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, af ...

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. The ...

of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, it contains a considerable collection of art. Since its origins at the turn of the 12th century, Sassari has been ruled by the Giudicato of Torres, 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 ...

ns, as an independent republic in alliance with

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, 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 t ...

, by the Aragonese and the Spanish, 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 grou ...

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, 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 sty ...

, 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 Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, commercial 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 studi ...

importance in the island. The city's economy mainly relies on tourism and services, however also partially on

research Research is "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 attentiveness t ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 crude ...

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 ...

. The area rises up on a wide karstic plateau that slopes gently down towards the Gulf of Asinara and the Nurra 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, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenway (lan ...

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. Th ...

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

. 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, ...

, 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, 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 M ...

, 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 part ...

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 co ...

, by the Nuragics and the Romans.
Many archaeological sites and ancient ruins are located inside or around the town: the prehistoric step pyramid of Monte d'Accoddi, 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 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 ...

with

Caralis Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian na ...

. 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 ...

'', 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), 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 P ...

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 Genoese may refer to: * a person from Genoa * Genoese dialect, a dialect of the Ligurian language * Republic of Genoa (–1805), a former state in Liguria See also * Genovese, a surname * Genovesi, a surname * * * * * Genova (disambiguati ...

in 1166. Immigration continued until, in the early 13th century, it was the most populous city in the Giudicato of Torres, 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

fleet at the Battle of Meloria, and the city was able to free itself: it became the

Republic of Sassari The Free Municipality of Sassari or Republic of Sassari was a state in the region of Sassari in Sardinia during the 13th and 14th centuries, confederated first with the Republic of Pisa as a semi-autonomous subject and later with the Republic of Ge ...

, 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 ...

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 and Marianus V of Arborea, of the independent Sardinian Giudicato of Arborea, of which it became the last capital. However, in 1420 the city was sold along with the remaining territory for 100,000 florins 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 eas ...

and ''Saçer'' in old Spanish.

Renaissance

The city alternated years of crisis, featuring economic exploitation, the decrease of the maritime trade, 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. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

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 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 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, 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 Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 1946, when civil discontent led to an institutional referendum to abandon the monarchy and ...

. 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: ; 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 from 1861 to 1865. Th ...

), 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 ho ...

, and in 1848 the Sassarese entrepreneur Giovanni Antonio Sanna gained control of the mine at Montevecchio, 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 i ...

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 Moder ...

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 Unit ...

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. On the other hand, the newspaper '' La Nuova Sardegna'', 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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 condaghes, 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 Carta de Logu was a legal code of the Judicate of Arborea, written in the Sardinian language and promulgated by the ("Lady Judge") Eleanor of Arborea in 1392. It was in force in Sardinia until it was superseded by the Savoyard code of Cha ...

(the constitution issued by

Marianus IV of Arborea Marianus IV (in Sardinian: Marianu IV de Arbarèe, in Catalan: Marià IV d'Arborea, 1319–1376), called the Great, was the Judge (king) of Arborea, kingdom in the island of Sardinia, from 1347 to his death. He was, as his nickname indicate ...

and updated later by his daughter the ''Giudichessa'' Eleanor of Arborea) 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 (''Sassaresu'' or ''Turritanu'') is much closer to Corsican and Tuscan language than it is to Sardinian, although this fact has caused some political controversy. It originated as a lingua franca 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 ...

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 sinc ...

, Tuscans 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 thalassocratic city-states of the Mediterranean Basin during the Middle Ages. Being a significant presence in Italy in the ...

. 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 ...

and Spanish 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, Sorso and Porto Torres; in the mid-northern areas of Sardinia, its ''Castellanesi'' dialects of Castelsardo, Tergu and Sedini 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 Monte d'Accoddi: a unique prehistoric monument with a step pyramid 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 of Pisa, ...

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 Castello may refer to: Places *Castello, Venice, the largest of the six ''sestieri'' of Venice *''Castello'', the old town center of Giudicato of Cagliari in Sardinia *''Castello'', a neighbourhood in Florence *Castello, Hong Kong, a private hou ...

, 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 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 docume ...

