Comune di Ostra (Provincia di Ancona)

BRIEF HISTORY

The origins of Ostra are lost in a remote past full of legends and traditions, mystery and folklore, facts and discoveries. The fact that until 1881 the town was called Montalboddo or Monte Bodio certainly gives rise to ambiguity. According to legend, after the battle in 410 AD when the town was destroyed by the Visigoths, the population of Ostra fled to the hills owned by the citizen Bodio, stayed there and built a new village (hence the name Monte Bodio). Besides legend, excavations and discoveries confirm, however, that the ancient Monte Bodio in fact descended from an Roman Municipium called Ostra, and once the authenticity of the artefacts had been ascertained, the town council decided, at the end of the XIX° century, to give the town back its noble, original name: Ostra. The signs left by history are a few centuries more recent, dating back to medieval times when written documentation showed that Ostra (or rather, Monte Bodio) belonged to the Exarcate of Ravenna.There were several clashes and wars in the course of centuries, whereby Ostra was the object of conquest and invasions.The Paganelli famiiy that during the XIV° century ruled the town led Ostra to another succes­sion of alternations in power. The fall of the Paganelli did not, however, mark the beginning of a new period of peace for Ostra, or any continuity, and there were many powers and leaders that were still to enter its gates. From the XVI1° century on, Ostra, despite feuds between noble families, went through the most prosperous time in its history. The palaces and churches, streets and squares were embellished with art and monuments; the countryside was dotted with hamlets and farms and the town abounded in wealth and peace until, on 30 July 1790 Ostra finally obtained the title of City. Today Ostra has managed to make its past the pride of its present and its present the cradle of its future, conciliating artfully and cleverly history and modernity.

ART AND MONUMENTS

The long and turbulent history of Ostra left the town a rich and variegated heritage in art that visitors can admire and enjoy in a naturalistic and environmental framework of rare beauty. The tour we suggest starts from the Town Walls, built in the XIV° century, that with its nine towers attests to the defensive purpose they were made for.The Sanctuary of the Most Holy Crucifix dates back to the same period; it can be dated (1333) thanks to an inscription above the por­tal and the facade that has maintained its unmistakable medieval structure despite later reconstructions. Of a much later date is instead the baroque Christ in Agony by Bartolomeo Silvestri daVerucchi,a wooden sculpture inside the building. The Church of San Rocco dates back to the XVI° century, and it was built in the period from 1528 to 1545. In it there are stuccos and paintings by Brandi and by Pietro da Cortona.The itinerary continues with a visit to the Civic Tower that, althou­gh it was rebuilt in 1950 in consequence of bombings, in rea­lity dates back to the XVI0 century, when it was built as a bel­fry pertaining to the now vanished church of San Giovanni. Built in 1749, the Town Hall and the Theatre dominating the square were designed by the architect Giuseppe Carbonari. The facade, consisting of a central block and two side buil­dings, is embellished with a loggia with seven full arches, while the Municipal La Vittoria theatre has two orders of stalls and a large loggia. Annexed to the Church of San Francesco (ori­ginally dating back to 1350, but almost completely rebuilt in 1789) is the Palace of the Convent Fathers erected in the course of the XVIIT century. The complex has a series of historical and artistic halls containing the Municipal Library where precious incunables are conserved, the Historical Archive, the Civic Paintings Gallery, the School of Restoration and others. Built in the period from 1723 and 1739, Palazzo Sanzi Pericoli is an elegant neoclassic example of local noble landowner's residence. Inside there are valuable stuccos and frescos. The tour ends, although Ostra has more to offer than what we have briefly outlined here, at the Collegiate of Santa Croce, a building dating back to the mid-nineteenth century. It was in fact built on a previous Romanesque church (called church of the four pillars) and conserves works of art such as The Martyrdom of Saint Laurence and The Virgin of Soccorso, both by Claudio Ridolfi.

• the history (in Italian)

• what to visit (in Italian)

• gives general (in Italian)

• how to reach ostra

• Hotel, restaurants, cafe, bed & breakfast, etc.

• for further information to contact the tourist office

FAIRS AND RECURRENT EVENTS

Comune di Ostra – Piazza dei Martiri, 5 – 60010 Ostra (AN) - ITALY
tel. +39-0717989411 fax. +39-0717989776 – www.comune.ostra.an.it – comune.ostra@provincia.ancona.it