Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest 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 ...

in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a

Functional Urban Area The larger urban zone (LUZ), or functional urban area (FUA), is a measure of the population and expanse of metropolitan and surrounding areas which may or may not be exclusively urban. It consists of a city and its commuting zone outside it. Th ...

of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, it contains a considerable collection of

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

. Since its origins at the turn of the 12th century, Sassari has been ruled by the

Giudicato of 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 ...

, the

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

ns, as an independent republic in alliance with

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

, by the Aragonese and the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, all of whom have contributed to Sassari's historical and artistic heritage. Sassari is a city rich in art,

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and is well known for its palazzi, the

Fountain of the Rosello The Fountain of the Rosello is a fountain in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy, considered the symbol of the city. It is located at the end of the Rosello valley next to the ancient district of the city. History It was built among 1603 and 1606 by Ge ...

, and its elegant

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

, such as Piazza d'Italia (Italy Square) and the Teatro Civico (Civic Theatre). As Sardinia's second most populated city, it has a considerable amount of cultural, touristic,

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

and

political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

importance in the island. The city's economy mainly relies on tourism and

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

, however also partially on

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Press 2009 and com ...

pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

s and the

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

industry.

Geography

Sassari is located in north-western Sardinia, at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. The area rises up on a wide

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic plateau that slopes gently down towards the Gulf of

Asinara Asinara is an Italian island of in area. The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited", but it is thought to derive from the Latin "sinuaria", and meaning sinus-shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited. The census of population of 2001 lists o ...

and the

Nurra The Nurra is a geographical region in the northwest of Sardinia, Italy. It is the second largest plain of the island, located between the towns of Sassari, Porto Torres and Alghero. It covers a surface of 700 km² and is bounded by the S ...

plain. The city is surrounded by a

green belt A green belt is a policy and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges, which hav ...

of thousands of hectares of

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, which from the 19th century have partly replaced the mixed woodlands of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

and other Mediterranean trees as well as the

maquis shrubland 220px, Low maquis in Corsica 220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia ( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; hr, makija; ; ) is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs. Maquis is char ...

. The thinly populated Nurra Plain, located to the west, occupies the main part of the region of Sassari, while the

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

, with a population of about 275,000 inhabitants, is located to the south east. The abundance of water, with about 400 springs and

artesian wells An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...

, has made for much development of

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

over the centuries.

Climate

History

Sassari - Complesso prenuragico di Monte d'Accoddi (27)

Prehistory and ancient history

Although Sassari was founded in the

early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

, the surrounding area has been inhabited since the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

age, and throughout

ancient history Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cove ...

, by the Nuragics and the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

.
Many archaeological sites and ancient ruins are located inside or around the town: the prehistoric

step pyramid A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. Step pyramids are structures which characterized several ...

Monte d'Accoddi __NOTOC__ Monte d'Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or ...

, a large number of Nuraghes and Domus de Janas (Fairy Houses), the ruins of a Roman aqueduct, the ruins of a Roman villa discovered under San Nicholas Cathedral, and a portion of the ancient road that connected the Latin city of Turris Libisonis with

Caralis Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

. In the locality of ''Fiume Santo'' is also found a fossil site where an ''

Oreopithecus bambolii ''Oreopithecus'' (from the Greek , and , , meaning "hill-ape") is an extinct genus of hominoid primate from the Miocene epoch whose fossils have been found in today's Tuscany and Sardinia in Italy. It existed nine to seven million years ago in ...

'', a prehistoric anthropomorphic primate, was discovered, dated at 8.5 million years.

Middle Ages

The origin of the city remains uncertain. Among the theses, according to folk tradition the first village was founded around the 9th–10th century AD by the inhabitants of the ancient Roman port of ''Turris Libisonis'' (current

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 ...

), who sought refuge in the mainland to escape the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

attacks from the sea. It developed from the merger of a number of separate villages, such as San Pietro di Silki, San Giacomo di Taniga, and San Giovanni di Bosove. The oldest mention of the village is in an 1131 document in the archive of the Monastery of St. Peter in Silki where is cited a guy named ''Jordi de Sassaro'' (George of Sassari), a serf from the nearby village of Bosove. Sassari was sacked by the Genoese in 1166. Immigration continued until, in the early 13th century, it was the most populous city in the

, and its last capital. After the assassination of

Michele Zanche Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

, the latter's last ruler in 1275, Sassari became subject to the

Republic of Pisa The Republic of Pisa ( it, Repubblica di Pisa) was an independent state centered on the Tuscan city of Pisa, which existed from the 11th to the 15th century. It rose to become an economic powerhouse, a commercial center whose merchants dominated ...

with a semi-independent status. Proclamazione della Repubblica sassarese - Giuseppe Sciuti, 1880 - Sassari, Palazzo della Provincia

In 1284 the Pisans were defeated by the Genoese fleet at the

Battle of Meloria The Battle of Meloria was fought near the islet of Meloria in the Ligurian Sea on 5 and 6 August 1284 between the fleets of the Republics of Genoa and Pisa as part of the Genoese-Pisan War. The victory of Genoa and the destruction of the Pisan ...

