Is Arutas, a tourist brings 40 kilos of sand back to Sardinia: "My mother collected it in 1979."

In addition to the suitcases containing clothes for the Sinis vacation, the trunk of the car also contains 40 kilograms of quartz sand , divided into numerous glass and plastic jars. Countless grains that are about to return to Is Arutas, the beach from which they were stolen way back in 1979 by a couple of Milanese tourists .

The task of returning the sand to the beach will fall to Silvia Ferrari , who, once disembarked at the port of Porto Torres, will first travel to Cabras and then to the Sinis coast. "I'm doing what my mother, Valeria, asked me to do before she died," says Silvia Ferrari. " Returning to nature what she, along with my father, perhaps a little carelessly, had removed during their vacation in the Sinis to create a Zen garden, was her wish. And I can't ignore it."

The "theft" occurred when Silvia Ferrari was 15: "I actually still remember that moment," she says. "It was the first time we saw Is Arutas, a true paradise with this pure white sand. It was too beautiful not to take away . We were amazed and astonished by its beauty. That's why my parents decided to take the quartz to decorate their yard. The sand was also transported during my parents' various moves throughout their lives; for them, it was something truly precious. With the intention, sooner or later, of returning it to the coast. And now, finally, the time has come."

Throughout these years, Silvia Ferrari has consistently supported the awareness campaign against quartz theft promoted by the Municipality of Cabras, the Region, and the "Sardegna Depredata" association, which is at the forefront of protecting the island's coastlines from the illegal extraction of sand, stones, and shells. "After so many years, we can finally drive to Cabras, which is why we decided to return the sand to the beach now ," she explains. "I also wanted to share this story to convince those who have sand at home to bring it back to the beach. It doesn't matter how many years have passed; the important thing is to take action."

Sara Pinna