Olbia (Terranoa in Sardinian, Tarranoa in Gallurese) is an Italian town of 61 452 inhabitants in the province of Sassari in Sardinia. Since 2005 it has been the capital, together with Tempio Pausania, of the province of Olbia-Tempio, suppressed in 2016 and operationally replaced by the "homogeneous area of Olbia-Tempio" for the exercise of provincial functions within the province of Sassari up to the complete suppression of all provinces. It was the ancient capital of the Giudicato di Gallura and the first bishopric of Gallura (Diocese of Civita - Ampurias until 1839). The city, one of the main in Sardinia, is an industrial and commercial reality, its port is one of the main points of connection with the Italian continent.
The historic churches of Olbia are the basilica of San Simplicio, one
of the most notable Romanesque monuments on the island, and the church
of San Paolo, baroque, with a high bell tower and majolica dome and with
internal frescoes by the painter Alberto Sanna.
In the
countryside of Olbia there are the churches of San Vittore (with a
wooden statue of the saint, the first bishop of Fausania), of Our Lady
of Cabu Abbas, of Santa Lucia, of the Holy Spirit, the church of
Sant'Angelo, and the church of Santa Mariedda.
Among the modern
churches in the city we can mention the church of the Holy Family, the
Madonna de La Salette, the church of Sant'Ignazio, the church of
Sant'Antonio, the church of San Ponziano in Poltu Cuadu and the parish
of San Michele Arcangelo in the hospital area .
Palazzo Colonna, in Corso Umberto (early twentieth century, in Art
Nouveau style);
Town Hall (early twentieth century, Art Nouveau);
Villa Clorinda (early twentieth century, former noble residence of the
Colonna family, Art Nouveau): used as a nursery school;
Michelucci
Theater (last work of the famous architect).
In the surroundings of Olbia the Pedres castle and the Sa Paulazza castle stand out. Today, few remains of the walls remain in the city from the Giudicati period, while until the early 19th century both the remains of the city walls and the Giudicale Palace were still largely visible. From the Pisan period, however, the urban layout of the Tuscan-style city, Terranova precisely, is preserved, wanted by judge Nino di Gallura and located in an area closer to the Roman port, renovated by the Pisans, than the judicial Civita.
Pre-Nuragic age
A dolmen near the hamlet of Berchiddeddu with a
classic layout; nearby there is also a menhir;
the dolmen of Cabu
Abbas, now completely destroyed;
a dolmen tomb is present in the
Contra de Oddastru area, made up of two boulders and with a double
peristalite. On site there are also 2 menhirs with a conical shape and
rounded tip and another similar tomb is that of S. Tommeo, in the
countryside of the hamlet of Berchiddeddu;
an allée couverte type
tomb in the Chinzana area;
the Puntiddone menhir, made of granite and
known above all for its flat shape;
Of notable importance is the
megalithic circle in Pastricciali di Mezzu and the one in San Pantaleo,
as well as the findings of other circle tombs in the remaining municipal
territory. As in much of Gallura, the domus de janas are completely
absent.
The most important nuraghi are:
the Riu Mulinu nuraghe in Cabu
Abbas;
the Putzolu nuraghe, in the locality of the same name, also
known as Lu Naracu;
the Nuragic village Belveghile, on the extension
of the northern causeway towards Arzachena;
the Mannazzu or Mannacciu
nuraghe, on state road 127 in the Maltana area;
the Siana or
Zucchitta nuraghe, near the Enas station;
the nuraghe Sa prescione 'e
Siana, on a hill overlooking the plain of Olbia, can be accessed from
the local road of Aratena;
Also worth mentioning is the Punta Nuraghe
nuraghe in Porto Rotondo which appears to be the subject of excavations;
the remains of the Torra nuraghe, which overlooks the southern borders
of the Costa Smeralda airport, are also of great interest.
Of
enormous importance is the singular sacred well of Sa Testa, dating back
to the period between 1200 and 1000 BC. and located near the road to
Golfo Aranci. Due to its structure and shape it is a continuous object
of study for archaeologists.
Near the Byzantine Castro Sa
Paulazza there is a nuragic source called Li Fitteddi and there are
different giants' tombs including that of the Giants' Tomb of Su Mont'e
s'Abe, located along the road to Loiri; dating back to the Ancient
Bronze Age (1800 - 1600 BC) (Bonnannaro Culture) it was remodeled and
readapted in the Nuragic age.