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 Duca can refer to: People * (デュッカ), Japanese female singer * Edoardo Duca (born 1997), Italian footballer * Ion G. Duca (1879–1933), 35th Prime Minister of Romania * Lauren Duca (born 1991), American journalist * Michael Duca (born 1952) ...

inside. The façade, belonging to the Baroque 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 m ...

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 ...

, while the rest of the building, include the big dome, was rebuilt in Baroque 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 * ''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 Fountain of the Rosello, 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 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 Teatro Verdi may refer to: * Teatro Verdi (Brindisi), Brindisi * Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, Busseto * Teatro Verdi (Florence), Florence * Teatro Verdi (Padova), Padova, by architect Achille Sfondrini * Teatro Verdi (Pisa), Pisa * Teatro Verdi (Salerno) ...

, 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, botanic, Entomological, zoological,

anatomical Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...

collection " Luigi Rolando",

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which rel ...

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 A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

in Sardinia.

Sport & Infrastructures

Soccer

The city of Sassari has U.S.D. Latte Dolce, the Torres Calcio Femminile that won seven

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Copp ...

titles, eight

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity ...

, seven Supercoppa Italiana and two

Italy Women's Cup The Italy Women's Cup was an Italian invitational women's football competition organized by the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti confronting the 2nd, 3rd and 4th ranking teams in the Serie A Femminile, the Italian Women's Cup champion or runner-up and se ...

. The main soccer team is S.E.F. Torres 1903 who won the two

Serie C2 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of ...

in 1986-87 and 1999-00. The club is also famous for lanching players like Gianfranco Zola, Pietro Paolo Virdis,

Antonello Cuccureddu Antonello Cuccureddu (, ; 4 October 1949) is an Italian association football coach and former player who played as a defender. He last managed Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Grosseto in 2014. Club career A central defender, Cuccureddu spen ...

Comunardo Niccolai Comunardo Niccolai (; born 15 December 1946) is an Italian former footballer, who played as a defender. Club career A tough, physically strong centre-back, Niccolai initially began his career with Torres in 1963, before joining Cagliari Calcio ...

Theofilos Karasavvidis Theofilos Karasavvidis ( el, Θεόφιλος Καρασαββίδης; born 27 April 1971) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Club career Theofilos Karasavvidis started his career in 1989 until 1995 in Apollo ...

, Walter Mazzarri.

Basketball

Sassari has the main basketball team that Dinamo Sassari in the 2014–15 won Italian League, the club won also the Italian Cup in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

and the Italian Supercup in 2014 and 2019. in 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 Torres Calcio Femminile, S.E.F. Torres 1903 and U.S.D. Latte Dolce. The

Palasport Roberta Serradimigni Palasport Roberta Serradimigni, commonly known as PalaSerradimigni, is a multi-use indoor sporting arena that is located in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy. The arena can be used to host basketball, volleyball, and handball games. The current seating ca ...

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 Enrico Berlinguer (; 25 May 1922 – 11 June 1984) was an Italian politician, considered the most popular leader of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which he led as the national secretary from 1972 until his death during a tense period in Ital ...

, secretary of the

Italian Communist Party The Italian Communist Party ( it, Partito Comunista Italiano, PCI) was a communist political party in Italy. The PCI was founded as ''Communist Party of Italy'' on 21 January 1921 in Livorno by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). ...

. Sassari is also the birthplace of Domenico Alberto Azuni, a jurist expert in commercial law.

Personalities

Notable historical personages *

Salvatore Alepus Salvatore Alepus (or Salvator Salapusj) (1503 in Morella, Castellón – 1568 in Sardinia) was a Spanish Roman Catholic archbishop, who ruled the archdiocese of Sassari in the sixteenth century. Biography He was the son of the nobles Gabriel and ...

, theologist and poet (Morilla – Valencia) *

Edina Altara Edina Altara (1898–1983) was an Italian illustrator, decorator and fashion designer from Sassari. In the thirties she was devoted to ceramics, fashion and decoration. A versatile artist, skilled designer, sensitive and imaginative illust ...

, artist * Giovanni Maria Angioy, politician * Domenico Alberto Azuni, jurist *

, leader of

* Mario Berlinguer, politician * Giuseppe Biasi, painter * Daniel Bovet, biochemist (Nobel Prize) *

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, also , ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian writer and journalist. His best known works include the '' Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the ''Cosmicomi ...

