Since its origins at the turn of the 12th century, Sassari has been ruled by theGiudicato of Torres, thePisans, as an independent republic in alliance withGenoa, by theAragonese and theSpanish, all of whom have contributed to Sassari's historical and artistic heritage. Sassari is a city rich in art, culture and history, and is well known for itspalazzi, theFountain of the Rosello, and its elegantneoclassical architecture, such as Piazza d'Italia (Italy Square) and the Teatro Civico (Civic Theatre).[7]
As Sardinia's second most populated city, it has a considerable amount of cultural, touristic, commercial and political importance in the island.[8] The city's economy mainly relies on tourism and services, however also partially on research, construction,pharmaceuticals and thepetroleum industry.[8]
Although Sassari was founded in theearly Middle Ages, the surrounding area has been inhabited since theNeolithic age, and throughoutancient history, by theNuragics and theRomans. Many archaeological sites and ancient ruins are located inside or around the town: the prehistoricstep pyramid ofMonte d'Accoddi, a large number of Nuraghes andDomus 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 ofTurris Libisonis withCaralis. In the locality ofFiume Santo is also found a fossil site where anOreopithecus bambolii, a prehistoric anthropomorphic primate, was discovered, dated at 8.5 million years.
The Sassari Republic's medieval statutes written inLatin andSardinian
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 ofTurris Libisonis (currentPorto Torres), who sought refuge in the mainland to escape theSaracen 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 man namedJordi de Sassaro (George of Sassari), a serf from the nearby village of Bosove. Sassari was sacked by theGenoese in 1166.[9] Immigration continued until, in the early 13th century, it was the most populous city in theGiudicato of Torres, and its last capital. After the assassination ofMichele Zanche, the latter's last ruler in 1275, Sassari became subject to theRepublic of Pisa with a semi-independent status.
The proclamation of the Republic of Sassari (The Council),Giuseppe Sciuti, 1880, Sassari
In 1284, the Pisans were defeated by theGenoese fleet at theBattle of Meloria, and the city was able to free itself: it became theRepublic 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.[9]
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 KingAlfonso V of Aragon 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 byGenoa to conquer the city failed. In 1391 it was conquered byBrancaleone Doria andMarianus V of Arborea, of the independent SardinianGiudicato of Arborea, of which it became the last capital.[9]
However, in 1420, the city was sold along with the remaining territory for 100,000florins 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 asSàsser inCatalan language andSaçer in oldSpanish.[citation needed]
The city alternated years of crisis, featuring economic exploitation, the decrease of themaritime trade, made unsafe by the daily raids ofSaracen 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. TheJesuits founded the first Sardinianuniversity in Sassari in 1562. In the same year, the firstprinting press was introduced and the ideals ofRenaissance humanism became more widely known. Several artists of theMannerist andFlemish schools practiced their art in the city.
After the end of the Spanish period following the European wars of the early 18th century, the brief period ofAustrian rule (1708–1717) was succeeded by domination by the Piedmontese, who then took over the title ofKingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861). In 1795 an anti-feudal uprising broke out in the town, led by the Emissary of theViceroyGiovanni Maria Angioy, a Sardinian civil servant, who later fought unsuccessfully against thehouse of Savoy. 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 createdKingdom of Italy.
At the end of the 18th century, theuniversity was restored. In 1836, after six hundred years, themedieval walls were partially demolished, allowing the town to expand. New urban plans were developed, on the model of the capital of the new regime (Turin), 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 ofleather, and in 1848 the Sassarese entrepreneurGiovanni Antonio Sanna gained control of the mine atMontevecchio, becoming the third richest man in the new Kingdom of Italy. The first railway was opened in 1872.
In 1877, the oldAragonese 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 byEclecticism,Art Nouveau andArt Deco styles, which created a movement towards the hybrid experimentation of new local architectural styles, known as theSassarese 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 ofRationalist Architecture. On the other hand, the newspaperLa Nuova Sardegna, considered subversive, was closed down. During theSecond World War three Allied attempts to bomb the town failed: only the railway station was damaged, and there was only one casualty.
