Sardinia in May Day 7 Sassari

We stop for petrol in Olbia after a week in Monte Petrosu and it's an easy drive through the countryside, mostly two lanes each way, to Sassari. We arrive at our accommodation just outside the historical centre at 11 a.m. and parking is a challenge. The accommodation instead is very pleasant. A tastefully restored old house in a dead end lane which is just a ten minute walk from the cathedral. And a one minute walk from the covered food market where we buy local tomatoes, apricots and the delicious Nieddittas mussels we remember from our stays in Cagliari.

After taking our shopping back to base we go for a walk through the historical centre as far as the cathedral, which is already closed for lunch and then past the park to the restaurant which is a traditional Sassarese restaurant called Zia Forica. We eat the traditional ravioli with potatoes and mint called culargiones, a flaky pastry pie with a melanzane alla parmigiana filling, a portion of broad beans with artichokes, a portion of trippa and one of cordura with peas, water , 1/4 red wine, a portion of seadas with 'bitter' honey, all for 44 euros.

We leave full and go 'home' for coffee from the machine. The accommodation is very well equipped with absolutely everything. Rest and some work at the computer ensues. When we go out again, at about 4.30, it's still warm, verging on hot. We see the Fontana di Rosello, which dates back to 1600, although is an a rather neglected area.

The cathedral Cattedrale di San Nicola is in an attractive piazza and has a fine ornate baroque facade completed in the first quarter of the eighteenth century with niches hosting the statues  including that of San Nicola, patron saint of the city of Sassari.

Over the centuries the church has undergone several changes.  There is only a section of wall in the sacristy from the Romanesque phase, which forms the base of the bell tower was built. The church was demolished and rebuilt in Catalan Gothic style in two phases: the first from 1434 to 1444 and the second from 1480 to the early sixteenth century. In the center of the main altar is the panel depicting the Madonna del Bosco, dating back to the fourteenth century. It's a pleasant and harmonious interior. There are also some of the "Candalieri" used for the Discesa dei Candelieri. 

The Descent of the Candelieri (in Sassari dialect: Faradda di li Candareri) is the festival held in Sassari the evening before the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary (August 15th) and is the most important religious procession in Sassari (UNESCO heritage since 2013). The festival started in the late Middle Ages and took on its current form due to a vow made to the Madonna Assunta, believed to have saved the city from the plague of 1652. The Descent is a dancing procession in which the Candelieri (symbolic candles, in the form of large wooden columns) are carried on  by representatives of the city's ancient  workers' guilds called Gremi.

We find out more about the Candelieri and the festival during our next stop at the Santa Maria di Betlem church. The church itself is undergoing restoration work although the ornate dome is visible. By crossing the church and going through the sacristy are we find oursleves in a large courtyard, a cloister still visible on the one side where there's the museum about the Candalieri. 

A kind man explains about the Candelieri and the festival and the church and the history. An interesting visit. There would be more to see in Sassari but it's getting late so we head back to scrub the mussels for supper.

There are so so good, the very best mussels I've ever eaten!