"Cagliari was different from the rest of the island. Since ancient times, it had been the stronghold of the rulers, and its heterogeneous population, made up of a mixture of races, held in contempt anyone who came from the countryside. Even Angelo, when he arrived in Cagliari, felt like a villager and, like all villagers, felt a sense of inferiority. In the city, he became as shy and vulnerable as he had been in a long time. (Giuseppe Dessì, Paese d'ombre, C.E.1972)"