Giuseppe, 74, lives in a makeshift shelter beneath the Asse Mediano (median arterial road), across from the former Agip Motel, on the Cagliari exit. "You've arrived, can I have a hot tea?" he asks the Cagliari Red Cross volunteers who arrive every night to bring him hot meals, drinks, and food.

Carmen and Stefano, not even thirty years old, with a history of drug addiction and prostitution, live and have found refuge under a bridge on Via Po.

Uno dei clochard che dormono nella galleria Ormus tra via Dante e via Sant’Alenixedda
Uno dei clochard che dormono nella galleria Ormus tra via Dante e via Sant’Alenixedda
Uno dei clochard che dormono nella galleria Ormus tra via Dante e via Sant’Alenixedda

Bruno, in his early fifties, ended up living on the streets after losing his job. His home is now a mattress on two cardboard squares, and his roof is the old escalator of the San Benedetto market (closed for renovation). "I haven't slept in three days; it's impossible with the rain," he says.

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The homeless in the capital city, assisted by volunteers from the Cagliari Red Cross Street Unit, are a veritable silent army that continues to grow: 55 people are living in the cold on the streets.

Precarious existences, lives warmed even at Christmas by Red Cross volunteers, who make their rounds to distribute comfort, words of support, and a hot meal.

Mauro Madeddu

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