CN 07 Obelisco del km 0 della Strada Carlo Felice

Every system of reference begins from an origin: the point where the Cartesian axes meet. A city, too, has a point from which to orient itself and measure distance.

In Cagliari, this role belongs to the small kilometre-zero obelisk in Piazza Yenne. The Carlo Felice Road, Sardinia’s main artery, conventionally begins here. Yet this essential reference is one of the city’s least noticed monuments. Overshadowed by the statue of Carlo Felice, café tables and passing crowds, it survives in the daily life of pigeons perched on its summit and people resting on its steps.

As in quadrature modulation, the origin is indispensable while remaining empty: every symbol is defined in relation to it, but none occupies its centre. Likewise, kilometre zero gives meaning to the city’s directions without becoming a destination. It does not celebrate an arrival, but preserves a simple idea: every journey needs a point from which to begin.