Sassari

Sassari: Piazza d'Italia

Sassari, city, Sardinia, Italy, near the north coast of the island and on the edge of the limestone hills above the plain of Riu Mannu, north-northwest of Cagliari.

In the 12th century Sassari, then called Tathari, grew as the coastal peoples retreated inland from the raiding Saracens. It became important as the capital of the giudicato (judiciary circuit, a territorial division) of Torres and remained a free town under Pisan rule. About 1260 Sassari established a measure of independence, and by 1275 Pisa was treating the city as a free commune. After the Pisan naval defeat at Meloria in 1284, Sassari was ceded to Genoa. The city continued to enjoy internal autonomy, however, and a version of its civil and criminal statutes were published in 1316. It passed under Aragonese rule in 1323 but was the scene of several rebellions against Aragon. The archbishopric of Porto Torres was transferred to Sassari in 1441, and the University of Sassari was founded in 1562. In 1718 Sassari passed with the rest of Sardinia to the house of Savoy. It was subjected to Allied bombing in World War II.

Notable monuments include the cathedral with a Baroque facade; the Romanesque churches of Santa Maria di Betlem and Santa Donata; and the G.A. Sanna National Museum, housing archaeological finds from all parts of the island, dating back to prehistoric times, and a picture gallery. Rail and road connections link Sassari with Porto Torres, its port, and with Olbia and Cagliari. Its industries are mainly agriculturally based. Pop. (2011) 123,782; (2014 est.) 127,625.