, and the city was able to free itself: it became the Republic of Sassari, the first and only early independent renaissance city-state of Sardinia, with statutes of its own, allied to Genoa; the Genoese were pleased to see it thus withdrawn from Pisan control. Its statutes of 1316 are remarkable for the leniency of the penalties imposed when compared with the penal laws of the Middle Ages. Sassari - Cattedrale di San Nicola (05)

From 1323 the Republic of Sassari decided to side with the King of Aragon, in whose hands it remained for much of the following centuries, though the population revolted at least three times. The revolts ceased when King

Alfonso V of Aragon Alfonso the Magnanimous (139627 June 1458) was King of Aragon and King of Sicily (as Alfonso V) and the ruler of the Crown of Aragon from 1416 and King of Naples (as Alfonso I) from 1442 until his death. He was involved with struggles to the t ...

nominated the town as a Royal Burg, directly ruled by the King and free from feudal taxation, during a period in which it may have been the most populous city in Sardinia. Further attempts made by

to conquer the city failed. In 1391 it was conquered by

Brancaleone Doria Brancaleone Doria was the husband of Eleanor of Arborea. He was a scion of an influential family (the Doria) of the Republic of Genoa, the son of the elder Brancaleone and a woman named Giacomina. On 16 March 1357, he became a vassal of Peter IV ...

and

Marianus V of Arborea Marianus V (1378 or 1379 – 1407) was the Judge of Arborea from 1387 until his death. His surname was Doria, but since he belonged to the ruling house of Arborea he is often dynastically called Bas-Serra, or Doria-Bas. Younger brother and su ...

, of the independent Sardinian

Giudicato of Arborea The Judicate of Arborea ( sc, Judicadu de Arbaree, it, Giudicato di Arborea, ) or the Kingdom of Arborea (, , ) was one of the four independent judicates into which the island of Sardinia was divided in the Middle Ages. It occupied the central ...

, of which it became the last capital. However, in 1420 the city was sold along with the remaining territory for 100,000

florins The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...

to the Crown of Aragon, replaced by Spain after 1479 on the joining of the Aragonese and Castilian thrones. During the period of Aragonese and then Spanish domination the city was known as ''Sàsser'' in

Catalan language Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...

and ''Saçer'' in old

Renaissance

The city alternated years of crisis, featuring economic exploitation, the decrease of the

maritime trade Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

, made unsafe by the daily raids of

pirates, political corruption of its rulers, the sacking of Sassari in 1527 by the French, and two plagues in 1528 and 1652, with periods of cultural and economic prosperity. The

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

founded the first Sardinian

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in Sassari in 1562. In the same year the first printing press was introduced and the ideals of

Renaissance humanism Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

became more widely known. Several artists of the

Mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

and

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

schools practiced their art in the city.

Modern history

After the end of the Spanish period following the European wars of the early 18th century, the brief period of

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

rule (1708–1717) was succeeded by domination by the Piedmontese, who then took over the Title of

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 ...

(1720–1861). In 1795 an anti-feudal uprising broke out in the town, led by the Emissary of the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

Giovanni Maria Angioy Giovanni Maria Angioy (; sc, Juanne Maria Angioy, italics=no ; 21 October 1751, Bono – 22 February 1808, Paris) was a Sardinian politician and patriot and is considered to be a national hero by Sardinian nationalists. Although best known fo ...

, a Sardinian civil servant, who later fought unsuccessfully against 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 ...

. The city was occupied by troops at the time. The dynasty of the Piedmontese King of Sardinia went on to the monarchs of Italy. Sassari, along with the rest of Italy, became part of the newly created

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy ( it, Regno d'Italia) was a state that existed from 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to ...

. At the end of the 18th century the

was restored. In 1836, after six hundred years, the medieval walls were partially demolished, allowing the town to expand. New urban plans were developed, on the model of the capital of the new regime's, (

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

), with geometric streets and squares. Sassari became an important industrial center. In the 19th century it was the second most important town in what was to become the future Italy for the production of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hogs, ...

