The village of Villasimus every year becomes the destination of thousands of vacationers, arrived from all over the world choose this location to discover its beauties: nature with its pristine beaches and the social life of the streets of the city center. Two worlds that coexist and meet through Via del Mare. It is at the beginning of this road of passage that we find “Sa Morisca”, born as a pizzeria about ten years ago, and today a restaurant of traditional Sardinian cuisine.

The green of the plants, the lights, the stone finishes, and the wooden details: we enter the room and we are immediately struck by the elegant summer atmosphere. We sit on the terrace upstairs, a small rooftop from which to admire the lively panorama of the village.

The menu is a journey of authentic flavors of the territory. Sardinian products are used for the preparation of each dish, starting with seafood appetizers: mussels marinara, octopus, and potato pie, tuna tartare. Dishes prepared in a simple way, cooked without too many condiments to enhance the flavor of the sea.  

After a taste of appetizers we order the first courses. We choose two great classics of Sardinian cuisine: tagliolini with lobster and spaghetti clams and bottarga. They are prepared according to tradition and with local raw materials. We are pleasantly impressed by the creaming of the spaghetti, particularly creamy.

We conclude the tour of the first courses with the “queen” of Sardinian pasta: the fregula allo scoglio, a unique dish in which crustaceans, mussels and arselle meet the tomato sauce, flavored at the end of cooking by a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Seasonality and freshness are the watchwords of second courses. The mixed fried squid, shrimp and catch of the day goes well with the delicacy of lemon mayonnaise with which it is served, while the grilled fish every day is modified according to what the fishing boats bring from the Gulf of Cagliari. Since we are in the middle of summer we opt for a seasonal fish and order the sliced tuna with caramelized onions. The tuna is cooked to perfection: seared over high heat on the outer surface and almost raw inside.

To accompany the kitchen of the restaurant, the pizzeria: even the pizzas are all made with Sardinian ingredients, starting from the flours and all the products for the realization of the dough, up to the final condiments.

Forty-five hours of leavening to ensure a digestible and light dough. But this year – behind the scenes of Sa Morisca – another type of dough was also studied. Among the novelties of the menu we note that gluten-free pizza has been introduced and this makes Sa Morisca the first and only pizzeria in Villasimius where there is a gluten-free pizza.

We end our journey into the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine with a dessert that once again leads us to discover the flavors of the island. We choose the “Pardula al cucchiaio”: a dessert that gives us, in a creamy version, the taste of ricotta, saffron, and orange peel, and that ends with the crunchiness of the amaretto crumble.

ph @eligraam

To accompany our dinner, a selection of local wines to enhance all the dishes. Choosing from the different types proposed in the menu, we note that even the drinks in Sa Morisca are exclusively Sardinian: a wide choice of red and white wines and craft beers made in Sardinia.

Questa volta il sogno sembra destinato a diventare realtà. La Sardegna si prepara a riprendersi il suo posto sul palcoscenico mondiale della vela: i bolidi del mare dell’America’s Cup sono pronti a solcare le acque del Golfo degli Angeli per le regate preliminari della 38ª edizione.

Nonostante la conferma definitiva sia attesa per la prossima settimana, l’entusiasmo è già alle stelle. Cagliari, storica “casa” e base operativa di Luna Rossa, appare come la sede naturale e designata per questa tappa d’avvicinamento al trofeo sportivo più antico del mondo. Per la Sardegna si tratterebbe di una prima volta assoluta, un riscatto atteso dopo anni di appuntamenti sfumati.

Il rapporto tra la Sardegna e le World Series è stato, finora, segnato dalla sfortuna e dai rinvii. Nel 2020, l’evento fu cancellato a causa dell’emergenza pandemica globale. Nel 2023, la delusione fu ancora più cocente: le regate previste per ottobre saltarono in primavera dopo un acceso scontro tra la Regione e gli organizzatori di New Zealand, con il conseguente spostamento della tappa a Jeddah, in Arabia Saudita.

La notizia che la fase finale della 38ª America’s Cup si terrà a Napoli aveva inizialmente spiazzato il capoluogo sardo, da molti considerato il campo di gara ideale. Tuttavia, l’assegnazione dei preliminari a Cagliari e della seconda regata di avvicinamento a Napoli (prevista per giugno) ristabilisce un equilibrio che premia l’eccellenza velica dell’Isola.

L’ora della verità scatterà il 21 gennaio, data in cui verrà presentato ufficialmente il programma. Solo allora verranno svelati i dettagli organizzativi, le date esatte e la logistica di un evento che promette di portare in Sardegna le “Formula 1” del mare e migliaia di appassionati da tutto il mondo.