Asking for the Moon? How Dreams Become Reality in Cagliari

By Asia Schintu (Age 19) ‘You’re asking for the moon.’ That’s what people would say to Ugo Bressanello whenever he described his project: creating communities where children, mothers, and families in crisis could find safety, support, and a fresh start.

It seemed like too much to ask, almost impossible. And yet, that very idea led to the creation of Domus de Luna in 2005. At a pivotal moment marked by the closure of orphanages, the first residential care home took shape in a suburban house, offering children not just a place to stay, but a real opportunity to grow.

Around this first community, new ones were created to welcome mothers and teenagers. Alongside them, a broader approach to care began to take shape, eventually leading to the creation of spaces dedicated to supporting families and educational programmes. From there, the project expanded and took root locally, reaching suburban neighbourhoods, schools, and the most vulnerable communities through educational, cultural, and prevention activities. A former market, once in a state of decay, was transformed into a community centre in the Santa Teresa neighbourhood.

Today, it is an open space where children and young people have a safe place to be. Over time, initiatives toward employment inclusion also developed: La Locanda (The Inn) and Il Circolo (The Social Club) were launched, allowing individuals with disabilities or facing difficult circumstances to build independence through work, while extending opportunities for a fresh start to young people from challenging backgrounds.

Since 2020, as new forms of social challenges have emerged, the TiAbbraccio (I Embrace You) project has taken shape, providing concrete support through essential goods and daily outreach to families in need, pairing educational activities with direct responses to basic needs. Those same years saw the development of new spaces and initiatives: Teatro Dante, dedicated to preventing school dropout; the WWF Oasi del Cervo e della Luna (WWF Deer and Moon Oasis), where environmental protection is woven together with educational and social activities; and the Fattoria Molto Sociale (Very Social Farm), where working the land becomes a form of care and an avenue for social reintegration. But change does not stop at services; it actively engages local communities, as they evolve into vibrant communities. Murals by national and international artists transform spaces into recognizable, shared landmarks.

Meanwhile, events celebrating Christmas, Epiphany, and Carnival bring together hundreds of families, children, and seniors, forging bonds that did not exist before. Today, Domus de Luna is an open, informal environment without barriers, a place rather than a non-place, in which people find not only solutions, but meaningful human connection. What initially seemed like an impossible request has become reality: abandoned places have become spaces full of life, and people who were once alone have found a community.

Perhaps, in the end, that moon was not so far away after all.