Many of them are very rare and at risk of extinction because of the indifference of the masses who do not know about them and fail to appreciate and protect them.

Orchids are at the top of the evolutionary pyramid of flowering plants. Many scholars even think that they are still evolving, as new varieties are constantly being classified because new traits keep on appearing.

Native orchids have developed complex strategies to be attractive to pollinating insects.They disguise themselves as insects and emit pheromones that send sexual messages to male bees, bumble bees, wasps and flies attracted by their mimicry and vivid colors.

To see wild orchids, all you have to do is walk along the country roads in the midst of the Mediterranean shrubland, along unpaved roads that are nonetheless easy to walk.

In case of organised excursions, the guide of an experienced English-speaking guide will help you appreciate the distribution, traits and qualities of our native orchids in their natural environment.

The landscapes you cross on the hunt for wild orchids are gorgeous and full of other points of interest, from the plant life of the shrubland and the garrique, which changes color and scents with the season, rock quarries and stone sculptures, and then of course sea views that will take your breath away.

The wild herbs, small wildlife of beetles, caterpillars, partridges, small birds, birds of prey (buzzards, kestrels, lesser kestrels and hawks), and even foxes, make these walks an experience of delving into unreined, wild nature, without getting far from the town and its convenience and staying in total safety.

As Cà de Anna owners we organize touristic packages such as the “Wild Orchis Safari” including accommodation, transfer services and guides to allow lovers to see them in total safety and appreciating also Sardinian hospitality and good food. Click here to find out more.

Photos by Paola Parigi, Giovanni Paulis, Antonio Biggio, Gianni Canè.

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L'articolo Please let our Island keep its treasure! sembra essere il primo su Back to Sardinia.

Saving it from banality, cheap commerce, vulgarity and standardization. There are women, many women, who are very obstinate and very capable. And even in the silence around them, they manage to work for humanity and make it better.

Think of the Palestinian woman who grew flowers in hand grenades, making a symbolic contribution, a redemption, an obstinate mark of goodness, beyond a symbol of hope for peace.

There are women in Sardinia who are dedicated to saving something priceless that would be lost without them. They do it for the spirit that infuses the world, seeking its essence, its beauty, and because sometimes it needs to be saved.

Chiara Vigo is the last master of “bisso,” sea silk, in the world. She has dedicated her life to fulfilling a promise made to the sea and to her grandmother to preserve and protect sea silk and the secret of its crafting to let other women and the whole world keep on enjoying its magical beauty.

Sea silk is made from Pinna Nobilis, the “noble pen shell,” the largest bivalve mollusk in the Mediterranean. Its filament is collected by diving, keeping the mollusk alive and protected. The mollusks lives in the shallows between Calasetta and Sant’Antioco, waters that Chiara knows well, having studied their ecosystem thoroughly.

The dark amber color of the silk mollusk changes when exposed to sun rays, turning it gold, making a golden silk that is unbelievably light and brilliant.

In the time of Chiara’s grandmother, fishermen harvested the mollusks and the filament collected was long enough to make fabrics made completely of sea silk in its weft and

weave. After the fiber was dried and carded, it was desalinated and then twisted by hand. Now the mollusk is preserved and the filament collected is much shorter so it can only be used for embroidery with a technique called “unghiata” (with nails), or for very small textiles.

Pictured: Washed and carded sea silk 

The tradition of weaving sea silk is age-old. Legend has it that Nefertari’s bracelet cuff was made of it, as well as the embroidery on Byzantine empress Theodora’s dress and on Queen Margaret’s wedding gown. Pieces made with sea silk are priceless, given the skill needed (know-how as we call it these days) and the rarity of the raw material as well as the time it takes. Chiara Vigo‘s mission is to vouchsafe it for those who come after her, i.e. all of us.

Likewise armed with patience and skill, Arianna (ArJànas) lives in the historic village of Tratalias (an enchanting place about which we’ll write a post of its own). Here she quite literally cultivates a passion for linen and the age-old craft of spinning, weaving and naturally dyeing fibers.

The young Arianna is devoted to this art. From the small seed grown to the harvest of the plant holding this soft, strong fiber in its stalks, she creates textiles, wool embroidered rugs, and even shoes, necklaces and other jewelry — all one-of-a-kind. Arianna applies a gentle, almost humble passion to her work; under a thin veil of shyness is a powerful, determined character, one worthy of her Greek namesake, Ariadne.

It takes a lot of character in this world and age in which our values seem lost under layers and layers of useless things with fleeting worth and that say nothing. There is a feeling of great relief —a sense of redemption, even — in knowing that there is someone in an old workshop, in a ghost town, on a magical island, sowing and harvesting something that, after at least a year, becomes a fine piece of jewelry or textile, never touching anything other than her hands, wood, canes and wool dyed with natural colors.

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Sottotorre is the cove right below the Torre Sabauda tower overlooking the town. It’s a gorgeous, white-beached cove with crystal-blue water that is very shallow, making it a popular destination for families with children. La Salina, just a kilometer out of town, has two white sandy dunes dotted with San Pancrazio lilies where two species of wind-bent juniper grow: juniperus phoenicea, or Phoenician juniper, and juniperus macrocarpa.

A bit further is Spiaggia Grande, a cove stretching to Punta della Tonnara, venerated by surfers as it is open to the mistral wind; part of it is reserved for tourists traveling with their canine friends.

Posidonia oceanica, or Neptune grass, has lived in the Mediterranean for many millennia, since between 80,000 and 200,000 years, they say. In fact, it was recently discovered to be the oldest organism in the Mediterranean, according to Francesca Mancuso in Green Me (who also took the picture).

The grass is a full-fledged water plant, not just alga. Native to the Mediterranean Sea, its name comes from the mythological Greek god of the seas, Poseidon (Neptune in Roman mythology). Neptune’s grass usually covers large areas, called “fields” that provide shelter and the habitat of many fish and other plants. Plus it oxygenates the sea and is an indicator of clean water. When it dries, it is pushed by currents and accumulates along the beaches. Sometimes it forms tall layers as soft as pillows. Italian law protects it and prohibits its removal, to the displeasure of many who don’t like it and want it gone.

But those of us who have always known it, and appreciate it for how its softness and how it makes the sea fragrant, would rather see gone the plastic and garbage of all sorts left by beach-goers on the beaches. We’d let Neptune grass stay; after all, this is its home.

And, depending on the currents, sea temperature, storm surges and other factors, beaches in the center of the Mediterranean, particularly a wind-exposed island like Sant’Antioco, often change shape, becoming longer or shorter, and then back again.

One of the lucky things about living here is watching the beaches change in summer and winter, at dawn and dusk, with the wind or calm airs, when they are deserted or teeming…

In the photo a winter view of Spiaggia Sottotorre in Calasetta by Roberto Romans Zucca.

Gallery’s photo are by Paola Parigi, Roberto Romans Zucca and Enzo Zucca.

L'articolo The sea, the beaches and Neptune grass sembra essere il primo su Back to Sardinia.