Cagliari City Hall

The beautiful Palazzo Bacaredda on the corner is Cagliari’s new City Hall. The municipal offices were located in a palace on Piazza Palazzo until the late 19th century. In 1896, the decision was made to build a new seat of government facing the port.

A major architectural competition was held, and the foundation stone was laid in a grand ceremony attended by King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. Umberto was the son of Victor Emmanuel II, whose name you’ll see all over Italy. He was the man who unified the country and became its first king. Construction began in 1899 and was completed eight years later.

The result is a striking building that combines Catalan Gothic with Italian Art Nouveau. Look up at the turret on the corner of the building. It features the symbol of Sardinia, four blindfolded Moorish heads, known as the Quattro Mori.

It’s said that they commemorate the four victories of the Reconquista in different regions of Spain. The blindfolds are supposed to symbolise the way the Moors were executed. Since Spain ruled Sardinia for centuries, the symbol was even adopted into its flag.

But historians now believe the heads may actually symbolise resistance and independence. Rather than defeat, the blindfolds could represent a refusal to submit to authority. The heads, deliberately turned to the left, are seen as turning their backs to the East, and thus to Rome.

The figure is believed to represent Saint Maurice, an Egyptian Christian martyr who was executed for defying Roman authority. This depiction of Saint Maurice appears in other parts of Europe too, notably in Corsica.

As for Sardinia, the flag was updated in 1999. The red cross on a white background remained, but the blindfolds were moved from the eyes to the foreheads, to symbolise freedom and independence. Today the heads face east, towards Rome, as a gesture of peace and reconciliation with the Italian state.