, writer *

Francesco Cetti Francesco Cetti (9 August 1726 – 20 November 1778) was an Italian Jesuit priest, zoologist and mathematician. Cetti was born in Mannheim in Germany, but his parents were natives of Como. He was educated in Lombardy and at the Jesuit college ...

Eva Mameli Giuliana Luigia Evelina Mameli (February 12, 1886 – March 31, 1978), was an Italian botanist, and naturalist. A native of Sassari, in Sardinia, in 1906 she moved to Pavia with her brother Efisio Mameli, chemist and pharmacologist at the local ...

Fernando Clemente Fernando Clemente (1917–1998) was an architect and urbanist born in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the midd ...

, architect * Francesco Cossiga, President of the Italian Republic * Enrico Costa, astrophysicist, known for studies of

gamma-ray burst In gamma-ray astronomy, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are immensely energetic explosions that have been observed in distant galaxies. They are the most energetic and luminous electromagnetic events since the Big Bang. Bursts can last from ten milli ...

s * Giovanni del Giglio, painter better known as ''Maestro di Ozieri'' *

Vico Mossa Vico Mossa (Serramanna, October 15, 1914 – Sassari, March 23, 2003) was an Italian architect and writer. He is best known for his buildings in Sassari, notably the restoration of the Teatro Civico, Palazzo Bosazza, Hotel Turritana, Palazzo dell'U ...

, architect * Costantino Nivola, artist *

Antonio Pigliaru Antonio Pigliaru (Orune, 17 August 1922 – Sassari, 27 March 1969) was a Sardinian jurist and philosopher. He was the most important Sardinian intellectual of the second half of the twentieth century, and one of the most vivid contemporary Ital ...

, * Luigi Rolando, anatomist * Aligi Sassu, painter * Antonio Segni, President of the Italian Republic * Mario Sironi, painter of creator of the ''

Novecento Novecento is Italian for “nine hundred” and refers to the 1900s (i.e., one-thousand-and-''nine-hundreds,'' which is a near-synonym for the 20th century). It may also refer to: * Novecento (group), Italian music group * Novecento Italiano, a st ...

'' * Giovanni Spano, writer * Eugenio Tavolara, artist *

Palmiro Togliatti Palmiro Michele Nicola Togliatti (; 26 March 1893 – 21 August 1964) was an Italian politician and leader of the Italian Communist Party from 1927 until his death. He was nicknamed ("The Best") by his supporters. In 1930 he became a citizen of ...

, leader of the

Pasquale Tola Pasquale Tola (30 November 1800 in Sassari – 25 August 1874 in Genoa) was an Italian judge, politician and historian. Issue of an ancient and noble Sardinian family, he studied in Sassari, where he obtained a degree in theology and law and also ...

, politician and magistrate *

Michel Zanche Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

, politician named by

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His '' Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: ...

in the ''

Divina Commedia The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature a ...

'' Contemporary personalities *

Valeria Alzari Valeria may refer to: People * Valeria (given name), a female given name * The gens Valeria, a family at Rome * Valeria (ancient Roman women), a name used in ancient Rome for women of the gens Valeria * Saint Valeria (disambiguation), several ...

, Chemist,

Unesco The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

and AIM prize * Gavino Angius, member of the

Democrats of the Left The Democrats of the Left ( it, Democratici di Sinistra, DS) was a social-democratic political party in Italy. The DS, successor of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) and the Italian Communist Party, was formed in 1998 upon the merger of t ...

Paola Antonelli Paola Antonelli (born 1963 in Sassari, Sardinia, Italy) is an Italian author, editor, architect, and curator. She is currently the Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture & Design as well as the Director of R&D at the Museum of Modern ...

, senior Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

in New York *

Giovanni Berlinguer Giovanni Berlinguer (; 9 July 1924 – 6 April 2015) was an Italian politician, humanist and professor of social medicine. Life and career He was born in Sassari, Sardinia, the son of Mario Berlinguer. A physician and professor of public heal ...

, 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 Filomena Moretti (born 11 June 1973)Maurice J. Summerfield: ''The Classical Guitar. Its Evolution, Players and Personalities Since 1800'', 5th edition (Blaydon-on-Tyne: Ashley Mark Publishing Co., 2002), p. 202. is an Italian classical guitarist. S ...

