The city of Ostra can be found lying in a panoramic position on one of the lush green hills that rises gently to the right of the Misa river valley. The township of Medieval origin was, until 1881, named Montalboddo. Inside, many interesting and historic architectural and artistic landmarks are still visible, as well as the town's urban Medieval imprint with a large part of the ancient walls still intact.
The legend attributed to this borgo's name relates that after the battle of 410 A.D. which witnessed the destruction wrought by the Visigoths, the population sought refuge in the hills owned by a citizen called Bodio, and there they stayed, eriging a new habitat and calling it “Monte Bodio”.
After 1881, the ancient name of Ostra was restored, being a Roman municipality rising in the valley of the river Misa about nine kilometres from the borgo in a place called “Le Muracce”. There was no mention of either a castle or an abbey until the XII century; the name “Monte Bodio” for the castle appeared for the first time in 1194, at a time when the commune was already formed.
Ostra of today therefore, as typically Medieval origins, so it was in the Middle Ages that the area began to develop an intense cultural-social activity. Belonging to the Exarchate of Ravenna, in 1230, Ostra managed to ease a way from its dominion, coming instead under the control of Jesi soon after. There followed frequent battle and power struggles between Guelphs and Ghibellines which led to uncountable assaults on the city, sackings and even internal conflicts in the same community, until, in 1320 the free commune of Ostra fell under the power of the Romagnole nobles, Paganelli. Together with all the Castles of that time, they could only submit the dominion of the strongest nobles or the most daring of the mercenary leaders who governed the city from the end of the 1300s to the first half of the 1400s.
It was only in 1454 that the inhabitants managed to drive out the last of the Paganelli and Malatesta families, placing the city under direct control of the Church: in the circumstances the population decided to knock down their Castle which for so long had been the lair of so many tyrants.
The era of the nobles had left serious damage, above all to the city's economy and by reducing the population by one third. In spite of the plague, the droughts and the famine, under the Church's domination the population started to grow again, so much that the perimeter walls and the neighbouring territory where no longer sufficient to contain and satisfy all.
The people started to cultivate further afield and so began a rural settlement with the building of one farmhouse on a single holding, which is still how the countryside looks today. The city's economy, principally agricultural, experienced a long flourishing period until the XVI century began a remarkable increase in the number of noble families becoming owners of lands sold by the commune.
It was this search for public power that fuelled hostility and rivalry among the various families leading to full-blown feuds causing bloodshed, murder, carnage of every kind, before peace was sanctioned that brought a truce to all the noble families of Ostra.
Between 1600 and 1700 Ostra enjoyed a long period of peace thanks to the amount of capital resulting from agriculture and the low cost of labour; the Patrician families built their palaces, religious orders erected their convents, the civil authorities their communal palace.
All the noble palaces and churches were stuccoed and enriched of paintings and other works of art; due to its fame, in 1790, Pope Pius VI bestowed in Ostra the title of city. In the XIX and XX century, the city fell in with the rest of Italy becoming part and parcel of the Reign of Italy in 1860.
“The Sprevengoli”, according to popular local tradition are spirits who disturb sleeping people by jumping on their chests and giving them a fright. In order to exorcise the fear of these night visitors in a fun way, Ostra organises the last weekend in August a series of shows and entertainments along the most beautiful streets and byways; the atmosphere is magical and mysterious with extravagant decorations. More than ten ancient taverns scattered about the “centro storico” compete to provide the best and tastiest menus.
Don't be surprised if, among the tables and along the vaults, you catch sight of monstrous spiders, ghosts and horrible witches.
Oddity: the “headless”, so the Roman-Era statues are called by the citizens of Osimo. This name derives from the singular Osiman legend according to which General Trivulzio was the perpetrator, the “executioner” of the statues to be seen in the hall of the Town Hall, beheading them after the Battle of Porco.

Monuments

The city walls
Torre Civica
Collegiata di Santa Croce
Chiesa di San Francesco
Santuario del SS Crocifisso
Palazzo dei Padri Conventuali
Palazzo Gabuzzi Fedeli Luzi
Palazzo Sanzi Pericoli

In the outskirts...
Santuario della Madonna della Rosa
The borgo of Belvedere Ostrense
The borgo of San Marcello
The borgo of Morro d'Alba