Piazza Satta

A brief walk northwest up Via Satta will bring you to Piazza Satta, the square dedicated to the great poet Sebastiano Satta (1867-1914), who was born in a house here. In true Nuoro style the town felt that a cultural memorial was necessary and commissioned sculptor Costantino Nivola (1911-88) to come up with something.

Nivola whitewashed the square to provide a blank background for a series of granite sculptures that rise up like menhirs. Each sculpture has a carved niche containing a small bronze figurine (a clear wink at the prehistoric bronzetti) depicting a character from Satta's poems. It was a typically unusual idea and must originally have been an impressive sight. However, graffiti and a general unkempt air now mar the piazza.