The province of Sassari ( it, provincia di Sassari, sc, provìntzia de Tàtari, sdc, prubìnzia di Sàssari, ca, província de Sàsser, french: province de Sassari, co, pruvincia di Sassari) is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

in the autonomous island region of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. Its capital is the city of

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...

. , the province had a population of 493,357 inhabitants.

History

In ancient times, between 1600 and 1500 BC, the

Nuraghi The nuraghe (, ; plural: Logudorese dialect, Logudorese Sardinian , Campidanese dialect, Campidanese Sardinian , Italian language, Italian ), or also nurhag in English language, English, is the main type of ancient megalithic edifice found in ...

civilization was at its peak in this area. During the Roman domination, the

Logudoro The Logudoro (meaning "Golden Place") is a large traditional region Sardinia, Italy. The name of Logudoro today is linked to the Logudorese dialect, which covers a large area of northern-central Sardinia. The first denomination of the area is ...

region was one of the main grain suppliers of the

Western Roman Empire The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...

, and was the seat of several legions. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, the Logudoro region was the center of one of the four quasi-kingdoms in which Sardinia was divided, the

Giudicato di Torres The Judicate of Logudoro or Torres ( sc, Judicadu de Logudoro or ''Torres'', ''Rennu de Logudoro'' or ''Logu de Torres'') was a state in northwest Sardinia from the tenth through the thirteenth century. Its original capital was Porto Torres. The r ...

or Logoduro, the first capital being Ardara, later replaced by

. The numerous countryside Romanesque basilicas date from this period. After the conquest by the

House of Aragon House of Aragon may refer to: *the branch of the Jiménez dynasty that ruled Aragon as kings between 1035 and 1162 *the House of Barcelona, which ruled Aragon between 1137 and 1410, united Aragon and Catalonia and ruled Sicily from 1282 until 1409 ...

, Logoduro declined, but later, under the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...

rule as part of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

, it grew in significance. In the 20th century the construction of roads and railways brought more prosperity, but at the same time destroyed the large forest heritage of the region. The Province of Sassari was founded in 1859, even before the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

in 1861, with an area which until 1927 included the entire head of the island, making it the largest province in the country at the time. The modern

University of Sassari The University of Sassari ( it, Università degli Studi di Sassari, UniSS) is a university located in Sassari, Italy. It was founded in 1562 and is organized in 13 departments. The University of Sassari earned first place in the rankings for ...

dates to around the same time that the province was created. Since 1878 the province has been administered from the Palazzo della Provincia in Sassari.

Geography

Facing the

Sardinian Sea Sardinian refers to anything related to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. More specifically it can refer to: *Sardinian people *History of Sardinia * Sardinian language * Sardinian literature *Music of Sardinia * Cuisine of Sardinia *Sardinian ( ...

to the north and west and the

Tyrrhenian Sea The Tyrrhenian Sea (; it, Mar Tirreno , french: Mer Tyrrhénienne , sc, Mare Tirrenu, co, Mari Tirrenu, scn, Mari Tirrenu, nap, Mare Tirreno) is part of the Mediterranean Sea off the western coast of Italy. It is named for the Tyrrhenian pe ...

to the east, the Province of Sassari is bordered to the south by the provinces of

Nuoro Nuoro ( or less correctly ; sc, Nùgoro ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene. It is the capital of the province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,347 (2011), ...

and

Oristano Oristano (; sc, Aristanis ) is an Italian city and ''comune'', and capital of the Province of Oristano in the central-western part of the island of Sardinia. It is located on the northern part of the Campidano plain. It was established as the pr ...

. It has an area of , and a total population of 493,357 (2017). There are 92 municipalities (''

comuni The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'') in the province, the largest of which are Sassari,

Olbia Olbia (, ; sc, Terranoa; sdn, Tarranoa) is a city and commune of 60,346 inhabitants (May 2018) in the Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called ''Olbia'' in the Roman age, ...

