Discover Ostra

Ostra combines a historic townscape with theater, church art, and a setting above the Misa Valley. If you are looking for a hotel for a stay in the Marche region, you might consider whether architectural history and art, an annual event, or the landscape and regional specialties should shape your stay.

Teatro La Vittoria and Cultural Events

Teatro La Vittoria combines theater history with remarkable architectural details. Its current structure, integrated into the town hall, dates from 1863. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium has 29 boxes; historic stage machinery that still works has been preserved above the stage. After extensive renovation work, the theater reopened on January 6, 1998. Since then, it has hosted plays, children's and youth theater, concerts, and amateur activities every year. If you would like to attend a performance, check the current program.

Churches and Works of Art

The Basilica Collegiata di Santa Croce was built after the year 1000 and initially served as a Benedictine abbey. It is located in the lower part of the old town and was granted the title of minor basilica on November 3, 2008. The Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso dates from 1333. Its works of art include a life-size wooden crucifix from the early 18th century, created by the sculptor Bartolomeo Silvestri da Verrucchio.

The Chiesa di San Francesco and its adjoining Conventual Franciscan monastery date back at least to 1279. Inside the church are frescoes by Filippo Bellini and several paintings by Ercole Ramazzani. Relics of Saint Gaudentius of Rimini are also venerated there, probably since the 15th century. The Chiesa di San Rocco preserves paintings by Giovanni Brandi da Poli, from the workshop of Pietro da Cortona, and probably from the workshop of Federico Barocci. The church also has an organ dating from 1771 by Gaetano Callido of Padua.

The Santuario della Madonna della Rosa was built between 1748 and 1754 around the original chapel. Its late Baroque ground plan is shaped like a Greek cross; the facade and bell tower were added between 1887 and 1891 in the Neo-Baroque style. In one of its chapels, the Santuario preserves numerous votive offerings and two Turkish flags dating from 1717.

Museum and Townscape

The Museo Città di Ostra is currently housed temporarily in a room on the first floor and along the gallery of the 18th-century Palazzo dei Padri Conventuali. Among the museum's most significant paintings are a canvas by Andrea Sacchi (1599–1661) and a work by the French painter Francesco Perrier (1587 or 1590–1650). Palazzo Gabuzzi Fedeli Luzi also offers insight into 17th-century architectural forms: its small balconies and curved wrought-iron railings are characteristic features. Inside are valuable paintings and a chapel dedicated to Saint Pius V.

The medieval town walls are about 1,200 meters long; nine towers with square ground plans still remain. In Ostra Bassa, also known as the lower town, regular, symmetrical streets shape the townscape. They date back to a layout planned between 1280 and 1350 around the Abbey of Santa Croce. Ostra Alta includes the Rocca and typical winding, circular medieval streets. These distinct forms give the town's history a physical dimension.

Getting There, Annual Events, and Regional Specialties

The municipal access directions, updated in April 2024, lead from the A14 via the Senigallia exit and the SP 360 toward Ostra. Check the route again before setting out. For bus travel, the directions list Autolinee Bucci from Senigallia station to Ostra; check the current timetable before traveling. A fair is held every October for the festival honoring the town's patron saint, San Gaudenzio. The tradition is documented from 1670. If this event matters for your trip, check the dates for the relevant year.

Ostra sits on a hill overlooking the Misa Valley and the characteristic landscape of the Marche region. The town's wine profile includes Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Lacrima di Morro d'Alba. Sapori di Ostra promotes local varieties through themed gatherings and tastings, among other activities; check the current dates. In the area around Ostra, most extra-virgin olive oil is made from the distinctive Raggia variety. A stay in Ostra thus combines historic buildings and art with landscape and regional flavors.

Discover more destinations: Serra Deʼ Conti, Caudino, Trecastelli, Corinaldo, Cerquete, Senigallia, Monte San Vito, San Biagio.

For the broader travel overview: Ancona.