Punic-Roman necropolis and access ramp to the temple of Ceres under
the basilica of San Simplicio
Punic walls of via Torino
Remains of
the Roman aqueduct (Sa Rughittula, via Canova, via Nanni)
Rustic
villa S'Imbalconadu
Punic-Roman settlement and Punic workshops in via
Nanni
Remains of the Roman forum near the Municipality
Parco Fausto Noce, with its 18 hectares, is the largest urban park in
Sardinia, classified in 2005 as the second best green project in Italy;
Padrongianus river park (approx. 35 hectares), located along part of the
lower course of the Rio Padrongianus (also known as Rio Padrogiano),
immediately south of the urban area of Olbia. It is currently closed to
the public awaiting new management projects;
Sorilis state forest
semi-lagoon area of the internal gulf, where the prized local mussels
are collected in the special concession areas (enclosures);
protected
marine area of Tavolara-Punta Capo Coda Cavallo (shared with Loiri-Porto
San Paolo and San Teodoro);
Mount Pinu (shared with other neighboring
municipalities);
Mount Plebi (shared with Arzachena);
Mount
Cugnana.
The following islands belong to the territory of Olbia:
Horse Island,
Horse Island,
Bocca Island,
island of Barca
Sconcia,
Gabbia island,
Leporeddu island,
Manna island,
Middle Island,
Molara island
Molarotto island
island of Patron
Fiaso,
Piana Island,
Leeks Island,
Portisco island,
Portolucas islands,
Tavolara island,
rocks of the Three Brothers,
rocks of Mezzocammino,
Mortorietto rocks,
Magroni rock,
and
the ponds: Saline, Cugnana, Gravile and Tartanelle.
North of Olbia, between Porto Rotondo, Cugnana and Portisco there are
the beaches of: Cugnana, Rena Bianca, Razza de Juncu (shared with
Arzachena), Marinella, Sassi beach, Alghe beach, Ira beach.
In
the hamlet of Pittulongu: Playa beach, lo Squalo, il Pellicano, Mare e
Rocce and Bados.
South of Olbia there are: Lido del Sole, Le
Saline, Marina Maria, Bunte, Porto Istana, Li Cuncheddi, Capo Ceraso.
University
The university course of the Economic and Business
Sciences Department of the University of Sassari in Tourism Economics
and Management has been active in the city since 2001. In 2020 the
University Center of Olbia, UniOlbia, was born.
National archaeological museum of Olbia
Museum-necropolis under
the basilica of San Simplicio (necropolis composed of 450 tombs and
numerous funerary objects dating back to the period between 750 BC and
1300 AD, the remains of the access ramp to the Roman temple dedicated to
the goddess Ceres which stood in the area which is currently occupied by
the basilica, two wells from the Greek phase of the city which have
yielded numerous finds (amphorae, vessels for water and wine), a lime
kiln used for the construction of the current Church.
San Simplicius
The feast of the patron saint of Olbia and Gallura,
San Simplicio, is celebrated on May 15th, following the typical program
of village festivals. The religious celebrations that begin nine days
before are accompanied by various cultural, sporting and secular
entertainment initiatives (such as concerts, fireworks and rides). On
this occasion, a free tasting of the main typical product is also
offered: mussels.
Saint John and the Madonna of the Sea
Another festival which is part of the city's popular traditions is the
festival of San Giovanni and the Madonna del Mare, celebrated on 24
June. On this occasion, a suggestive sea procession takes place with the
two simulacra, and a wreath of flowers is thrown in memory of the
fallen. In the evening, in the various districts of the city, the
traditional fires of San Giovanni are lit, in which by jumping three
times you become a friend or comari.
Fragments of pottery found in
Porto Rotondo and a characteristic female statuette representing the
Mother Goddess found in Santa Mariedda, date back to the Middle
Neolithic (4000 - 3500 BC) the first evidence of man in the Olbian
territory. Subsequently, during the Eneolithic period, schematized
human figures were depicted in the walls of the Pope's cave - on the
island of Tavolara - with red ocher, dating back to 2700 - 2500 BC,
while it dates back to the Ancient Bronze Age (1800 - 1600 BC. ) the
tomb of the giants of Su Mont'e s'Abe.
