Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, an Italian dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town in the province of Sassari in Sardinia, Italy. The second-largest town on the island in terms of population, Sassari is one of the most ancient Sardinian towns, and contains perhaps the best collection of Sardinian art.

History

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Sassari was probably founded in the early Middle Ages by the inhabitants of the ancient Roman port of Turris Lybisonis (current Porto Torres), who sought refuge in the mainland to escape the Saracen attacks from the sea. The oldest mention of a village called Tathari is in a 1113 document in the archive of the Monastery of St. Peter in Silki. Immigration continued until, in the early 13th century, Sassari was the most populous city in the giudicato of Torres. After the assassination of the latter's last judge (1274), Sassari was subject to the Republic of Pisa with a semi-independent status.

In 1294 the Pisanes were annihilated by the Genoese fleet at the Battle of Meloria, and the city could free itself: it became the first free commune of Sardinia, with statues of its own, allied with Genoa. From 1323 it was submitted to the Aragonese, under which it remained in the following centuries, but it revolted at least three times. Attempts of conquest by Genoa and the giudicato of Arborea also failed. The Aragonese were replaced by the Spanish in 1479. During Catalan and then Spanish domination the city was known as Sàsser. The city suffered for the economical exploitment and the political corruption of its rulers and for two plagues in 1528 and 1652.

Austrian rule (1708-1717) was succeeded by Piedmontese (1720-1861), and then became part of the newly created Kingdom of Italy.

Main sights

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Of the ancient walls that in the 13th century surrounded the city, only a tower remains today of the original 36 towers and 4 gates.

Other attractions include:

• The church of Santa Maria di Bètlem (13th century), an example of early Gothic architecture in the island.
• Palazzo D'Usini, one of the oldest houses in Sassari.
• The Fountain of the Rosello, built in 1606 by Genoese craftsmen. It is made by two squared parts surmounted by two crossing arches on which the statue of St. Gavins is placed
• University Palace (1611-1651), originally a Jesuit school.
• The Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari, built in the 13th century and enlarged in Catalan Gothic style from 1480. The façade, belonging to the Baroque restorations of 1650-1723, has a rectangular portico surmounted by three niches housing statues of saints. The bell tower is in Romanesque style.
• The Ducal Palace (current Town Hall, 1775-1806), built for the Duke of the Asinara in the 18th century.
• The churh of St. Peter in Silki, built in the 12th century but renovated in the 17th century.

Culture

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Sassari's university is the oldest in Sardinia (founded 1562), and has a high reputation, especially in jurisprudence studies; its libraries contain a number of ancient documents, among them the famous Carta de Logu (the constitution issued by Giudichessa Eleanor of Arborea), or the Condaghes, Sardinia's first legal codes and the first documents written in the Sardinian language (11th century). The dialect spoken at Sassari is not very similar to the other Sardinian dialects however, but is closer to Italian language , due to long medieval contacts with the maritime republics of Pisa and Genoa.

Notable people

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Sassari is also the birthplace of many famous Sardinians, among them the former president of the Italian Republic, Francesco Cossiga, his cousin Enrico Berlinguer, national secretary in the 1970s and leader of the most important Communist party in Western Europe, and their uncle Antonio Segni, another former president of the Italian Republic.

Towns in Sardinia | Cathedrals in Italy

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