Even before a single face appears on the new European Central Bank banknotes, Sardinia has already printed its own. They're not destined to end up in wallets, of course, but they've already made the rounds on social media. They're the work of Sardegnaesthetics, the satirical page that has transformed the debate on future European banknotes into an all-island gallery, where, in place of the characters chosen by the ECB, there are icons, myths, and faces that every Sardinian would recognize at a glance.
The sketches. And while Europe is debating shared symbols, as often happens, the web has taken a parallel path. Dozens of alternative versions have sprung up on social media—generated with the help of artificial intelligence—ranging from serious faces to more provocative icons, veritable "special editions" that haven't gone unnoticed by the Meta algorithm.
Sardinia certainly couldn't be left out of this great creative laboratory. Taking up the challenge was the Instagram profile Sardegnaesthetics, which for years has been reporting on current events through a language of Sardinian memes, quotes, and humor. Their version has a distinctly insular look: on the five-euro note, Videolina journalist Egidiangela Sechi replaces Maria Callas; on the two-hundred-euro note, instead of the Bassano booby flying over the ocean's great waves, Gigi Riva appears in all his majesty. And then there are the Tenores di Bitti, Graziano Mesina, and other figures who have influenced, for better or worse, the history, culture, and imagination of Sardinia. On the back, meanwhile, are places that speak for themselves: Piazza L'Unione Sarda, the Amsicora stadium, the nuraghe of Barumini, and the Teatro Massimo in Cagliari.
The opportunity . The idea came from the new contest launched a few days ago by the ECB to choose the theme of the next European banknotes. For the first time in history, citizens are also invited to participate in the selection process, indicating their favorite proposals on the European platform. The ten finalist designs will be evaluated by a panel of independent experts , but citizens will also be able to express their opinions among the projects in the two finalist categories: "European Culture" and "Rivers and Birds."
The details. But in Sardegnaesthetics' imaginative "mint," attentive observers will notice that there's no reference to the euro, but rather the Sardex currency. "We wanted to give it a more Sardinian feel," explains one of the page's administrators, "and for this reason, we chose to include elements easily identifiable with the island in the graphics." The reasons behind the choice of characters are tied to this principle. "Of course, Gigi Riva had to be included. Egidiangela, however, was suggested to us by our own followers. The goal was to tell the story of the island through its icons." The post was an immediate success, with likes and reshares. Among them, some joked about the value assigned to the characters. "Egi deserved a more substantial banknote," wrote one user. Sardegnaesthetics quickly responded: "But with the 5 Sardex notes, since they're the most commonly used denomination, we can appreciate her more often."
Behind the scenes. Sardegnaesthetics is run by seven administrators, five of whom are part of the original group. It all began during the pandemic, between the four walls of their home and the endless days of lockdown . Lifelong friends, they began filling their private chats with memes, jokes, and references to that Sardinian essence that only those who live on the island can fully grasp. From that pastime, the idea of opening a social media page took shape, which over the years has become one of the main reference points for Sardinian satire—it now boasts over 20,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 60,000 on Facebook. And so, while the ECB works on the design of the banknotes that will truly find their way into European wallets, the web has already made its own parallel choice: a printed version of Sardinia in an ironic way, featuring beloved characters, local references, and that dose of self-irony that has always accompanied the island's way of telling its story.
