Ostra is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' in the

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, central

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, near the modern Ostra Vetere, south-east of Senigallia. The original name of the town was Montalboddo. In 1881 the name was changed to Ostra, like the ancient Roman city located near the modern town of Ostra.

Ancient Ostra

Ancient Ostra was situated between the modern town of Ostra and Ostra Vetere and was inhabited from the 3rd century BC until the 6th century AD.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

mentions Ostra with another ancient town,

Suasa Suasa was an ancient Roman town in what is now the '' comune'' of Castelleone di Suasa, Marche, Italy. It is located in the Pian Volpello locality, in the valley of the Cesano River. History Suasa was founded by the Romans in the early 3rd ce ...

, west. Neither town survived beyond the classical period. Though Ostra is little mentioned by ancient authors, excavations there have brought to light remains of various buildings and several inscriptions.

Geography

Modern Ostra lies on a hill over the Misa river valley. It is the most important town in the valley upstream from Senigallia, lying from the Adriatic coast. Close by is the city of

Jesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriatic ...

(18 km), while

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

, the capital of the

Region, is away. The nearest railway station is that of Senigallia, while the Raffaello Sanzio Airport (Ancona-Falconara) is away.

Main sights

Piazza dei Martiri

At the heart of the town is Piazza dei Martiri (''Martyrs' square'') the most important square in the town. Here is the 16th century city tower, high, rebuilt in the 20th century after being bombed in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Here also are the municipal building with its arches and its marble staircase and the St. Francis' Church, built in the 13th century.

Defensive wall

Built in the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the wall surrounding the town is perfectly preserved for a total length of . It still has nine great towers and two main entrances.

Madonna della Rosa Sanctuary

Located a few hundreds metres out of town, this Sanctuary devoted to

Holy Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

is one of the most important in Italy, visited every year by many pilgrims coming both from

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. It has been built in 1754 after Holy Mary appeared to a young girl and fosters a miraculous image of the

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

Twin towns

Markt Schwaben Markt Schwaben is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It lies roughly 23 km east of Munich on the northern edge of the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg. Neighbouring communities are Anzing, Forstinning, Pliening and Poing, (all in Ebersberg ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostra (An) Cities and towns in the Marche