, 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 Giovanni "Gianni" Puggioni (born 19 March 1966) is a former Italian sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres. Biography Puggioni was born in Sassari, Sardinia, he won eleven medals at the International athletics competitions, five of these wit ...

, runner *

Roberto Tola Roberto Tola (born August 5, 1966) is an Italian jazz guitarist and composer. Biography Tola began studying music when he was just six years old. In 1976 studies cello in the Conservatory of Music in Sassari. Four years later continues his ...

, 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 Nicola Sanna (born 4 May 1963 in Bochum) is an Italian politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party and he was elected Mayor of Sassari on 25 May 2014 and took office on 31 May. See also *2014 Italian local elections The 2014 Italian lo ...

, member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

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 The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector ( raw materials) and the secon ...

. It is the principal administrative centre of central and northern Sardinia. The main Sardinian banks ( Banco di Sardegna and

Banca di Sassari The Banca of Sassari (English:Bank of Sassari) is an Italian bank with its headquarters in Sassari, Sardinia. It was founded as ''Banca Cooperativa fra Commercianti Società Anonima'' in 1888, later it was renamed as ''Banca Popolare Cooperativa ...

) 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 ( 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 Porto Torres. Tourism is concentrated mainly along the coasts. Platamona,

Porto Ferro Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

Porto Palmas Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metro ...

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 International Airport, is from the city center, and the closest seaport is located at Porto Torres, away. Urban and suburban

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...

is operated by about 25 bus lines of ''Azienda Trasporti Pubblici'' (ATP) and by a 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 Porto Torres,

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 ...

Cagliari 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 inhabitan ...

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

Golfo Aranci Golfo Aranci (Gallurese: ''Figari'', sc, Figari) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about north of Cagliari and about northeast of Olbia. History The town's name ("Gulf of the Orang ...

, and the ARST reaches

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 ...

, Sorso, Nulvi and

Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Ca ...

. Dual carriage motorways link Sassari to Porto Torres, Platamona,

('' SS131''),

('' SS199'') and to Alghero ('' SS291''). High-capacity traffic roads connect Sassari to

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 an ...

('' SS672'') and

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 Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italia ...

Sport

A.S.D. Torres Calcio Torres is an Italian football club based in the city of Sassari. It plays in Serie C, the third division of the Italian football league system. Re-founded in 2017, the club is the continuation of the Società per l'Educazione Fisica Torres, b ...

football club, founded in 1903, playing in

Serie C The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega ...

* Torres Calcio Femminile women's football club, playing in

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had been ...

, 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

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: * Gorizia, Italy, since 1983 *

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

, Romania, since 1990 *

Gubbio Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia ( Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. History The city's origins are very ancie ...

, Italy, since 2002, between the Faradda and the Saint Ubaldo Day *

Viterbo Viterbo (; Viterbese: ; lat-med, Viterbium) is a city and ''comune'' in the Lazio region of central Italy, the capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in its early histor ...

, Italy, since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the

Macchina di Santa Rosa The Macchina of Santa Rosa is a machine built to honor Saint Rose of Viterbo, the patron saint of Viterbo, Italy. Every year on the evening of 3 September 100 men called "Facchini di Santa Rosa" (Saint Rose's porters) hoist the machine - weigh ...

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship ...

, Italy, since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the Festa dei Gigli * Palmi, Italy since 2006, between the ''Faradda'' and the

Varia di Palmi The Varia di Palmi is a Catholic festival that takes place on the last Sunday of August, in Palmi, Italy, in honor of the city's patron saint and protector, the Virgin Mary, known as Our Lady of the Sacred Letter. The event is the most important ...

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, Italy since 2009, between the ''Faradda'' and the Dedication of Saint Mary Major *

Campobasso Campobasso (, ; nap, label= Campobassan, Cambuàsce ) is a city and ''comune'' in southern Italy, the capital of the region of Molise and of the province of Campobasso. It is located in the high basin of the Biferno river, surrounded by Sann ...

, Italy since 2009, between the ''Faradda'' and the

Festival dei Misteri A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

, Spain, since 2010 ("''artistic twinning''")

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sardinia