Sassari

Population: 129,000
Altitude: 225 m. above sea level

Sassari is the chief town of the Province of Sassari. It is situated on a vast, limestone platform which slopes gently towards the sea and is surrounded by the silver greenery of the olive groves. It is a city with two faces, being both an ancient settlement and an animated modern town.

The architecture and styles of the beautiful squares, churches and buildings bear testimony to the different historic periods of its development. The first references to the founding of the city of Sassari date back to 1131. Later, at the beginning of the thirteenth century the town experienced a period of growth under the dominion of the "Giudici" (Judges, or Governors) from Torres, who turned it into an important trading port, in particular with goods bound for Genoa.

After the period under the "Giudici" from Torres, the town fell under the dominion of Pisa and around 1294, after the battle of Meloria, it became part of the kingdom of Genoa. In 1323 the city rose up against Genoese rule and submitted to the King of Aragon. In 1527 it was sacked by French troops and then in 1708, together with the rest of Sardinia, was involved in the war of Spanish Succession. It then passed under Austrian dominion only to become part of the Kingdom of Savoy in 1820. In the 1800s Sassari experienced a period of growth, above all thanks to intense trading with France. Today, the town of Sassari is known not only for its important industrial and commercial activity, but also because of its historic roots and the many places of interest in the area.

• The University. The university was founded between 1565 and 1617 by the Jesuits and boasts a long, prestigious tradition.
  
  
• The Ducal Palace. This magnificent building is called the Ducal Palace because it was built by the Duke of the Asinara, a powerful feudal lord from Sassari. It was built at the end of the XVIII century and designed by a Piedmontese architect.
  
  
• The Rosello Fountain. This fountain is the symbol of Sassari and is situated in a valley which flanks the east side of the old part of the town. It was built by skilled workmen from Genoa in about 1605, in late Renaissance style
  
  
• The Cathedral. This is an important building in Gothic-Aragonese style and dates back to the end of the XV century. The facade was rebuilt between the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries in a style which is reminiscent of the large Baroque churches of the Latin-American Spanish colonies. Inside the church there are beautiful canvases by various artists, including a number by Sardinian painters ("The Last Supper" by Marghinotti) and the funeral monument in honour of a Prince of Savoy, who died in Sassari in 1802. The Catherdral Museum boasts marvellous paintings, statues, silver objects and sacred vestments.
  
  
• The Church of S. Maria di Betlem. The church was founded in 1106, together with the S. Maria di Betlem convent, by Giudice Costantino and given to the Benedictine Monks. The lower part of the facade dates back to between 1236 and 1238. Inside, among the many works of art, there is a collection of wooden statues of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus from the XV century.
  
  
• The Church of S. Pietro in Silki. This characteristic church stands beside the Franciscan Convent. Inside there is a simulacrum of the 'Madonna delle Grazie', particularly revered by the people of Sassari, which is believed to date back to the XV century and the time of the noted preacher, S. Bernardino da Feltre.
  
  
• Piazza d'Italia. This is the town's main square and was built in 1872 on an area which covered exactly one hectare. In the centre of the square there is a statue of Vittorio Emanuele II (1899), by the sculptor Giuseppe Sartorio. The square stands in front of the period building which hosts the Provincial Government, built between 1873 and 1880, with its imposing facade which reflects the architecture of the times of Umberto I.