Sardinia: the blue colors of the sea and the sky merge together

One color to define Sardinia? Impossible not to choose blue. Blue is the color of the sky and the sea, the elements surrounding this beautiful island and making it unforgettable for those who live there or just visit this place for a few days. However, as Vincent Van Gogh said, "There is no blue without yellow and orange", and no sentence is more telling than this one to describe the colors that dominate the long Sardinian summer.

Blue has always been the color that symbolizes the calm and balance. It has the power to relax our body and remove the sense of anxiety that may accompany us during the working week, thus stabilizing the frequency of the heartbeat. In nature, it is not only the color of water and sky, but you can also find it very often in the botanical world, especially if linked to shades of purple and red; it’s particularly associated with fruits and vegetables that have extremely important nutritional properties.

The eggplant, figs, black grapes and all kind of berries (especially blueberries) are a good example of it. These foods are rich in anthocyanins, carotenoids, potassium and magnesium. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants that can prevent diseases such as arteriosclerosis and infections of the urinary tract, as well as having a major role in improving the sight and the capillaries’ strength. Carotenoids are particularly recommended in any summer diet; they help to prevent skin aging and cardiovascular diseases. Potassium and magnesium, on the other hand, are useful to control blood pressure, as well as to help concentration and the regulation of energy intake.

Eggplants, in particular, are a classic ingredient of Sardinian cuisine and have some characteristics that make them very special: they are low in calories and rich in water and fiber. They are also well tolerated by our intestines, so they are able to facilitate the intestinal transit, in addition to being particularly good.

However, Sardinia offers not only sea, warm, sun and Caribbean beaches. This magical island is also home to a rich and wooded hinterland, where the Mediterranean scrub is enriched with olive trees, cork trees and fragrant myrtle. Among other typical products there are the extra virgin olive oil, pecorino cheese and Fiore sardo cheese, which come from many farms scattered all over a still not contaminated inland. The distance from the mainland has always been a weakness for this island but it has also been a strength, because it allowed Sardinia to keep its natural heritage intact until now.

Article written thanks to the advice of Dr. Maria Angela Villani.