Up there, in his office on Buoncammino Hill, the din of the city doesn't reach him. But the echoes of the controversy do: Domenico Arena found himself in the middle of it after skipping a Regional Council meeting on the Uta mafia case.

Since January, he has been the regional superintendent of prison administration: essentially the superintendent of all Sardinian prisons, and together with the heads of the various penitentiaries, he skipped the hearing with the Labor and Health commissions on the transfer of 92 inmates under the 41 bis regime to Uta.

Politicians have not taken this well, criticizing the Department of Penitentiary Administration's (DAP) absence. This absence contrasts with the approach taken thus far by the new superintendent, who instead practices intense dialogue with the institutions and advocates for integration between prison and community. Many therefore suspect the decision was dictated by the Ministry of Justice. Arena cannot comment on this matter, given his role (which is also very limited in the transfer of mafia bosses, which is managed solely by the ministry).

But he doesn't shy away from a few reflections : "I must say I was very sorry not to be able to attend the hearing," he confesses. "I believe in the need for a proper relationship with the institutions. My other colleagues were also disappointed: we would have liked to contribute, but we couldn't."