The 8th Stage of the2023 Giro Donne finished at Salassa on 8 July.
Sassari is located in north-western Sardinia, at 225 metres (738 ft)above sea level. The area rises up on a widekarstic plateau that slopes gently down towards the Gulf ofAsinara and theNurra plain. The city is surrounded by agreen belt of thousands of hectares ofoliveplantations, which from the 19th century have partly replaced the mixed woodlands ofoak and other Mediterranean trees as well as themaquis shrubland. The thinly populated Nurra Plain, located to the west, occupies the main part of the region of Sassari, while theurban agglomeration, with a population of about 275,000 inhabitants, is located to the south east. The abundance of water, with about 400 springs andartesian wells, has made for much development ofhorticulture over the centuries.
Panorama of the central areas of Sassari as seen from the west
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, includingStintino,Sorso andPorto Torres; in the mid-northern areas of Sardinia, itsCastellanesi dialects ofCastelsardo,Tergu andSedini are more similar to theGallurese.
ThePisan City Walls that in the 13th century surrounded the city with 36 towers (at the moment only 6 remain), and theCatalan-Aragonese Castle namedCastello 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 asCondaghe 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-calledHouse ofRe Enzo), the baroque church ofSant' Andrea, built by Corsican community, the neoclassicCivic Theatre andQuesada'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 theDuca di Moriana inside.[9] The façade, belonging to theBaroque Spanish colonial restorations of 1650–1723, has a rectangular portico surmounted by three niches housing statues of saints. The bell tower is inRomanesque style.
The church and monastery ofSanta Maria di Bètlem (13th–19th century). The original façade and parts of monastery are inLombard Romanesque style, some chapels inInternational Gothic, while the rest of the building, include the big dome, was rebuilt inBaroque andNeoclassic 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.[9]
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).
TheFountain 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 theDuke 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 theNeo-Gothic "Palazzo Giordano" and theneoclassical "Palace of Sassari's Province", where the ancient royal apartments of theHouse of Savoy were once located.
Teatro Verdi, opera house and theater for concerts and plays
TheFaradda di li candareri (Descent of the Candelieri) is a devotional procession, in which enormous wooden candles are carried by members of the cityguilds 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 fromPisa that as early as in the second half of the 13th century was practiced in some parts of Sardinia.
TheCavalcata 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.
The Municipality of Sassari was subdivided into tencircoscrizioni (administrative districts), reduced to six since the elections of May 3, 2000, and four since the elections of May 31, 2010.
Circoscrizioni
Population
Neighborhoods included
1° Circoscrizione
62,981
Center, Carbonazzi, Porcellana, Rizzeddu, Monserrato, San Giuseppe, Cappuccini, Luna e Sole
2° Circoscrizione
37,814
Sant'Orsola, Latte Dolce, Monte Rosello, Santa Maria di Pisa
3° Circoscrizione
24,969
Bancali, Caniga, La Landrigga, Li Punti, Ottava, Pian di Sorres, San Giovanni,
4° Circoscrizione
3,258
Argentiera, Villassunta, Biancareddu, Campanedda, Canaglia, La Corte, La Pedraia, Palmadula, Tottubella, Rumanedda
The economy of town is mainly focused on services and the advancedtertiary sector. It is the principal administrative centre of central and northern Sardinia. The main Sardinian banks (Banco di Sardegna andBanca 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 (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 inPorto Torres.
The University of Sassari is the oldest in Sardinia (founded by theJesuits 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 thecondaghes, Sardinia's first legal codes and the first documents written in theSardinian language (11th century) and the famousCarta de Logu (the constitution issued byMarianus IV of Arborea and updated later by his daughter theGiudichessaEleanor of Arborea) in the 14th century.
^abcde One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sassari".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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