Sassari

Sassari, Italian city in north-west Sardinia, capital of Sassari Province, near Porto Torres on the Gulf of Asinara. Cereals, wine, vegetables, and livestock from surrounding areas are marketed in the city. Sassari is the site of two 13th-century Romanesque churches and the University of Sassari (1562). In the surrounding region are numerous conic basalt towers, called nuraghi, built by the ancient inhabitants of Sardinia. Sassari became a free commune in the 13th century but soon fell (1294) under Genoese rule. In the 14th century it passed to the kings of Aragón. It was sacked by the French in 1527. Population (1990 estimate) 120,011.