, and in 1848 the Sassarese entrepreneur

Giovanni Antonio Sanna Giovanni Antonio Sanna ( Sassari, 29 August 1819 – Rome, 9 February 1875) was an Italian entrepreneur and politician. Biography Giovanni Antonio Sanna was son of Giuseppe Sanna, a lawyer, and Maria Ignazia Sanna. He migrated in Marseille, Fr ...

gained control of the mine at

Montevecchio Montevecchio is one of the most ancient mining sites in Italy. The site is located in the south west of Sardinia, in the Province of South Sardinia. The village of Montevecchio (''Gennas Serapis'' in Sardinian language) is a frazione of the munici ...

, becoming the third richest man in the new Kingdom of Italy. The first railway was opened in 1872. In 1877 the old Aragonese castle was demolished, and on the site the "Caserma La Marmora" was built, where the headquarters of " Brigata Sassari" is still located. Founded in 1915, it still consists mainly of Sardinian soldiers. At the end of the 19th century new urban developments grew on Cappuccini Hill and to the south of the city, architecturally dominated by

Eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in ...

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

styles, which created a movement towards the hybrid experimentation of new local architectural styles, known as the ''Sassarese Liberty''. During the Fascist dictatorship the town had over fifty thousand inhabitants and new neighbourhoods were built, the most important of these being Monte Rosello and Porcellana, typical examples of

Rationalist Architecture In architecture, Rationalism is an architectural current which mostly developed from Italy in the 1920s and 1930s. Vitruvius had claimed in his work ''De architectura'' that architecture is a science that can be comprehended rationally. The formu ...

. On the other hand, the newspaper ''

La Nuova Sardegna ''La Nuova Sardegna'' is an Italian regional daily newspaper for the island of Sardinia. History and profile ''La Nuova Sardegna'' was founded in 1891 by Enrico Berlinguer, grandfather and namesake of Enrico Berlinguer, national secretary of th ...

'', considered subversive, was closed down. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

three Allied attempts to bomb the town failed: only the railway station was damaged, and there was only one casualty. Today Sassari is the main cultural, administrative and historical centre of Northern Sardinia.

Culture

University

The University of Sassari is the oldest in Sardinia (founded by the

in 1562), and has a high reputation, especially in Jurisprudence, Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, and Agriculture. Its libraries contain a number of ancient documents, among them the

condaghe A ''condaghe'' (also spelled as ''condache'' or ''condake'', ; also ''fundaghe''), from the medieval Sardinian term (from grc-x-byzant, κοντάκιον, kontákion, the pole around which a scroll is wound), was a kind of administrative docum ...

s, Sardinia's first legal codes and the first documents written in the

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Many Romance linguists consider it the language that is closest to Latin among all its genealogica ...

(11th century) and the famous Carta de Logu (the constitution issued by Marianus IV of Arborea and updated later by his daughter the ''Giudichessa''

Eleanor of Arborea Eleanor of Arborea or Eleanor De Serra Bas ( Sardinian: Elianora de Arbarée / Elianora De Serra Bas, Italian: Eleonora d'Arborea / Eleonora De Serra Bas; 1347— June 1404) was one of the most powerful and important, and one of the last, judges ...

) in the 14th century. The University of Sassari gained first place in 2009 in the ranking for the best “medium-sized” Italian university, awarded by the Censis Research Institute.

Language

Sassarese Sassarese (natively ''sassaresu'' or ''turritanu''; sc, tataresu ) is an Italo-Dalmatian language and transitional variety between Sardinian and Corsican. It is regarded as a Corso–Sardinian language because of Sassari's historic ties w ...

(''Sassaresu'' or ''Turritanu'') is much closer to Corsican and

Tuscan language Tuscan ( it, dialetto toscano ; it, vernacolo, label=locally) is a set of Italo-Dalmatian varieties of Romance mainly spoken in Tuscany, Italy. Standard Italian is based on Tuscan, specifically on its Florentine dialect, and it became the lan ...

than it is to Sardinian, although this fact has caused some political controversy. It originated as a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

between the first

Sardinians The Sardinians, or Sards ( sc, Sardos or ; Italian and Sassarese: ''Sardi''; Gallurese: ''Saldi''), are a Romance language-speaking ethnic group native to Sardinia, from which the western Mediterranean island and autonomous region of Italy deri ...

