Internationally renowned advertising executive Gavino Sanna recounts "his Porto Torres" through short films shot among the city's wonders. On Wednesday, October 8th, at 6:00 PM, the Filippo Canu Conference Room on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Porto Torres will host the initiative "The Heart Stays Where It Was Born." This will feature the presentation and screening of commercials created by world-renowned advertising executive Gavino Sanna and dedicated to the city.
The commercials, commissioned by the city administration by Sassari director Alberto Salvucci and his crew, under the creative direction of Gavino Sanna, represent a gesture of love for "his city" and, at the same time, a tool for promoting tourism and culture in the area. Ten "short films" tell the story of Porto Torres, seen through the eyes and voices of those who live there every day.
A choral narrative in which the city's iconic sites—from the Basilica of San Gavino a Balai, from Asinara to Scoglio Lungo, to the Turris Libisonis archaeological site and the industrial area—become settings of memory, identity, and hope. They are played by authentic faces of the city: non-professional actors, all Turris residents, who convey the soul of the community with a single gaze and a simple yet incisive quip. The result is a mosaic that unites multiple generations, past, present, and future, identity and change. What emerges is a city that allows itself to be discovered through its landscapes and, above all, through the people who bring it to life, driven by a deep connection to their roots.
The event, open to the public, will feature Mayor Massimo Mulas, representatives of the city administration, advertising executive Gavino Sanna, and all the key figures who brought the project to life. Gavino Sanna is Italy's most famous and award-winning advertising executive. Born in Porto Torres, he studied architecture at the Art Institute of Sassari and earned a degree from New York University. Throughout his career, he has won seven Clio d'Oro awards (the world's advertising Oscar), seven Lions at the Cannes Film Festival, and hundreds of other awards. After 10 years in America, he became president and creative director of Young & Rubicam, the world's largest advertising agency. In 1988, Sanna was named a "Commendatore dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" by President Francesco Cossiga.