Starting from the
Middle Bronze Age, in conjunction with the spread throughout the
island of the nuragic civilization, nuragic settlements are found in
the territory of Olbia as well, gradually more and more numerous:
more than 50 are currently known and range from single-tower
nuraghi, to the villages of huts, to sacred wells, to megalithic
burials; among these the most important monuments are: the nuraghe
Riu Mulinu in Cabu Abbas; the Putzolu nuraghe, in the locality of
the same name, also called lu Naracu; the nuragic village of
Belveghile, on the extension of the north causeway towards
Arzachena; the Mannazzu or Mannacciu nuraghe, on the state road 127
in Maltana; the Siana or Zucchitta nuraghe, near the Enas station;
the nuraghe Sa prescione 'e Siana, on a hill overlooking the plain
of Olbia, is accessed from the Aratena local road; the sacred well
of Sa Testa, dating from the period between 1200 and 950 BC, on the
road to Pittulongu, the tomb of giants of Su Monte 'e s'Abe,
collective megalithic burial in allée couverte, built in the ancient
age of bronze (1800 BC) but remodeled in the Nuraghic period,
missing the central stele, along the road to Loiri.
The site was frequented by the
Phoenicians and then in the 7th century BC, for a short period, by
the Greeks of Phocaea, according to the Greek tradition cited by
Diodorus, Strabone and Pausanias and the new data emerging from
archaeological excavations. The origin of its name, Olbia, derives
from the Greek ὄλβιος (ólbios), meaning "happy", "lucky",
"prosperous". Subsequently there are the first traces of the Punic
urban settlement, datable between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The
Carthaginians surrounded it with walls and towers, building an
acropolis with a temple dedicated to Melqart in the upper part. The
Punic city occupied an area now between via Asproni and piazza
Matteotti and part of the ancient walls are still visible in via
Torino. In the archaeological excavations carried out in April 2007,
part of the Punic settlement emerged in the very central Via Regina
Elena. In July 2001, in via Nanni, part of the old Punic-Roman
settlement, used from the 4th to the 1st century BC, was brought to
light.
In that period then, in 535 BC, in the waters between
the gulf and Corsica, a fleet of sixty Phocean ships from the colony
of Alalia collided with a fleet of Etruscan and Punic ships, which
coalesced to block the way to Greek penetration into the sea.
Tyrrhenian. The violent clash, known as the Battle of the Sardinian
Sea (or Battle of Alalia), is considered by many to be the first
major naval battle in the seas of the West. Among the monuments of
this period we can remember the remains of the Punic walls in via
Torino and in via Acquedotto, the latter visible through two glass
pyramids in the square of a residential complex and the remains of a
Punic block in via Nanni and the Roman aqueduct. (1st century).
When the Romans occupied Sardinia in 238 BC, the city not only became a commercial center, but also an important military naval base. It was connected with the rest of the island by three important roads used by the legions but also for the transport of all merchandise. Reorganized on the Punic plant, the city became the most important center of the Sardinian east coast and from its port (the closest to the Peninsula), ships loaded with raw materials left for the capital. The city, the most important Roman outpost in Gallura, was threatened in the early years of the Roman conquest by the incursions of the so-called Courses of Gallura and the Balari del Monteacuto. Roman Olbia (sometimes transcribed on the milestones in the form "Olvia" or "Olbi") estimated a population of over 5,000 inhabitants and was equipped with a forum, paved streets, public baths and aqueduct Latin caput aquarum). He also resided there and owned vast estates and a brick factory (bearing the stamp Actes Aug [usti] [iberta]), Nero's liberty, Atte, exiled after the emperor's marriage to Poppea.
In 304 AD, under the reign of Emperor Diocletian, the martyrdom of St. Simplicio is attested, pierced by a spear and died after three days of agony together with his three companions Rosola, Diocleziano and Fiorenzo, and then buried in the Roman necropolis outside the walls. In this necropolis, during the excavations carried out in 1904, a treasure was discovered containing 871 gold coins of different denominations and bearing the marks of 117 different Roman families. The findings that took place in 1999 in the old port area during the works for the construction of a tunnel should be noted. On that occasion 24 wrecks of Roman and medieval ships returned to light; it was the Vandals who sank some of the wrecks leading to the destruction of the inhabited area and the collapse of the ancient city which however continued to survive. Among the vestiges of the Roman period are the remains of the aqueduct in the locality of Tilibbas, built between the 1st and 2nd centuries to transport, over a distance of about 7 km, the water from the springs on the mountain of Cabu Abbas to the thermal baths of the city. ancient; the remains of the Roman rural villa of s'Imbalconadu, dating back to 150 BC. about in the Republican age, along the road to Loiri after the rio Loddone; the park of villa Tamponi; the Roman forum near the Town Hall; the remains of the Roman aqueduct near the old hospital.
The fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century
marks the beginning of a long period of decline. The Roman city fell
due to an attack by the Vandals from the sea; it was set on fire and
destroyed together with the ships moored in the port. The blow was
terrible and at the end of the sixth century the city appears with a
new name: Phausiana (in Byzantine Greek Φαυσιανή); according to some
historians this name is due to the move away from the original
nucleus towards the countryside, but recent studies suggest that the
Phausiana could have been located on the San Simplicio hill. The
excavations and studies of recent years, on the contrary, suggest a
continuity of living on the current site. The city did not disappear
but it certainly suffered a contraction in demographic terms and in
size as evidenced by the wrecks of the recent tunnel excavations. Of
considerable importance to better understand the history of that
period are the excavations, begun in 2006 for the reconstruction of
the water networks in the area facing the Benedetto Brin pier, from
which emerged what presumably must have been the forum, remains of
monumental temples and shops craftswomen. A stretch of pavement from
the late imperial era will be preserved and integrated into the
urban furnishings. In this period the port of the city does not
cease to live and continues to trade even if in a reduced way
compared to the Roman and Punic age.
From the 8th to the 12th
century the Arabs attempted to conquer Sardinia attracted by the
silver mines, and it was precisely in this period of persistent
alert that Sardinia separated from the Byzantine Empire and divided
into four parts called Giudicati (Cagliari, Torres , Arborea and
Gallura). The castle of Sa Paulazza dates back to this period, a
fortification located in the Monte a Telti region, on the state road
127 about 5 km from the town.
On the
Giudicale period, from the 11th to the end of the 13th century, the
sources are few and fragmentary. The first judge of Gallura of whom
we have certain information is Manfredi di Gallura, perhaps of Pisan
origin, who reigned roughly in the middle of the 11th century. The
court was itinerant (the judges lived in summer, due to the cooler
climate, in the castles of Balaiana and Baldu (Luogosanto), in the
castle of Fava (Posada, however Civita (medieval name of Olbia) was
the place of privileged residence.
Civita in the Giudicato
period was surrounded by walls (the Giudicato coat of arms stood out
on the main door) and was the center of the religious and civil
power of the Giudicato of Gallura. The most important buildings were
the extra-muros cathedral of San Simplicio, built between the end of
the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century by the judge
Constantine III of Gallura on the ancient Punic-Roman necropolis
where the remains of the martyred saint were buried, the Giudicale
palace, probably located near the former barracks of the Guardia di
Finanza in Corso Umberto, where the judges and the church of San
Paolo were buried in a crypt of the Palatine chapel.
The
Giudicato was ruled by the Lacon-Gunale family until 1218; the last
sovereign of the dynasty was Elena di Gallura (the first sovereign
woman in her own right on a Sardinian throne and one of the first in
Europe). The Giudicessa married the Pisan Lamberto Visconti. Their
son Ubaldo Visconti, first husband of Adelasia di Torres, had no
heirs and designated his cousin Giovanni Visconti as his successor.
These were replaced by the firstborn Nino Visconti who will be the
last ruler of Gallura. Often in Pisa, the judge appointed Dante
friar Gomita as vicar, who he would later have executed for his
dishonest baratteries.
In 1296, judge Nino died, mentioned by Dante in the Divine Comedy
as Judge Nin gentil, the territories of the Giudicato of Gallura
fell into the hands of the republic of Pisa. On the initiative of
the Pisans, a Terranova was built next to the ancient Civita, that
is a city of new foundation, closer to the port. It is probable that
Civita was not immediately abandoned, considering the fact that the
name Civita will remain to identify the diocese administratively.
According to the Repartiment de Sardenya of 1358, Terranova, a
former Giudicale capital, after a long period of wars, revolts and
plagues, had 132 heads of families subject to the testatic, this
data referred to taxpayers suggests a population of about 800
inhabitants, in the same period in Sassari there were no more than
700 men in arms, about 4000 inhabitants. Some sources report that
part of the city was in ruins, they were stolen and brought to Pisa
to adorn the complex of the Piazza del Duomo, the architrave of a
temple dedicated to Ceres and the portal of the same cathedral of
San Simplicio.
The heavy Pisan constraint in the management
of the Giudicato severely limited its autonomy. However, the
fortress of Pedres castle dates back to this period, of which we
have news between 1296 and 1388 probably built by Pisan workers,
once consisting of two squares surrounded by turreted walls, along
the road to Loiri. Other important monuments of the medieval period
are the aforementioned basilica of San Simplicio, built between the
11th and 12th centuries, the most valuable monument in Gallura,
outside the city walls, a remarkable testimony of Romanesque-Pisan
architecture and entirely made of granite blocks by Tuscan and
Lombard labor; the cult building was originally surrounded by a
large necropolis, used since the Punic period, 4th century BC; the
church of San Paolo Apostolo, probably dating back to the late
Middle Ages but heavily remodeled in the 18th century (an epigraph
inside reports the year 1747), in the highest part of the historic
center of the city, built on the remains of what perhaps it was the
ancient palatine chapel of the Palazzo dei Giudici di Gallura and
previously on a Punic and Roman temple perhaps dedicated to the
divinity Melqart-Ercole; the majolica dome dates back to the
mid-twentieth century.
