Osimo

Osimo
Comune
Comune di Osimo
Belfry and city hall
Location of Osimo
Country	Italy
Region	Marche
Province	Ancona (AN)
Frazioni	Osimo Stazione, Passatempo, Casenuove, Campocavallo, Padiglione, Abbadia, San Paterniano, Santo Stefano, San Biagio, Santa Paolina
Government
• Mayor	Simone Pugnaloni
Area
• Total	106 km2 (41 sq mi)
Elevation	265 m (869 ft)
Population  (31 December 2015)
• Total	34,977
• Density	330/km2 (850/sq mi)
Demonym	Osimani
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	60027
Dialing code	071
Patron saint	St. Joseph of Cupertino
Saint day	September 18
Website	Official website

Osimo is a town and comune of the Marche region of Italy, in the province of Ancona. The municipality covers a hilly area located approximately 15 km south of the port city of Ancona and the Adriatic Sea. At the census of 2011 Osimo had a total population of 33,891. The total area is 106 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km².

History

Vetus Auximum was founded by the same Greek colonists of Ancona; later it was contested by the Gauls and the Piceni, until conquered by the Romans, who used it as a fortress for their northern Picenum settlement starting from 174 BC. The walls were made of large rectangular stones which are still visible in some locations. It was a colony until 157 BC. The family of Pompey were its protectors and resisted Caesar in 49 BC. Inscriptions and monuments in its town square attest to the importance of Osimo during imperial times.

In the 6th century it was besieged twice in the course of the Gothic War, by Belisarius and Totila; the Byzantine historian Procopius said it was the leading town of Picenum.

Osimo was a free commune by 1100 A.D. It was later returned to the Pope by Cardinal Gil de Albornoz. In 1399–1430 it was a fief of the Malatesta family, who built a rocca, or "castle", which is no longer intact. Osimo was again made a part of the Papal States, and remained so until the unification of Italy in 1861.

Main sights

Osimo retains a portion of its ancient town wall (2nd century BCE).

Under the town is a large series of tunnels with esoteric bas-reliefs.

The town hall contains a number of statues found on the site of the ancient forum.

The new castle (1489), of which parts remain today, was built by Baccio Pontelli.

Among the churches in the town are the following:

• Osimo Cathedral: (8th-12th centuries) The restored Romanesque-Gothic church has a portal with sculptures of the 13th century, an old crypt, a fine bronze font of the 16th century and a series of portraits of all the bishops of the old diocese of Osimo. The baptistery is from the early 17th century and also has a notable baptismal font.
• Basilica of San Giuseppe da Copertino: was originally founded as a church dedicated to St Francis, but with the canonization in 1753 of Joseph of Cupertino, the church was rededicated and refurbished to house his relics.
• San Marco Evangelista: Erected in 14th century by Augustinian order; refurbished in later centuries, contains an altarpiece by Guercino.
• San Niccolò: 16th-century church
• Sanctuary of the Beata Vergine Addolorata: 20th century Neo-Romanesque church ouside of the town center

People

• Andrea Cionna (born in 1968), holder of the world record for the fastest marathon run by a totally blind man.
• Bruno Giacconi(1889-1957), Olympian
• Lorenzo Di Pietro

Twin towns

• Copertino, Italy
• Armstrong, Argentina

See also

• Treaty of Osimo

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ashby, Thomas (1911). "Auximum". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 50.