Corsicans The Corsicans ( Corsican, Italian and Ligurian: ''Corsi''; French: ''Corses'') are a Romance ethnic group. They are native to Corsica, a Mediterranean island and a territorial collectivity of France. Origin The island was populated since ...

Tuscans it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

and

Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...

n people, during the period of the

maritime republics The maritime republics ( it, repubbliche marinare), also called merchant republics ( it, repubbliche mercantili), were Thalassocracy, thalassocratic city-states of the Mediterranean Basin during the Middle Ages. Being a significant presence in I ...

. The original Tuscan structure was influenced by the Sardinian Logudorese spoken in the area, with a strong influence that can be felt in its phonetics and vocabulary, and by

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

and

in vocabulary. Sassarese is spoken in Sassari and its immediate area by approximately 120,000 people out a total population of 175,000 inhabitants; it is also the language of the north-west of Sardinia, including

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

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, ...

and

; in the mid-northern areas of Sardinia, its ''Castellanesi'' dialects of

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 ...

Tergu Tergu ( sdc, Tzelgu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about northeast of Sassari in the Anglona Anglona is a historical region of northern Sardinia, ...

and

Sedini Sedini ( sdc, Séddini) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about northeast of Sassari. It is part of the Anglona traditional subregion. Sedini borders th ...

are more similar to the

Gallurese Gallurese () is a Romance language from the Italo-Dalmatian family spoken in the region of Gallura, northeastern Sardinia. It is sometimes considered a dialect of southern Corsican or a transitional language between Corsican and Sardinian. " ...

Main sights

* Archeological site of

: a unique prehistoric monument with a

construction *The

Pisan Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

City Walls that in the 13th century surrounded the city with 36 towers (at the moment only 6 remain), and the Catalan-Aragonese Castle named Castello di Sassari, demolished in 1877, whose ruins, including some rooms, the basement, and part of a tower were rediscovered in 2008. * The church of St. Peter in Silki, built in the 12th century but renovated in the 17th century. Here were found the medieval codes known as Condaghe di san Pietro in Silki. * ''Corso Vittorio Emanuele'' is the main street of the medieval town, surrounded by interesting buildings of different ages, such as several examples of Catalan-gothic (as the so-called ''House of Re Enzo''), the baroque church of ''Sant' Andrea'', built by Corsican community, the neoclassic ''Civic Theatre'' and ''Quesada's palace''. * The Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari, built in the 13th century and enlarged in Catalan Gothic style from 1480; there is a monument to the Duca di Moriana inside. The façade, belonging to the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

Spanish colonial restorations of 1650–1723, has a rectangular portico surmounted by three niches housing statues of saints. The bell tower is in Romanesque style. * The church and monastery of ''Santa Maria di Bètlem'' (13th–19th century). The original façade and parts of monastery are in

Lombard Romanesque The term Lombard refers to people or things related to Lombardy, a region in northern Italy. History and culture * Lombards, a Germanic tribe * Lombards of Sicily, a linguistic minority living in Sicily, southern Italy * Lombard League, a me ...

style, some chapels in

International Gothic International Gothic is a period of Gothic art which began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by th ...

, while the rest of the building, include the big dome, was rebuilt in

and Neoclassic style, by the Sardinian architect Antonio Cano in 1829–34. * The Church of the Most Blessed Trinity contains a beautiful picture by an unknown artist of the Quattrocento. * The Cimitero comunale di Sassari (Sassari Cemetery) opened in 1837 adjacent to the Chiesa San Paolo al Cimitero just west of the

main railway station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

* ''Palazzo D'Usini'', most important example of civilian architecture of the Renaissance period in Sardinia (now housing the main Public Library, therefore open to visits from the public). * The

, built in 1606 by Genoese craftsmen. It is made by two squared parts surmounted by two crossing arches supporting the statue of St. Gavino. * University Palace (17th–20th century), originally a Jesuit school. * The Ducal Palace (current Town Hall, 1775–1806), built for the

Duke of the Asinara Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

in the 18th century. * ''Piazza d'Italia'' (19th century) is the main square in Sassari. It is surrounded by interesting buildings such as the

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

"Palazzo Giordano" and the neoclassical "Palace of Sassari's Province", where the ancient royal apartments of 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 ...

were once located. * Teatro Verdi (Sassari), Teatro Verdi, opera house and theater for concerts and plays

Museums

* National Archaeological and Ethnographic "G.A. Sanna" Museum * National Pinacotheca "Mus'A" * Historical Museum of " Brigata Sassari" * Museum of Science and Technology (it is constituted by many collections located in several university faculties: mineralogical, Botany, botanic, Entomological, zoological, anatomical collection "Luigi Rolando", physics and agronomic collection) * Ethnographic Museum "Francesco Bande" * Contemporary Art Museum "Masedu" * Museum and Treasury of the Cathedral * Museum of History of Sassari * Museum of Sassari's Diocese * Museum of Candelieri * Mario Sironi art collection * Art gallery "Giuseppe Biasi" * Pavilion of Sardinian handicraft EXPO "I.S.O.L.A."

