Soru

Massimo Cristofori, now Tiscali's chief financial officer, lived down the hall and recalls Soru dreaming small dreams, like opening a fish hatchery.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Unlike the dot-com flameouts that took perverse pride in high cash "burn rates," Soru "likes to turn off the tap and see if you are good enough to do it without a lot of money," says Paolo Susnik, chief technology officer of Tiscali.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Soru is the only serious Internet competitor in Europe who is not backed by a giant phone or cable company.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

"It was strangely easy; there were no other competitors," says Soru.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Italians had been slow to buy PCs or log on to the Net -- but free access to the Net and the hype around Soru changed all that.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Called Telefonica della Sardegna, it was staffed by three Sardinians: Soru, Susnik and Mario Mariani.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Farther along the cobblestone alley, near the site of the funeral parlor their fathers ran, stands a stone sculpture donated by Soru.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Friends say Soru turned serious at 20, when his father died.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

At the 2000 party convention of the Democratic Left, Soru drew a 10-minute standing ovation for a speech about the power of the Internet to create jobs and unify the prosperous North with the struggling South of Italy.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007

Soru is also betting heavily on two big ideas -- the free Internet and one Europe -- that are decidely out of fashion.

The Man Who Would Be King 2007