In 1324
Sardinia was conquered by the Catalan-Aragonese and under this
domination the feudal regime was established which involved the
disintegration of the Giudicato di Gallura, with the sole
maintenance of the territorial organization in curatoria (renamed
incontrade): Terranova was first in the homonymous lordship, then of
the barony of Terranova, and then marquisate from 1579. In fact,
from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century the city slowly
declined due to problems related to the mutation of the axis of
maritime traffic, which moving towards Spain favored the cities of
the west coast Sardinian. The environmental unhealthiness and the
presence of malaria, combined with exposure to Ottoman pirate raids
(in 1553 the pirate Dragut devastated the center), caused the
decline of the city. In the second half of the sixteenth century the
city was sparsely inhabited: in 1559 no more than 90 fires were
attributed to Olbia (about 360-400 inhabitants), at the end of the
seventeenth century just 240 inhabitants. The process of
depopulation of the coasts occurs in conjunction with the
repopulation of the inland areas of Gallura, which also benefit from
the migrations of populations fleeing Corsica.
The decline of
Terranova led in 1568 to the amalgamation of the bishopric first in
Castellaragonese (today Castelsardo) with the name of "Civita e
Ampurias" until its suppression in 1839, with the birth of the
diocese of "Tempio-Ampurias". In 1614 the bishop Giacomo (Diego)
Passamar ordered a survey of the remains of the martyrs Olbiesi
(Rosola, Diocleziano, Fiorenzo and Simplicio) whose remains were
moved from the crypt near the cathedral (outside the walls) to the
center in the church of San Paolo inside the walls of Newfoundland.
Still in 1837 Antoine-Claude Pasquin Valéry in his Voyages en
Corse, à l'île d'Elbe et en Sardaigne wrote: "The maritime village
of Terranova, unhealthy, depopulated, has no two thousand
inhabitants, occupies the site of the ancient and famous Olbia. The
appearance of the houses is that of large farms, ([...]); In the
countryside, the church of San Simplicio, which dates back to the
Pisans, is almost abandoned (...) ", but also:" This beautiful plain
of Terranova, once flourishing enough to count twelve cities and
seventy municipalities, happily situated by the sea, sheltered by
the mountains and with such a good climate, it could feed more than
50,000 inhabitants; in fact it still possesses all the elements of
ancient prosperity ». While General Alberto La Marmora, in his
famous Itinerary of the island of Sardinia, wrote: «The current town
of Olbia is built flush, with a certain regularity. The streets are
parallel and cut at right angles. The houses are built like the
church of San Simplicio with granite cantons quarried on the spot or
in the surroundings; this rock takes on a pink color similar to the
most beautiful granite of Egyptian monuments. " To
nineteenth-century European travelers, including John Warre Tyndale,
the country of Newfoundland looked like this: "The houses, none of
which look decent or clean, are mostly made of granite and
whitewashed, almost offering a greater contrast. with the general
filth and filth that is inside and around them. " The demographic
process was reversed only in the second half of the nineteenth
century: the city which in 1799 had just 2000 inhabitants, was
renamed, by royal decree in 1862, in Terranova Pausania.
The
redevelopment of the port of Terranova (in 1870, to which the
municipalities of Gallura also contributed) and the arrival of the
railway (the Cagliari-Chilivani-Terranova line was inaugurated in
1881, to which the extension to Golfo Aranci was added), which led
to the urban rebirth of the center, which then had about 3000
inhabitants, mainly fishermen (with a large community of Ponza
origin) and farmers. However, the difficulties due to the burying of
the access channel to the Gulf of Olbia prompted General La Marmora
to propose the idea of building a new port at Capo Figari, with
the foundation of a new town called Olbia Nova. In 1880 the regular
line service (passenger and postal) to Civitavecchia by steamers was
moved from Terranova to nearby Figari (now Golfo Aranci), extending
the railway, leaving only freight and military traffic to the
former. Only in 1920, following a popular uprising and the incessant
parliamentary battles of the deputy Giacomo Pala, later known as "Mr
Terranova", the service in Terranova was reactivated, which gave a
greater impetus to the economic, commercial and demographic revival
of the center which had begun in the last years of the previous
century, while, following the expansion and quaying of the port, the
maritime station was inaugurated in 1930. The Villa Tamponi dates
back to this period, built in 1870 in neoclassical style with a
surrounding park; the Scolastico complex (elementary schools) in
Corso Umberto, built in 1911, in which the new town hall of Olbia is
located; the town hall, dating from the early twentieth century in
liberty and neo-gothic forms;
In the First World War in
November 1917 the 10th FBA Section was born on 4 FBA Type H which in
August 1918 became the 278th Squadron.
