'Quando imbassiadores saen mandare'. A proposito del cap. XXXV del primo libro degli statuti sassaresi*

The importance of statutory law may also be appreciated with regard to the socalled city ‘diplomacy’, which in the 13th and 14th centuries would at times be used to communicate with the outside world. In the city statutes of Sassari, written in the vernacular in 1316, chapter XXXV of the first book is devoted to diplomatic missions. Its interest lies also in that it provides new - and somewhat novel - insights on the life of a medieval commune. The provisions on diplomatic missions and the appointment of ambassadors help us to better understand the internal organisation and the power dynamics of a commune, as well as the participation in its public life.