Province of Sassari

The province of Sassari (Italian: provincia di Sassari; Sardinian: provìntzia de Tàtari; Sassarese: prubìnzia di Sàssari; Algherese: província de Sàsser; Gallurese: pruvincia di Sassari) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sardinia, Italy. Its capital was the city of Sassari. On 1 April 2025, the province was suppressed in favor of the new Metropolitan City of Sassari, which corresponds to the 66 western comuni of the province in its 2005-2015 borders; the easternmost 26 comuni were reorganized as Province of Gallura-Northeastern Sardinia, corresponding to the borders of the former Province of Olbia-Tempio.^[3]

Province of Sassari Provincia di Sassari (Italian) Provìntzia de Tàtari (Sardinian) Prubìnzia di Sàssari (Sassarese)
Province
Palazzo Sciuti, the provincial seat
Flag Coat of arms
Map highlighting the location of the province of Sassari in Italy
Country	Italy
Region	Sardinia
Capital(s)	Sassari
Comuni	92
Government
• Extraordinary commissioner	Pietro Fois
Area
• Total	7,692 km2 (2,970 sq mi)
Population  (2025)[1]
• Total	471,653
• Density	61/km2 (160/sq mi)
GDP [2]
• Total	€6.315 billion (2015)
• Per capita	€18,884 (2015)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	07000-07100
Telephone prefix	079
Vehicle registration	SS
ISTAT	090

As of 2017^[update], the province had a population of 493,357 inhabitants.^[4]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1951	353,582	—
1961	385,319	+9.0%
1971	402,152	+4.4%
1981	438,981	+9.2%
1991	461,061	+5.0%
2001	460,660	−0.1%
2011	478,544	+3.9%
2021	476,516	−0.4%
Source: ISTAT

History

In ancient times, between 1600 and 1500 BC, the Nuragic civilization was at its peak in this area.^[5] During the Roman domination, the Logudoro region was one of the main grain suppliers of the Western Roman Empire, and was the seat of several legions. In the Middle Ages, the Logudoro region was the center of one of the four quasi-kingdoms in which Sardinia was divided, the Giudicato di Torres or Logoduro, the first capital being Ardara, later replaced by Sassari.^[6] The numerous countryside Romanesque basilicas date from this period. After the conquest by the House of Aragon, Logoduro declined, but later, under the House of Savoy rule as part of the Kingdom of Sardinia,^[7] it grew in significance. In the 20th century the construction of roads and railways brought more prosperity, but at the same time destroyed the large forest heritage of the region.

The Province of Sassari was founded in 1859, even before the unification of Italy in 1861, with an area which until 1927 included the entire head of the island, making it the largest province in the country at the time. The modern University of Sassari dates to around the same time that the province was created.^[8] Since 1878 the province has been administered from the Palazzo della Provincia in Sassari.

In April 2021, Sardinian Regional Council passed Regional Law Nr. 7,^[9] under which the province's territory was reorganized: the western part of the province around Sassari became the new Metropolitan City of Sassari (Città Metropolitana di Sassari), consisting of 66 comuni, whilst the eastern 26 comuni became part of new Province of Gallura-North Eastern Sardinia (Provincia della Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna), roughly corresponding to the old Province of Olbia-Tempio. Whilst the Italian government challenged the law,^[10] thus stalling its implementation,^[11] on March 12, 2022, the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia.^[12] On April 13, 2023, the regional council, at the proposal of the regional government, approved an amendment to the 2021 reform, defining the timeframe and manner of its implementation, which would see its full implementation in 2024.^[13]

Geography

Facing the Sardinian Sea to the north and west and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the east, the Province of Sassari is bordered to the south by the provinces of Nuoro and Oristano. It has an area of 7,692 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi), and a total population of 493,357 (2017). There are 92 comuni (municipalities) in the province, the largest of which are Sassari, Olbia, Alghero, Porto Torres, Tempio Pausania, Sorso, Ozieri, Ittiri and Sennori.^[14] Another town of note, Pattada, is particularly known for its handmade knives.^[5]

In the province is the only natural lake in Sardinia, Lake Baratz, and one of the largest artificial lakes, Lake Coghinas in the western part^[5] which (before the re-organization of Sardinian provinces) formed the boundary with the abolished province of Olbia-Tempio. In this territory is one of the largest plains in Sardinia, Nurra.^[5] The province contains some of the most famous resorts of Sardinia including Castelsardo, Porto Torres, Alghero, the Riviera del Corallo, Stintino and others. Stintino is located on the peninsula of the same name, running from the Nurra plain to the Asinara Island, part of the Asinara National Park. Among the notable beaches of the Province of Sassari is Balai in Porto Torres, Pelosa Beach in Stintino, and others such as Alghero il Lido, Maria Pia, Bombarde, and Mugoni. The inner part of the province in the traditional Logoduro region is characterized by a hilly and mountainous landscape, with soft volcanic terrains. The town of Ozieri is its most important center for culture and history away from the coast, noted for its production of tools and pottery from ancient times.^[15]

Administrative divisions

See also List of municipalities of the Province of Sassari

The province includes 92 comuni (sg.: comune). The largest by population are Sassari (127,217 inhabitants), Olbia (60,181) and Alghero (43,945).

Government

List of presidents of the province of Sassari

	President	Term start	Term end	Party
1	Nino Campus	1952	1956	Christian Democracy
2	Antonio Porqueddu	1956	1961	Christian Democracy
3	Lorenzo Forteleoni	1961	1964	Christian Democracy
4	Salvatore Maniga	1964	1970	Christian Democracy
5	Gavino Bazzoni	1970	1974	Christian Democracy
6	Michele Corda	1974	1975	Christian Democracy
7	Giommaria Cherchi	1975	1980	Italian Communist Party
8	Giovanni Desini	1980	1985	Italian Democratic Socialist Party
9	Vittorio Francesco Sanna	1985	1990	Christian Democracy
10	Giacomo Sanna	1990	1994	Sardinian Action Party
11	Antonio Pompedda	1994	1995	Democratic Party of the Left
12	Pietro Soddu	1995	2000	Italian People's Party
13	Franco Masala	2000	2005	Forza Italia
14	Alessandra Giudici	2005	2010	The Daisy Democratic Party
		2010	2015
–	Guido Sechi	2015	2019	Special Commissioner
–	Pietro Fois[16]	2019	Incumbent	Special Commissioner