Festivals and traditions

* The ''Faradda di li candareri'' (''The Descent of the Candelieri''): it's a devotional procession, in which enormous wooden candles are carried by members of the city guilds from the town centre to the church of Santa Maria of Betlem, in commemoration of the end of the plague in 1582, but it probably has older origins, from a cultural tradition from

that as early as in the second half of the 13th century was practiced in some parts of Sardinia. * The ''Cavalcata Sarda'' (the Sardinian Cavalcade), a main event in Sardinia. On the last Sunday of May thousands of people come from all over Sardinia to Sassari to parade through the city in their local folk costumes on foot and ride on hundreds of the best Sardinian horses. * ''Sardinia Film Festival'' was founded in 2006. With 500 films, short subjects, animated cartoons and documentaries in 2009, it has become the most prominent film festival in Sardinia.

Sport & Infrastructures

Soccer

The city of Sassari has U.S.D. Latte Dolce, the A.S.D. Torres Calcio Femminile, Torres Calcio Femminile that won seven Serie A (women's football), Serie A titles, eight Italian Women's Cup, Coppa Italia, seven Supercoppa Italiana and two Italy Women's Cup. The main soccer team is Sassari Torres, S.E.F. Torres 1903 who won the two Lega Pro Seconda Divisione, Serie C2 in 1986-87 and 1999-00. The club is also famous for lanching players like Gianfranco Zola, Pietro Paolo Virdis, Antonello Cuccureddu, Comunardo Niccolai, Theofilos Karasavvidis, Walter Mazzarri.

Basketball

Sassari has the main basketball team that Dinamo Sassari in the 2014–15 Lega Basket Serie A, 2014–15 won Lega Basket Serie A, Italian League, the club won also the Italian Basketball Cup, Italian Cup in 2014 Italian Basketball Cup, 2014 and 2015 Italian Basketball Cup, 2015 and the Italian Basketball Supercup, Italian Supercup in 2014 and 2019. in 2018–19 FIBA Europe Cup, 2018–19 the club won the FIBA Europe Cup.

Infrastructures

The city has the main Stadio Vanni Sanna where it is held some concerts and where plays the A.S.D. Torres Calcio Femminile, Torres Calcio Femminile, Sassari Torres, S.E.F. Torres 1903 and U.S.D. Latte Dolce. The Palasport Roberta Serradimigni is the indor basketball arena where the basketball team of Dinamo Sassari plays and where it is held some concerts.

Notable people

Notable people born here include the former presidents of the Italian Republic, Antonio Segni and Francesco Cossiga, and Enrico Berlinguer, secretary of the Italian Communist Party. Sassari is also the birthplace of Domenico Alberto Azuni, a jurist expert in commercial law.

Personalities

Notable historical personages * Salvatore Alepus, theologist and poet (Morilla – Valencia) * Edina Altara, artist *

, politician * Domenico Alberto Azuni, jurist * Enrico Berlinguer, leader of Italian Communist Party * Mario Berlinguer, politician * Giuseppe Biasi, painter * Daniel Bovet, biochemist (Nobel Prize) * Italo Calvino, writer * Francesco Cetti * Eva Mameli * Fernando Clemente, architect * Francesco Cossiga, President of the Italian Republic * Enrico Costa (physicist), Enrico Costa, astrophysicist, known for studies of gamma-ray bursts * Giovanni del Giglio, painter better known as ''Maestro di Ozieri'' * Vico Mossa, architect * Costantino Nivola, artist * Antonio Pigliaru, * Luigi Rolando, anatomist * Aligi Sassu, painter * Antonio Segni, President of the Italian Republic * Mario Sironi, painter of creator of the ''Novecento (movimento artistico), Novecento'' * Giovanni Spano, writer * Eugenio Tavolara, artist * Palmiro Togliatti, leader of the Italian Communist Party * Pasquale Tola, politician and magistrate * Michel Zanche, politician named by Dante in the ''Divina Commedia'' Contemporary personalities * Valeria Alzari, Chemist, Unesco and AIM prize * Gavino Angius, member of the Democrats of the Left * Paola Antonelli, senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York * Giovanni Berlinguer, one of the main members of the Democrats of the Left * Enzo Calzaghe, boxing trainer, father of Joe Calzaghe * Elisabetta Canalis, actress and television host * Bruno Dettori, politician * Antonello Grimaldi, film director * Filomena Moretti, guitarist * Arturo Parisi, former minister of Defence and member of The Daisy * Giuseppe Pisanu, Former Italian Minister of the Interior and now president of the Antimafia Commission * Giovanni Puggioni, runner * Roberto Tola, musician, composer, Recording Academy Member (Grammy Awards) * Mario Segni, member of European parliament * Tazenda, ethno-pop-rock band

