Porto Torres


Porto Torres is a comune and a city of the Metropolitan City of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as Colonia Julia, it was the first Roman colony of the entire island. It is situated on the coast at about east of Falcone Cape and in the center of the Gulf of Asinara. The port of Porto Torres is the second biggest seaport of the island, followed by the port of Olbia. The town is very close to the main city of Sassari, where the local university takes office.

Toponymy

Historically the settlement was founded with the Latin name "Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis", composed with Colonia Iulia Turris and Libisonis. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the town was known simply as "Turris". During the Middle Ages during the Judicate of Logudoro the name was corrupted with "Torres" and after, during the Aragonese period, the town was known simply with the Catalan name of "Lo Port". During the Savoy reign it was known with the name of Portotorre.
Until the 1960s the town was commonly known as "Portotorres", and only after the official recognition of the status of city the name has officially changed in Porto Torres.

History

Prehistorian and Nuragic period

The Miocene

In the frazione of Fiume Santo in 1994 have been found a lot of animal fossils presumably dated at the Miocene. Some 8/9 million years old rests of Oreopithecus bambolii has been find in the same area. The discovering has started casually thanks to some hobbyist paleontologists that have noticed after some maintenance works in the near thermal power station the presence of some fossils in the excavation debris. In the area has been individuated 15 vertebrate species like giraffes, crocodiles, turtles, suidae and Mustelidae. Most of these animals like the Umbrotherium azzarolii were herbivorous, but some others like the Indarctos anthracitis were omnivores.

Prehistory

Ancient human presence in the municipal territory of Porto Torres is certified thanks to many necropolises in the area. The altar of Monte d'Accoddi witness the human presence in that area during these ages.

Bronze and Nuragic Age

Finds dated at these ages have been found in the Necropolis of Su Crucifissu Mannu. In this necropolis have two skulls were found with the presence of some sort of surgical procedure probably practiced to heal issues like migraines and tumors. Another theory is that this surgical procedure was practiced for religious and/or magical purposes. Many nuraghes belong to these ages, and nowadays only 7 of these structures are in a well preserved state. The Domus de Janas of Andreolu also witness the presence of the Nuragic civilization.

Roman period (46 BC – 455 AD)

In ancient times, Turris Libisonis was one of the most considerable cities in Sardinia. It was probably of purely Roman origin, founded apparently by Julius Caesar, as it bore the title Colonia Julia. Pliny described it as a colony, the only on the island in his time, suggesting that there was previously no town on the spot, but merely a fort or castellum. It is noticed also by Ptolemy and in the Itineraries, but without any indication that it was a place of any importance. The ancient remains still existing prove that it must have been a considerable town under the Roman Empire. According to inscriptions on ancient milestones, the principal road through the island ran directly from Caralis to Turris, a sufficient proof that the latter was a place much frequented. Indeed, two roads, which diverged at Othoca connected Caralis to Turris, the more important keeping inland and the other following the west coast. It was also an episcopal see during the early part of the Middle Ages. There exists also the remains of a temple, of thermae, of a basilica and an aqueduct, as well as a bridge over the adjoining small river, still called the Fiume Turritano.

After the Western Roman Empire

The ancient city continued to be inhabited until the 11th century, when most of the population migrated to Sassari, about inland, and on a hill. It was partly under Genoese hands until the early 15th century, when it was conquered by the Aragonese. After a period of Spanish rule, it became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Torres was separated from the Commune of Sassari in 1842. At the time, the area which had been built around the basilica of Saint Gavino joined the fishermen's community near the port to form the new Porto Torres. On 10 May 1942, Benito Mussolini visited the town. On Palm Sunday, 18 April 1943, the city was bombed by the Allies.

Geography

Porto Torres is on the north-west coast of Sardinia.
The area of the municipality is almost 10,200 hectares and is subdivided into two parts, almost equal in size.
One part includes the city, the industrial area, and the Roman ruins; the other consists of two islands, Asinara and the smaller Isola Piana. Since 1997, this part of the municipality is the Asinara National Park.
The morphology of "city part" is flat; the area of Porto Torres and the rest of north-west Sardinia is characterized by a Nurra plain, with some hill formations in the middle of it. Part of this hill formation is in the municipality of Porto Torres, the highest elevation being Monte Alvaro, rising to a height of 342 m above sea level.
The communal territory is crossed by two rivers, Rio Mannu and Fiume Santo. The first flows along the edge of Porto Torres to the west, while the second runs near the city and was used as a navigable river as early as the days of ancient Rome.