In 1922, fascism was still not very rooted in Sardinia, the
fascists on the island were a few hundred, concentrated in Cagliari
and in the mining areas of the Iglesiente (where the movement was
confused with the overseers of the mines), but enjoyed the great
sympathy of the Public Security Guards. The march on Rome did not
radically change the balance of power, even if it pushed the
notabiliate, public officials and the bourgeoisie to approach the
regime, especially after the wounding of the anti-fascist deputy
Emilio Lussu and the serious incidents of November 27, 1922 in
Cagliari (with the unpunished murder of the anti-fascist Efisio
Melis), which clarified how the state and fascism were now closely
allied. Olbia (or Terranova as it was known at the time), remained a
substantially anti-fascist city, with a radical majority, and strong
socialist and democratic presences, as well as a strong sympathy for
nascent shareholding. The few fascists in the city organized a
surprise assault together with squadrons from central Italy: about
200 fascists left for Sardinia, with two machine guns and small
arms. These, in the light of dawn, "stormed" the city, gathering the
most prominent anti-fascists, still half naked, in a square and
forcing them to drink castor oil in a ceremony of the so-called
"patriotic baptism". It was the first time in Sardinia that the
fascists made use of castor oil, already widespread on the continent
for 3 years, Emilio Lussu, with irony, commented that "The island
has always followed the progress of the nation late". Only one of
the prisoners refused to drink, despite death threats, and was
severely beaten, while another anti-fascist was forced to praise
fascism. It was one of the most serious political violence of that
year in Sardinia, which took place with the connivance of the Public
Security Guards and other police forces.
During the Fascist
period, the ancient Roman name (Olbia) was restored by royal decree
of 4 August 1939, the hamlet of San Pantaleo, detached from the
dissolved municipality of Nuchis, was also aggregated and regular
air connections with the peninsula were made by seaplanes. On 14 May
1943 Olbia was heavily bombed by the allies, at least 22 people died
under the rubble of the town hall and the center. Together with
Cagliari the city pays a high blood tribute to the Second World War.
Reclaimed the territory and eradicated the presence of malaria, during the second half of the twentieth century and in particular since the sixties, the city has grown economically and demographically under the pressure of the tourist discovery of the north-eastern coast of Sardinia (Costa Smeralda, Maddalena Archipelago , Santa Teresa), of which it becomes the main reference and service center. On 31 August 2006, with a statutory resolution of the Provincial Council, the definitive choice of the capital of the Province of Olbia-Tempio was formalized: "The Presidency of the Province, with the President, the Provincial Council and the Provincial Council with its own council bodies are based in Olbia, where the legal, main administrative and operational headquarters of the entity are located.The municipality of Olbia in 2006 obtained from Eurispes recognition as a municipality of excellence of the Italian administrative system for administrative and management capacity.
Among the most important public works carried out in this period are: the ITAV offices and fire brigade barracks at the Olbia airport (1974), by the architect. Francesco Cellini; the church of the Holy Family, by the arch. Vico Mossa; the Theater on the Gulf of Olbia, designed by the architect. Giovanni Michelucci with Quart Progetti and his latest work (1990); the Terranova shopping center, designed by the architect. Aldo Rossi; the Archaeological Museum, designed by the architect. Giovanni Maciocco; the Agorà commercial and residential complex in viale Aldo Moro, designed by the architect. Dante Benini (1995-2000); the expansion of the Costa Smeralda airport (2004), designed by the architect. Willem Brouwer with the graphic consultancy of the Mijksenaar Bureau. The city has two civil hospitals (San Giovanni di Dio hospital in viale Aldo Moro and Giovanni Paolo II hospital in via Bazzoni - Sircana) and a hospital of excellence (Marter Olbia Hospital), it is the local headquarters of the Revenue Agency, local health authority (ASL) n. 2 of Olbia (which merges from 1996 the previous ASL n.3 of Tempio and n.4 of Olbia and with competence extended to the entire province), of the Port Authority, of the Port Authority of Olbia-Golfo Aranci, of the Natural marine protected area Tavolara - Punta Coda Cavallo (including territories located in the municipalities of Olbia, Loiri Porto San Paolo and San Teodoro), as well as the headquarters of the social security offices (INPS complex agency) and of the Public Vehicle Register (PRA). Since 2005 the provisional seat of the Province of Olbia-Tempio has been established (first in the headquarters of the "Riviera di Gallura" mountain community in via Nanni, then in the new headquarters, also in via Nanni), where the presidency is currently based and where the Board and the Council of the Body meet. With DPR 11 September 2008, n. 161 (published in the Official Gazette no. 248 of 22 October 2008), the Olbia Maritime Directorate was established, and the companies of the Carabinieri and the Finance Police were also elevated to the rank of territorial departments.
