Osimo

Osimo (anc. Vetus Auximum) is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the province of Ancona, 15 kilometres (9 mi) south of that town by rail. It is on a hill near the Adriatic Sea. Silk-spinning and the raising of cocoons are carried on. 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). The restored Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (8th-12th centuries) 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. The town hall contains a number of statues found on the site of the ancient forum. The second oldest church in Osimo is that of San Giuseppe da Copertino (Saint Joseph of Cupertino), built in the 13th century. Under the town is a large series of tunnels with esoteric bas-reliefs. The new castle (1489), of which parts remain today, was built by Baccio Pontelli. People from Osimo Andrea Cionna (born in 1968), holder of the world record for the fastest marathon run by a totally blind man. Twin towns Copertino, Italy Armstrong, Argentina See also Treaty of Osimo Notes References This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Ashby, Thomas (1911). "Auximum". In Chisholm, Hugh. Encyclopædia Britannica 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 50.