Sassari, San Pietro di Silki Park

San Pietro in Silki Park. Photo by Angela Nieddu, 2025, from Catalogo BBCC

The green area known as Parco di San Pietro is located in the southwestern part of the city of Sassari, adjacent to the complex consisting of the church and the former convent of San Pietro di Silki. The church was founded between 1065 and 1082 during the reign of Mariano I de Lacon Gunale. The current configuration is the result of subsequent interventions that took place between the 15th and 17th centuries. The monastery of the same name was attached to the complex, administered by Benedictine nuns between the 11th century and 1335. The events of the monastic complex between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries are documented by the Condaghe di San Pietro di Silki, written inside the monastery. Over the centuries, the area has been structured as an agricultural system pertaining to the complex, organized into gardens, olive groves, citrus groves and vineyards, served by an articulated water collection and distribution system. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the complex and the surrounding green areas were subject to reorganization and enhancement, with the construction of tree-lined avenues, terrace arrangements and hydraulic structures. This is a historic open space of large extension, equal to about 9 hectares. In the surrounding context there are ancient noble houses with areas partly destined to an Italian-style garden and partly to an olive grove. Characterized by fertile soils and abundant availability of water, the area was inhabited in ancient times, with documentation known at least from the beginning of the 12th century. Recently, archaeological investigations have brought to light, in the southern portion of the park, the remains of Roman and medieval settlements. The park is bordered by a historic boundary wall and is spread over a sloping terrain, divided into terraces contained by dry stone walls. Inside there are vast areas cultivated with olive groves, vegetable gardens and vineyards, as well as trees and shrub species including cypresses, palm trees and myrtle. The space has a unitary configuration, but is divided into two macro-areas distinguishable by layout and current use. The first macro-area retains a productive destination, with areas historically used for vegetable gardens, citrus groves and olive groves. It consists of four green spaces for specific use: olive grove, citrus grove, orchard and vineyard. The second macro-area, originally part of the production system, currently appears as a meadow area, with continuous grass cover and scattered trees, while maintaining the legibility of the historical arrangements of the land. Access to the park is still the historic one and takes place through a gate located to the north, inside the area of the former convent. Through Viale dei Lecci you reach directly to the production space. The area is fed by a vast irrigation system of great magnitude and of great historical interest, consisting of canals, tanks, springs directly dug into the rock or into masonry, still in use. Through this system, water is directly conveyed from the Silki spring to cultivated areas. Near the citrus grove there is the so-called Madonna Chapel. In addition to Viale dei Lecci, there are some vegetation elements that emerge from the whole, including large, centuries-old myrtle specimens and a row of cypress trees. There are also historic buildings and ruins, including some portals and the so-called House of the Duke of Asinara.

Aspects of interest
Green area divided into spaces divided into distinct cultural areas. The perceived appearance is that of a large continuous green lawn, a feeling accentuated by the limited presence of buildings in the western portion of the area. The area includes significant historical and archaeological emergencies and is equipped with a vast and complex irrigation system of great magnitude and of exceptional historical interest that includes tanks, wells and a dragonara.