The city of Olbia overlooks the gulf of the same name and extends into the surrounding plain (which also takes its name from the city), bordered by a mountain range. The municipal territory, with an area of 383.64 km², ranks 23rd among the Italian municipalities by extension.
The city is
characterized by a Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and
hot, dry summers. Precipitation is concentrated mainly in the winter
and autumn months.
On November 18, 2013 it was subjected to a
violent flood, due to the passage of cyclone Cleopatra, which caused
the death of 9 people. The cyclone hit other areas of eastern
Gallura and the Baronia, causing a total of 19 victims.
Rudalza is a small town of around 700 inhabitants located on the
north-eastern coast of Sardinia.
Fraction of the municipality of
Olbia under the name of Rudalza-Porto Rotondo. It extends between the
western part of the Gulf of Cugnana and the Gulf of Marinella. A passing
point along the road to the tourist center of Porto Rotondo, the place
is characterized by the lack of a real centre, but is equipped with
primary schools, a church, a supermarket, a newsstand, a petrol station
and several bars and restaurants.
Rudalza can also be reached by
the Cagliari – Golfo Aranci railway. The small center enjoys a position
near the sea, in the countryside, 3 km from the tourist resort of Porto
Rotondo, 9 from the city of Olbia and the same number from the town of
Golfo Aranci.
The hamlet of Pittulongu, with 1,092 residents (as
of 31 December 2010), is about 10 kilometers from the Gallura capital
and extends for about 4 kilometers along the coast towards the territory
of Golfo Aranci. The Parish of Santa Maria del Mare, in the Forania of
San Simplicio, is located in Pittulongu, in the Mare e Rocce area, and
includes an area of 2,790 inhabitants. Its beaches of fine white sand
are Playa, Squalo, Pellicano, Mare e Rocce and Bados. An important
tourist and natural centre, it is the subject of investment by the
municipality for its development. Nearby is the Sacred Well of Sa Testa.
Other hamlets of Olbia are San Pantaleo, Berchiddeddu (the latter
administrative island), Murta Maria, all of notable interest and tourist
development. The islands of Tavolara and Molara also belong to the
municipality of Olbia.
Today Olbia is the main economic center of Gallura and north-eastern
Sardinia, the main activities include mussel farming, the food industry
(A's Do Mar, although previously canned tuna was produced under the
Palmera brand, taken over by Bolton Group and now produced in
Cermenate), the extraction and processing of granite and trade (Auchan,
Terranova and Gallura shopping centres); Also noteworthy is a notable
shipbuilding activity, especially in support of medium-large pleasure
craft.
Its proximity to the Costa Smeralda, a tourist area known
throughout the world which is less than 30 km away, makes it its main
service centre. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in
the hotel offering, with the restructuring, expansion or creation from
scratch of medium-sized hotel structures, some of which are affiliated
with important international ITI hotel chains (with Sardinian capital,
with hotels and resorts worldwide), Hilton (under the Doubletree brand)
and Mercure.
Rich in well-known tourist settlements, it is equipped with infrastructures that make it a very important tourist center for the entire island. Olbia is an economic engine of the province and one of the most important in the region. The main tourist ports in the municipality of Olbia are: Olbia, Porto Rotondo, Portisco, Poltu Cuadu, Marina di Olbia.
Soccer
The oldest football team in the city is Olbia Calcio 1905,
which in the 2022-23 season participates in the Serie C championship,
group B.
The other men's teams are La Salette, playing in the
Sardinian Second Category championship, Tavolara, MB Orange and Rudalza
participating in the Third Category championship
basketball
For basketball, Santa Croce Basket Olbia plays in regional C (in the
past it has constantly played in championships such as B1 and B2), while
Pallacanestro Olimpia plays in D.
Bowls
The ASD Circolo
Bocciofilo Gallura of Olbia, founded in 1978 and member of the FIB, is
active in the city.
