“This earth doesn't resemble to some other place. Sardinia is another thing: enchanting space around and distance to be traveled, nothing of ended, nothing definitive. It is as the same liberty.”
(D. H. Lawrence, Sea and Sardinia)
The power of color has an immense influence on mental, emotional and spiritual behavior more than we realize. Can you imagine yourself, for instance, sitting in a train, watching blankets of meadows in purple as they flash rapidly outside your window? Would you gaze at them with calmness the same way if they were green? Envision your body soaked under the scorching heat of a fiery red sun. Would you bathe under the scarlet intensity with rage or excitement in the same sensation with golden rays?
Visiting the ancient island of Sardinia leaves one with only a single memory: the unfathomable depth of Blue. Like other colors, blue comes in a multitude of shades that emote various effects on variant occasions—sky baby blue that breathes infantile innocence; aquamarine blue that gathers a pool of fish; faded indigo blue on jeans that may ignite a balance between roughness and comfort; or bright, cobalt blue that decors your living space, kitchen corner, or signage on buildings. However, above all these, a deep, sensitive blue paints the strong and silent seas of Sardinia. It is a blue that washes away, with permission, a particular falsity in your spirit; a blue that smoothens a scar that never before could go unhidden; a blue that tickles a sweet flattery; a blue that urges you to hold someone’s hand; a blue that forgets all idiosyncrasy and madness; a blue that delves deeper into something unraveling you have always been searching for; a blue that simply reminds you life could be this simple—honest, accepting, carefree—and why should anything else beyond it matter.
From Oristano, a charming, quaint town of intimate colors, a quick fifteen-minute ride takes you to the pretty beach silhouette of Torre Grande, a popular summer destination for Oristano folks. The long stretch of blue lies like a paternal shield that protects this tiny resort hideaway, exuding therefore, a soft irony to the grandness of a minute existence.
Heading north to the elegant town of Sassari where scratched-off stucco-colored houses complete the canvas of Southern Italy, Porte Torres greets you from its gentle harbor, where one can sit on or walk over the steady rocks on the blue green water, so clear like untainted crystal it magnetizes you to dive into its captivating spell. Beautiful reflections on this blue water charm you with a kaleidoscope of more playful blues, flickering around olive greens, ultramarine blues, and a tinge of crescent yellows and rustic browns.
A couple of hours drive from Oristano, here, a basin of wonderfully colored houses, peering above a long deep, dark river blue awaits you in Bosa. The blue is peaceful yet courageous, guarding the fishermen that busily attend to their daily catch.
Finally, the turquoise sea of Sardinia reveals two of its most spectacular blue jewels. The timid whispers of unruffled waves surrounding the indescribable San Giovanni di Sinis are a haunting vision. You traverse a path of rubble sandwiched between tranquility on one side, and vivacity on the other. Huge rock boulders jut out like an army of warriors controlling the frequency of the powerful waves. One can sit on its many untamed rocks while you stretch your gaze till the end of the horizon and worry about absolutely nothing.
The other precious gem of blue lies along the Western coastline on the way to magical S’Archittu and Santa Caterina di Pittinuri. Walking down the boulders, approaching a cave of uncertainty is adventuring in anticipation one secret after another that waits to be disclosed. The rock formations resemble giant extinct reptiles that swallow the profound blueness with greed. The special blue of Su Riu is secretive, intimate and secluded. Unlike the wide blue line of a beachfront, here the blue warms your soul in private aromas and envelopes your mind with assured security.
There can be no blue as stirring and penetrating as the Sardinian blue, and each time you capture its velvet shade through your curious eyes, the more submerged and sensitive life crawls in your fingertips. As D.H. Lawrence wrote in his memoirs about Sardinia, the experience of a sojourn in this isolated island is one that breathes liberty—a freedom accompanied by a zealous euphoria of blue.