Sassari, Garden of the former rural colony in Via Savoia

Former rural colony gardens in Via Savoia. Photo by Angela Nieddu, 2025, from Catalogo BBCC

The building of the Rural Colony was built in 1921 as an anti-tuberculosis preventive “Prince Umberto of Savoy”, inserted in a vast olive grove of about five hectares located in the Capuchin region, described in the documents of the time as a “pleasant and healthy” location. The facility was intended for the shelter of frail children predisposed to tuberculosis. The growing demand for shelter and the need to improve reception conditions made it necessary to build a new building. The colony is described in contemporary sources as a “work of pure Tuscan style, sober and elegant, crowned by the dark green of olive trees, overlooking the sea”, underlining the strong relationship between architecture, landscape and therapeutic function. The project also included the presence of a chapel. The complex is the subject of restoration of buildings and greenery. Some work has been completed and others are nearing completion. The Gardens are part of the municipal complex. The green system plays a structuring role with respect to the settlement system, surrounding and connecting the historic buildings of the former colony. It is configured as a periurban hilly park with a landscape, environmental and service function. The area is divided into two main spaces. The flowerbed space organized for parking and enjoyment. The space corresponding to the original olive grove, now arranged as an urban park with sinuous interior paths and equipped areas. This last area retains a productive character due to the prevalence of olive trees compared to other tree species.

Aspects of interest Green
spaces develop according to the hilly morphology, with variable slopes and terraced surfaces or adapted to the natural course of the terrain. The vegetation, partly spontaneous and partly structured, helps to define a system of full and empty spaces: more open areas near buildings, historically intended for outdoor activities; more densely wooded areas along the margins and in the less anthropized portions of the lot. The network of internal paths, now partly redeveloped, connects the various buildings and crosses green areas, allowing the pedestrian use of the park and the continuous visual relationship between architecture and landscape.