The best traffic-free bike rides around Piaghe/Ploaghe

The small church of San Francesco del Monte (or del Campo) is one of the many rural churches in the Sassari area (there were once nearly fifty, but many have disappeared). It is located on a hill on the far northeastern outskirts of Sassari, surrounded by olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation. It can be reached from Monte Rosello, following Via Cabu di Ispiga from the large roundabout for about 2 km. The building dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries; the façade features two orders separated by a string course and a central portal flanked by two small lancet windows. On the roof stands an open arched structure supporting the small bell. However, its main feature is the Serlian window (a round arch flanked by two openings delimited by columns) above the portal. Inside, the single nave with a barrel vault displays a small altar featuring a wooden statue of Saint Francis with the stigmata. Around October 4th, after three days of celebrations, the Saint's Day takes place with mass, a procession, a musical band, and the blessing of the animals.

The hypogeum, half-hidden by vegetation, is located along a path immersed in the woods, on the slopes between Monte Furro and the Rio Gabbaru, in the municipality of Sassari. The building, only listed after 2019, appears to date back to the Eneolithic period and must have originally had the structure and funerary function of a "domus de janas," undergoing various modifications by its users over the centuries. The square-plan hypogeum is preceded on the eastern side by a corridor a few meters long that ends with steps carved into the limestone in front of the entrance; this was modified much more recently with the insertion of iron hinges. Inside, in the large main room, a sturdy square pillar supporting the ceiling stands out in the center, while the side walls feature stone benches or shelves, various windows, and niches. On the wall opposite the entrance, two semicircular structures, hollowed out in the shape of a basin, dominate, added only late in the period (probably for pressing grapes or olives). Between them is a wide passageway leading to a second room, much more bare than the first, cluttered with debris and seemingly a warehouse. The fact that the entire structure was remodeled several times over time is also evidenced by the date 1679—engraved on one side of the pillar—and the floors of the two rooms, which appear to have been lowered compared to the original construction (probably to allow the farmers to work more comfortably while standing), as evidenced by a sort of continuous step at the base of each wall.

A bucolic valley full of artichoke crops

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The town of Baddimanna is located on the northern outskirts of Sassari, adjacent to the Monte Rosello district and stretches eastwards over a hilly area, connecting to the hills of Filigheddu and Monti Bianchinu through a network of local roads. In the heart of Baddimanna there is the Park of the same name, which constitutes one of the largest green areas in the city: it extends for around ten hectares and is home to a pine forest, in which there are also other species such as mastic and various spontaneous flowers. Created about seventy years ago following a devastating fire, the Park has undergone progressive degradation which has made it less usable for the population; but in the 1920s the area was redeveloped, suitably equipped and made usable for citizens. The park named after Baden-Powell, founder of Scouting, is equipped with various picnic facilities with wooden tables and benches, waste collection baskets, children's games, a dog area and a cycle-pedestrian path; there is a kiosk bar and a restaurant. Furthermore, inside the park there is a monument dedicated to the soldiers of the Sassari Brigade. It is located in via Prati and the entrance time varies from 9am - 5pm to 9am - 9pm depending on the seasons.

Marble fountain house, built during the Renaissance. The water bubbles from eight lion and four dolphin heads.

The Rosello fountain is one of the symbols of the city of Sassari. It was built in 1295 and renovated in 1605 in the late Renaissance style.

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