Alghero Alghero (; ca, label= Alguerese, L'Alguer ; sc, S'Alighèra ; sdc, L'Aliera ) is a city of about 45,000 inhabitants in the Italian insular province of Sassari in northwestern Sardinia, next to the Mediterranean Sea. The city's name comes from ...

Porto Torres Porto Torres ( sdc, Posthudorra, sc, Portu Turre) is a comune and a city of the Province of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as ''Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis'', it was the first Roman colony of the ...

Tempio Pausania Tempio Pausania (; sdn, Tèmpiu) is a town of about 14,000 inhabitants in the Gallura region of northern Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Sassari. History Cultural and delegated administrative centre of the Gallura sub-region, Tempio has ...

Sorso Sorso ( sdc, Sòssu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of c. 14,700 inhabitants in the province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Sassari. Overview Sorso is a tourist resort facing the Gulf of Asinara. Apart tourism ...

Ozieri Ozieri ( sc, Otieri) is a town and ''comune'' of approximatively 11,000 inhabitants in the province of Sassari, northern Sardinia (Italy), in the Logudoro historical region. Its cathedral of the Immacolata is the episcopal see of the Roman Cath ...

Ittiri Ittiri ( sc, Itiri Cannedu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about south of Sassari. It is part of the Logudoro traditional region. Ittiri is locat ...

and

Sennori Sennori ( sc, Sènnaru) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about northeast of Sassari. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 7,298 and an area of ...

. Another town of note,

Pattada Pattada ( Sardinian: ''Patàda'', ''Pathàda'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region of Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about southeast of Sassari. Pattada is known for the production o ...

, is particularly known for its handmade knives. In the province is the only natural lake in Sardinia, Lake

Baratz Baratz is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Abraham Baratz (1895–1975), Romanian–French chess master * Max Baratz (born 1934), American army general * Robert Baratz, American dentist and skeptic * Yosef Baratz Yosef Barat ...

, and one of the largest artificial lakes, Lake

Coghinas The Coghinas is a river of northern Sardinia, Italy. With a length of , it is the third longest river of the island behind the Tirso and the Flumendosa. It has a drainage basin of . The Coghinas's springs are located on the Mountains of Alà, ...

in the western part which (before the re-organization of Sardinian provinces) formed the boundary with the abolished province of Olbia-Tempio. In this territory is one of the largest plains in Sardinia, Nurra. The province contains some of the most famous resorts of Sardinia including

Castelsardo Castelsardo ( sdc, Castheddu; sc, Casteddu Sardu) is a town and ''comune'' in Sardinia, Italy, located in the northwest of the island within the Province of Sassari, at the east end of the Gulf of Asinara. History Archaeological excavations have ...

, Porto Torres, Alghero, the

Riviera del Corallo The Riviera del Corallo (Costera del Coral in Catalan Algherese) is a coastal stretch of north-west Sardinia in the south of the Nurra plain, which includes the town of Alghero. It is co called because of the great importance of the red coral that ...

Stintino Stintino ( sdc, Isthintini, sc, Istintìnu) is a coastal ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about northwest of Sassari. Geography Stintino is located on the ...

and others. Stintino is located on the peninsula of the same name, running from the Nurra plain to the Asinara Island, part of the

Asinara National Park Asinara is the second largest island of Sardinia after Sant'Antioco. It houses a great variety of habitats. The island has an extremely odd historical, environmental, and legal status. It is known as "Isola del Diavolo" ("Devil's Island"), since ...

. Among the notable beaches of the Province of Sassari is Balai in Porto Torres, Pelosa Beach in Stintino, and others such as Alghero il Lido, Maria Pia, Bombarde, and Mugoni. The inner part of the province in the traditional Logoduro region is characterized by a hilly and mountainous landscape, with soft volcanic terrains. The town of Ozieri is its most important center for culture and history away from the coast, noted for its production of tools and pottery from ancient times.

Administrative divisions

The province includes 92 ''comuni''. The largest by population are Sassari (127,217 inhabitants),

(60,181) and

(43,945).

Government

List of presidents of the province of Sassari

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Province Of Sassari