Sassari
The wonderful Sassari is a city which holds several records at the same time. It is the second town in Sardinia by number of its inhabitants (almost 130.000). Sassari has also given birth to several prominent figures in the recent history of Italy, among which Enrico Berlinguer and the Heads of State Antonio Segni and Francesco Cossiga. Here, in the XVI century, was born the first University in the history of Sardinia; in its territory you will also find the Baratz lake, the only natural lake in all the island. The town remains crouched on a limestone plateau among deep gorges, valleys and cultivated hills.
Stately palaces and places of art harmonize perfectly with the olive groves and vineyards around the city, giving it the precious tone, aristocratic and regal, which is typical of Sassari.
Its history starts in the Middle Ages, when the Statuti Sassaresi - a legal codex fundamental for the future of the island - recognized Sassari as a Free Municipality in 1236. To the Pisan lords of this age succeeded the Aragoneses and Spaniards, with a strong inquisitorial presence in the city castle.
This age goes on until 1720, when the city becomes part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Taking inspiration from Turin, a whole series of urbanistic modernizations will reshape the medieval face of the city, until its absorption in the new Kingdom of Italy.
And not only the town itself! The surroundings of Sassari are overflowing with arts and culture too. As many as 150 nuragic sites among dolmens, villages, tombs of giants and sacred wells remain in its territory like ancient relics, testifying the long history of the place. Among these sites stands out the step pyramid of Monte d’Accoddi, even from the Prenuragic Era: in its very structure it evokes the ziggurats of the splendid Mesopotamy, suggesting charming hypotheses about the possible relationship that had to exist in the past between the splendid Fertile Crescent and this most western part of our Mediterranean Sea.
The most loved beach from Sassari’s natives is called Platamona. 15 km of whitest sand on an emerald sea, camping areas and shallow water make it perfect both for families and bathers. This tongue of earth also offers high dunes of Mediterranean scrub, from which you can go down to the sea through the Pettini - descents - typical of this marvelous coastline.
Piazza d’Italia
“Italy Square” is the absolute symbol of Sassari and an astonishing concentrate of pomp and elegance. Defended by the nearby medieval walls, it is literally studded with beauty and art: Sciuti Palace and Giordano Palace overlook the statue of Vittorio Emanuele II arising in the center of the square, a clear testimony of the Savoy’s pride it still nowadays maintains.
The historical center of Sassari is where Corso Trinità interweaves his medieval past with the noble palaces and the shops of Via Roma. Lose yourselves among its shadowy bystreets, stop in a restaurant to taste the famous fainè or enter the magnificent building of the Duomo. Everywhere you choose to go, the typical charme of Sassari will follow you with its unique mix of ancient and contemporary reflexes.
Six hectares of irregular highs, ancient aristocratic masons and very numerous species of plants make the Monserrato Park an ecological wonder and a museum altogether. Walking through palms and cypresses you will enjoy unforgettable views on the heart of the city. Don’t forget to stop at the restaurant at the center of the park! It was a colonial house in the past.
