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 mistero avvolge le campagne di Is Cotturas: San Gavino Monreale col fiato sospeso per la scomparsa dell’ottantatreenne Giuseppe Caddia.

La quiete delle campagne del Medio Campidano è stata bruscamente interrotta da un evento che sta tenendo l’intera comunità di San Gavino Monreale in uno stato di profonda ansia e crescente preoccupazione; il fulcro di questo drammatico mistero è la scomparsa di Giuseppe Caddia, un pensionato di ottantatré anni che da tempo aveva scelto la solitudine della vita rurale in località “Is Cotturas”.

Dell’anziano, uomo dal passato laborioso che in gioventù aveva prestato la sua opera come carpentiere nella città di Torino, non si hanno purtroppo notizie da qualche giorno, un vuoto temporale che ha spinto una delle nipoti a rompere gli indugi e a presentare la formale denuncia della scomparsa presso la locale stazione dei carabinieri. Le operazioni di ricerca e le indagini sono attualmente coordinate dal comandante Ivan Melis, il quale guida i militari nel tentativo di ricostruire gli ultimi spostamenti dell’uomo; al momento non si esclude nessuna ipotesi investigativa, poiché la dinamica dell’allontanamento resta avvolta nel più fitto riserbo.

Giuseppe Caddia vive da solo nella sua abitazione di campagna e, stando alle prime ricostruzioni, l’ottantatreenne potrebbe essersi allontanato a piedi dalla sua casa di Is Cotturas, sfidando forse le insidie del territorio circostante senza avere con sé né documenti di identità né il proprio cellulare. Questa totale assenza di mezzi di comunicazione e di riconoscimento rende le ricerche ancor più complesse e urgenti, mentre il passare delle ore alimenta il timore per le sorti del pensionato; l’intera cittadinanza di San Gavino segue con il fiato sospeso l’evolversi della situazione, sperando che l’esperienza maturata negli anni di duro lavoro e la tempra del carpentiere possano aiutarlo a tornare sano e salvo dai suoi cari, mentre le pattuglie continuano a setacciare ogni centimetro della zona rurale interessata.