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In Sardinia, Four (Decapitated) Heads are Better Than One

The bloody history of the Sardinian Flag

Craig K. Collins
Globetrotters
Published in
7 min readJan 2, 2025

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The Sardinian flag, featuring the Cross of St. George and the heads of four Moorish princes, flies from the bow of a ship docked at Porto Cervo, Sardinia. (Photo: ©Craig K. Collins)

I am on a catamaran setting out from the port of Olbia, Sardinia, and I am puzzled and shocked by the presence of decapitated heads seemingly everywhere.

There they are above the ramparts of an ancient castle.

And again above a fifteenth-century church.

And, it seems, nearly every vessel coming and going from Olbia proudly displays these decapitations from their bows.

What in the name of St. George is going on in this idyllic, sun-splashed Mediterranean isle?

I’m talking about the Sardinian flag, of course, which the famously independent Sardinians hoist with pride at every opportunity.

The flag features the heads of four black men, possibly warriors or princes, with white headbands tied around their foreheads.

Each head is displayed against a field of white within a quadrant created by the red Cross of St. George.

So why is this flag enthusiastically embraced by Sardinians when its appearance would surely be labeled as politically incorrect in the U.S., thus igniting a social media firestorm?

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Globetrotters
Globetrotters

Published in Globetrotters

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Craig K. Collins
Craig K. Collins

Written by Craig K. Collins

Author, Photographer, Former Tech Executive. Purveyor of thoughtful, hand-crafted prose. Midair: http://amzn.to/3lGFROD Thunder: http://amzn.to/3oA5wt3

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