allevare equidi a scopo alimentare o a macellarli, sono previste pene detentive da tre mesi a tre anni e multe che possono sfiorare i 100 mila euro, con aggravanti significative in caso di effettiva immissione delle carni sul mercato.

Per monitorare il patrimonio equino, la norma prevede l’obbligo di microchip entro due mesi dall’entrata in vigore. Per sostenere gli allevatori in questa transizione, è previsto un fondo di 6 milioni di euro destinato a riconvertire le attività verso il turismo equestre o i centri di recupero.

In Sardegna, la portata di questa legge assume contorni particolari. L’Isola vanta una delle tradizioni equestri più solide d’Europa, dove il cavallo è protagonista indiscusso di feste popolari, sport e identità. Tuttavia, parallelamente all’amore per l’animale vivo, esiste un ampio consumo alimentare: la carne di cavallo è un elemento presente in molte macellerie e tavole sarde, spesso considerata un’alternativa proteica pregiata e salutare.

Mentre a livello nazionale il consumo è in calo (secondo un report Animal Equity/Ipsos l’83% degli italiani non ne mangia), la Sardegna resiste insieme a regioni come Puglia e Lombardia. La nuova norma costringerebbe l’Isola a una profonda riflessione: da un lato l’empatia crescente verso l’animale (che il 73% degli italiani già equipara a un animale domestico), dall’altro la difesa di una filiera economica e di un’abitudine gastronomica radicata.

L’Italia, paradossalmente, detiene ancora il primato mondiale per le importazioni di carne equina, con circa 17.000 capi macellati nel 2024. Tuttavia, il vento sta cambiando: la Grecia ha già vietato la macellazione dei cavalli nel 2020 e l’opinione pubblica sembra spingere verso la protezione assoluta degli equidi. Se la legge dovesse passare, per la Sardegna si aprirebbe un’era nuova: quella in cui il cavallo cessa ufficialmente di essere un prodotto da banco per diventare, esclusivamente, un compagno di vita e un motore per il turismo green e sostenibile.