“The strength of this community is a huge capital for the tourism sector. We just need to be able to make a system out of it. We believe that water and energy savings are in perfect harmony with the idea of tourism that Aquae Sinis promotes".

Architect Pier Luigi Mele tells us about Aquae Sinis from the terrace overlooking the church of Santa Maria Vergine Assunta. In September, the staircase is populated by hundreds of whites tunics dressing the barefoot devotees who will carry on their shoulders, on the run, the statue of San Salvatore through the town’s alleys, along the ponds and the countryside.

The idea of the “scattered” hotel was born in 2007. Two of the four structures that make up the structure today were bequeathed to Mele by their grandparents. They contained wine barrels, utensils, they offered a shelter to cows, pigs and horses. “Thermae”, “Mistras”, “Laguna” and “Pontis” are the four complexes distributed between the streets of the historic center of Cabras, at a short distance from each other. The wooden window frames, the floors, the plinths, the Samugheo cottons, the lime on the raw bricks and the reed roofs are the common trace of a stylistic identity built on the elegance of the essential, on the palpable presence of tradition.

Mele explains: “Sinis is not a place of worldliness, it offers unspoiled nature, traditional cuisine, the scents that the winds snatch from the vegetation and spread throughout the territory. Our guests are above all interested in culture, sport, and the environment of course. In the simple passage from one structure to another, it is possible to buy fresh fruit on the doors of the ancient peasant houses".

For these reasons Aquae Sinis has taken all possible measures (and others are being developed) to make its microcosm sustainable: plastic bottles have been replaced by returnable glass, and, in every bathroom, tags indicate which towels need to be changed. The toilet bowls and taps are water-saving, while the courtesy kit has been replaced by the dispenser, and the containers for the differentiated waste have found a place in all the common areas. Solar panels on the roofs operate to produce hot water, and several electric bikes with pedal assistance have recently been purchased. Each room houses the vademecum on sustainability created by MEDSEA for the Maristanis project, of which Aquae Sinis is part as a member of the “Friends of Maristanis Club”, a group of hoteliers and traders who have decided to reduce water and energy consumption.

“Cabras has a very important number of small enterprises. Every purchase, every step during a simple walk can turn into a chat. It is a slow, experiential, human tourism, which cannot fail to embrace environmental protection in its essence", concludes Mele.