Sassari, city, Italy, in northwestern 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 stone constructions, called nuraghi, built by 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 (1999 estimate) 120,649.