Climate

Demographics

Until the 1960s, the town was considered to be more or less like a large village. After that, thanks to industrialization, the population increased rapidly until the 1980s, when the local petrochemical industry managed by the "SIR – Società Italiana Resine" owned by Angelo Rovelli entered into a deep financial crisis.

Foreign residents

In Porto Torres in 2019 there were 599 foreign residents, many of them from Africa and eastern Europe. The main nationalities recorded were:
  • Nigeria: 61
  • Romania: 56
  • Serbia: 45
  • Senegal: 34
  • Poland: 32
  • Ghana: 29
  • Somalia: 24
  • Ivory Coast: 22
  • China: 20
  • Mali: 17
  • Other: 159

    Economy

Tourism

Starting in 2008, tourism has become a very important activity for the economy of the city. The town have several attractions, both natural and anthropic. The main attraction is the Asinara National Park. The Aragonese seaport tower is considered the symbol of the city and because of this it is one of the main tourist attractions. Other main attractions are the Roman bridge of Riu Mannu and the Basilica of Saint Gavinus. Due to the decline of the industrial sector, the tourist sector has started to become the leading sector of the local economy.

Industry

Chemical industries support the modern economy of Porto Torres. Fiume Santo, a 1,040 MW power station owned by E.ON, is west from the city, in the municipality of Sassari.
Plans related to industrial conversion are in progress in Porto Torres, where seven research centers are developing the transformation from traditional fossil fuel related industry to an integrated production chain from vegetable oil using oleaginous seeds to bioplastics.

Minor activities

Fishing and farming activities are also practiced around the land.

Governance

Sister cities

Culture

Festivals

At the end of August it took place the festival called "Suoni & Sapori", a festival that put together the tasting of local food and the listening of music composed by local artists. "La giornata dello sport" is an annual local festival that promote the sport activity for both children and adults. The "Festival Internazionale di Musiche Polifoniche Voci d’Europa" organized by the local polyphonic choir is an annual music festival of the town. The "Fisherman's regatta" is a competition where the fishermen try to fishing using only traditional early 20th-century equipment like rowing boats without any use of modern tools like the GPS tracker.

Main sights

Churches

; Basilica of St. Gavinus, St. Proto and St. Gianuario
; Church of Beata Vergine della Consolata
; Church of San Gavino a Mare
; Church of Santu Bainzu Ischabizzaddu
; Monumental cemetery of Cala D’Oliva
; Austro-Hungarian chapel of St Ephysius and St Gavinus
; Italian cemetery of Campo Faro
; Austro-Hungarian Ossuary

Civil architectures

In the Porto Torres's comprehensive planning there are many civil buildings both of private propriety and owned by the comune that are considered historically significant. These buildings witness the urban and the economic development of the city through the centuries until the 1960s; period of the local golden age of the industrial development thanks to the Italian economic miracle. Many of these architectures, especially the industrial ones, are not fully restored and visitable.
  • Marquess's palace, neoclassical palace built by Giuseppe Cominotti, the same architect of the not so far church of the "Beata vergine della consolata";
  • Seaport museum, an example of the industrial architecture of the 19th century. Originally used as a train station, now it is a museum;
  • The Antiquarium Turritano museum.
  • Junior school E. De Amicis, An historical full-working school building built by engineer Eugenio Serra. It is a full architectural example of the 19th-century Italian schools;
  • Ferromin S.A. industrial complex, built in the early 20th century, it has been the main industrial complex of the town for decades until the liquidation of the "Societá Anonima Ferromin" in the 1960s;
  • Porto Torres Marittima station, late 19th-century building, terminal of the "Ozieri-Chilivani-Porto Torres Marittima" railway;
  • Industrial complex "Ex-cementeria Alba", built during the industrial golden age by the engineer Messina, it is a pure example of industrial archaeology;
  • Industrial complex "Ex ferriera sarda", another example of the industrialization of north Sardinia, built by the influent entrepreneurs family of the Salis;
  • Agricultural consortium of Via Sassari, An old consortium building that witness the agricultural past of the city. The historical storage buildings known as "I Granai" are now used as a mall;
  • Hamlet of Cala d'Oliva, located in the Asinara it is the historical settlement abandoned at the end of the 19th century;
  • Lighthouse of Punta Scorno, located in the Asinara, it is an ancient full-working lighthouse, one of the most ancient lighthouses of Sardinia;
  • Stoplight station of Punta Scorno;
  • Royal Palace of Cala reale, the summer residence of the Savoy during their residence in the Asinara;
  • Hospital of Cala Reale;
  • Healthcare marittime quarantine station of Cala Reale, building used both as a lazaretto and a storage for the local healthcare.