Su Giudeu beach, in the extreme south-west of Sardinia, is wrapped in a mystery: why is it called like that? The word “Giudeu”, in the Sardinian language, recalls - as can be guessed - a Hebrew origin. No one, at first glance, would associate it with an octopus. Yet it is so.
Ph. Gianfranco Zedda
The “pruppu giudeu” is a particular type of octopus (musky octopus) that is born among the rocks of this corner of the sea. It differs from the other type of Mediterranean octopus (called in Sardinian “pruppu cristianu”) for having a single row of suckers on the tentacles and for being more savory to the taste and tenacious to chew. Why the octopus with one row of suckers is called “giudeu” and the one with two “cristianu” is a mystery. Perhaps the Jews of Sardinia preferred the former while the Christians preferred the latter for their recipes? Impossible. In Jewish cuisine the octopus, as a mollusk, is forbidden by the principles expressed in the Torah. The mystery, therefore, continues. What is certain is the majestic beauty of this beach in Chia, in the territory of Domus de Maria.
Ph. Gianfranco Zedda
Ph. Luisa Piras
Surrounded by dunes up to twenty meters high, covered with juniper and Mediterranean vegetation, Su Giudeu is famous for the clarity of the waters and for that rock in the center of the bay to which it gives its name (since here is precisely the “pruppu giudeu”), Easily reachable even without swimming during low tide periods. Elegant and imposing, with its dark rocks that contrast with the cream-colored sand, the rock of Su Giudeu is also covered by a dense blanket of Mediterranean vegetation, which spreads its scents along the entire profile of the coast during the windy days (which don’t lack here!).
Ph. Gianfranco Zedda
Su Giudeu is truly one of the most precious pearls of the Chia coast. Not far from here, the extreme southern tip of Sardinia: Capo Spartivento. Nomen Omen, the Latins would say, in one of the windiest areas of the entire island. A feature that makes the skies of this area often clear and cloudless. From here, the traveler can enjoy the splendid panorama that opens up under his gaze, defined by the wave motion of the sea and the checkerboard of the ponds on which flocks of flamingos rest.