Cycling
The most important cycling team in
Olbia is the Società Ciclistica Terranova which, since 1951, has won
hundreds of victories and dozens of regional championships. The Fancello
Cicli Terranova Sports Group won the 2006 World Championship in the
Master Category with Nico Mu and the 2006 Italian Mountain Mountain
Championship with Alessandro Fancello.
Volleyball
There are 2
national level volleyball clubs in the city: Pallavolo Olbia founded in
1978 and which has played in the national men's Serie B championship for
16 of the last 20 years and Volley Hermaea Olbia. For the seventh
consecutive year in the 2020-21 season, the Volley Hermaea Olbia
volleyball team participates in the national women's A2 series
championship.
Chess
The Olbia Chess Club team currently plays
(2021) in the A2 series. Among the top players, we remember one above
all Giampaolo Buchicchio, two-time Italian under 20 champion (2002;
2004) and FIDE Master. The Olbia Chess Club saw the team play, first
among the Sardinians, in the A1 series of the National Team Championship
in 2005.
Tennis
In 2005 the Geovillage Tennis Team won the
Serie A championship. The first time for a Sardinian club. Olbia
Challenger 1998.
Watersports
The Multa Maria beach has hosted
windsurfing as the main sport for years, while the Le Saline beach hosts
not only windsurfing but also kitesurfing.
Martial arts
For
the first time in the history of the Italian Taekwondo Federation,
Sardinia hosts an Italian Cadet Championship, right in the city of
Olbia, in the 2016 edition.
Since 2018 the Aquabike World Championship (jet ski) has returned and
takes place every year in Olbia. On the occasion of the stage held from
1 to 2 June 2019, the organizers took advantage of the coincidence with
Republic Day to welcome back the Navy training ship Amerigo Vespucci
through an open sea parade with the World Championship competitors. The
Italian stage was the most attended of the world championship with 128
registered athletes from 28 different nations. This sport had already
been carried out previously in 2003 and 2004 in the waters facing the
Benedetto Brin pier, in the internal gulf.
Since 2004 and for 9
consecutive years it has hosted the headquarters of the Rally d'Italia -
Sardinia, a valid event for the WRC Rally world championship. The very
spectacular rally runs along the dirt roads of Gallura and Monteacuto.
The 2008 edition started on the 15th and ended on the 18th of May with
the victory of Sébastien Loeb. The 2009 edition took place from 21st to
24th May, with the starting ceremony held, after a short parade in the
city, in front of Olbia's municipal building. In 2014 the main
headquarters moved to Alghero. Since 1978 the Costa Smeralda Rally has
been held on the dirt roads around the city. Also in the city's
hinterland is the Rally Città di Olbia, which reached its fifth edition
in 2009 and is valid for the islands trophy (Sardinia-Corsica).
On 2 May 2007 it hosted the start of the first stage of the
cross-country world championship, starting from Piazza Crispi.
On
13 July 2009 it hosted the Sardinian Supermotard Grand Prix, the fourth
round of the Supermoto S1 World Championship, held at the industrial
port.
From 30 September 2013 to 5 October 2013 it hosted the
100th edition of the ISDE, International Six Days of Enduro.
On 9
February 2005, the Bruno Nespoli stadium in Olbia hosted the football
match between the Under 21 national teams of Italy and Russia, the
Azzurrini defeated the Russians of the same age 2 to 1.
On May
26, 1991, the 1st stage of the Giro d'Italia started and ended in Olbia
with the victory of the Frenchman Philippe Casado. In 1992 the Italian
cycling championship was held with the victory of Marco Giovannetti.
In 2005, Maestro Mario Rama's gym took first place in the beginner
category and second and third in the expert category in the Italian
self-defense championship held in the city of Alessandria.
On 21
July 2007, the 21st Terra Sarda Athletics meeting took place at the
Angelo Caocci stadium for the first time in the city.
Between 5
and 6 May 2017 the city was respectively the arrival and departure
location of the first two stages of the Giro d'Italia: the first
starting from Alghero and the second finishing in Tortolì.
From
30 September to 7 October 2017, Olbia hosted the 9th Judo & Kata World
Veterans Championship, at the PalAltoGusto of the GeoVillage, which saw
the participation of over 1,300 athletes from 60 countries. During this
sporting event, the twins from Olbia Francesco and Raimondo Degortes
both won the gold medal in the M1 60 kg and M1 66 kg categories
respectively. The Degortes twins then repeated the following year in
Mexico, winning a gold medal (Francesco) and a silver medal (Raimondo)
in the tenth edition of the competition.
Between 6 and 10 October
2021, the 24th edition of the World Junior Judo Championships took place
at the Geopalace in Olbia, which saw the participation of 490 athletes
from 72 nations.