Government

The Municipal Council of Sassari is led by a left-wing majority, first elected in May 2005 and confirmed in 2010 and 2014. The mayor is Nicola Sanna, member of the Democratic Party (Italy), Democratic Party.

Administrative subdivision

The Municipality of Sassari was subdivided into ten ''circoscrizioni'' (administrative districts), reduced to six since the elections of May 3, 2000, and four since the elections of May 31, 2010.

Economy

Sassari, Province of Sassari, Italy - panoramio (1)

The economy of town is mainly focused on services and the advanced tertiary sector. It is the principal administrative centre of central and northern Sardinia. The main Sardinian banks (Banco di Sardegna and Banca di Sassari) have head office and presidency in the city. Several research centers are located in town: the University ones, the Center of Regional Weather Service (''Meteo Sar.''), the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (''ARPA''), the Zooprophylaxis Institute of Sardinia, and many labs of the National Research Center (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR): the Institute of Biometeorology (''IBIMET''), the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (''ICB''), the Institute of Ecosystem Studies (''ISE''), the Institute of Sciences of Food Production (''ISPA''), and the Institute for Animal Production System in Mediterranean Environment (''ISPAAM''). Manufacturing includes construction, pharmaceutical, food, typographic industry, and also, indirectly, petrochemical and the new greenchemicals located in

. Tourism is concentrated mainly along the coasts. Platamona, Porto Ferro, Porto Palmas and Argentiera are the principal seaside tourist spots of the municipality. Average income in Sassari is 24,006 euros per person.

Transportation

The nearest airport, Fertilia Airport, Fertilia International Airport, is from the city center, and the closest seaport is located at

, away. Urban and suburban Public Transport, public transport is operated by about 25 bus lines of ''Azienda Trasporti Pubblici'' (ATP) and by a Sassari Tram-train, light rail transit of ''Azienda Regionale Sarda Trasporti'' (ARST). Two different railway companies connect the town to the rest of the island: Trenitalia links Sassari to

, Oristano, Cagliari, Olbia, Golfo Aranci, and the ARST reaches Alghero,

, Nulvi and Palau, Sardinia, Palau. Dual carriage motorways link Sassari to

, Platamona, Cagliari (''Strada statale 131 Charles Felix, SS131''), Olbia (''SS199'') and to Alghero (''SS291''). High-capacity traffic roads connect Sassari to Tempio Pausania (''SS672'') and Ittiri.

Sport

* A.S.D. Torres Calcio football club, founded in 1903, playing in Serie C * Torres Calcio Femminile women's football club, playing in Serie B (women's football), Serie B, winners of seven national championships and eight national cups. * Dinamo Basket Sassari, playing in Lega Basket Serie A * HC Tangram 1 Sassari women's team handball club, playing in Serie A1 * ''Yellow Team Sassari Baseball'', playing in Serie C1 * ''Sassari Baseball Softball Club'', playing in serie C2 * ''A.S.D. Rugby Sassari'', playing in Serie C

Consulates

* *

Twin towns – sister cities

Sassari is town twinning, twinned with: * Gorizia, Italy, since 1983 * Timișoara, Romania, since 1990 * Gubbio, Italy, since 2002, between the Faradda di li candareri, Faradda and the Saint Ubaldo Day * Viterbo, Italy, since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the Macchina di Santa Rosa * Nola, Italy, since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the Festa dei Gigli * Palmi, Calabria, Palmi, Italy since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the Varia di Palmi * Napoli, Italy since 2009, between the ''Faradda'' and the Dedication of Saint Mary Major * Campobasso, Italy since 2009, between the ''Faradda'' and the Festival dei Misteri * Barcelona, Spain, since 2010 ("''artistic twinning''")

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Sassari, Cities and towns in Sardinia