Sassari, the origins of the city emerge from the works for a square

One of the areas of the founding nucleus of Sassari is located between largo Monache Cappuccine and via dei Corsi . This is confirmed by the archaeological tests carried out by researchers from the Municipality and the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Sassari and Nuoro which testify, in the historic center, to a birth of the city as early as the 10th century .

Preventive archaeology actions carried out in view of the redevelopment of the site financed with one million and 120 thousand euros and which is part of the overall program of Pinqua, the National Innovative Program for the quality of living. Today at a press conference both the discoveries and the project were illustrated by the mayor Giuseppe Mascia and all the professionals who collaborated on the initiative. The work that will be carried out includes a connection between the two levels with the help of a staircase and a ramp, the paving of a part of the area, the arrangement of greenery in the other parts, public lighting and systems for the collection of rainwater.

At the moment, construction site aside, there is evidence of an area that has long been abandoned and degraded, devastated by the demolition during the fascist period, and which in the underlying Via dei Corsi presents ruins blocked by retaining walls . The intention is instead to convert the area into an open and airy space, connected to the upper part where it will be possible to enjoy a tree-lined rest area in the very centre of the city .

Meanwhile, the Municipality and the Superintendence have agreed, together with the company, to allow anyone interested to visit the construction site between Monday 9 December from 9.30 to 12.30 and Tuesday 10 December from 9.30 to 12.30 and from 15 to 16.30, while on 13 December it will also be possible to attend the illustration of the excavations by archaeologists. The preventive archaeology intervention coordinated by the head of the Pinqua Project Unit, Claudio Castagna, general director of the Municipality of Sassari, involved two architects from the Housing Policies sector, the rup Angelo Pisanu and the official Alessandra Bertulu, the architect Andrea Sussarellu, designer and director of the works, the engineer Paolo Nieddu, co-designer, the archaeologist Laura Lai, operational director of the excavations, the archaeologist Nadia Canu, official of the Superintendency and scientific director of the construction site, the archaeologist Matteo Pipia, official of the Superintendency, the specialized company Habitat of the surveyor Pietro Sotgiu and the archaeologist Vincenzo Nubile, collaborator of the same company and executor of the surveys.