Olbia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɔlbja] ,[2][3] locally [ˈolbja]; Sardinian: Terranoa; Gallurese: Tarranoa)[4] is a city and commune of 60,346 inhabitants (May 2018) in the Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called Olbia in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle Ages (Judicates period) and the Terranova Pausania until the 1940s, Olbia has again been the official name of the city since the fascist period.

Olbia
Terranoa (Sardinian)
Tarranoa (Gallurese)
Comune di Olbia
November 2014 aerial photograph of Olbia. The airport and the harbour are both visible.
November 2014 aerial photograph of Olbia. The airport and the harbour are both visible.
Coat of arms of Olbia
Location of Olbia
Map
Olbia is located in Italy
Olbia
Olbia
Location of Olbia in Sardinia
Olbia is located in Sardinia
Olbia
Olbia
Olbia (Sardinia)
Coordinates: 40°55′N 09°30′E / 40.917°N 9.500°E / 40.917; 9.500
CountryItaly
RegionSardinia
ProvinceSassari
FrazioniBerchiddeddu, Murta Maria, Pittulongu, Rudalza-Porto Rotondo, San Pantaleo
Government
 • MayorSettimo Nizzi
Area
 • Total383.64 km2 (148.12 sq mi)
Population
 (30 May 2018)[1]
 • Total60,345
 • Density160/km2 (410/sq mi)
DemonymOlbiesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
07026
Dialing code0789
Patron saintSt. Simplicius
Saint dayMay 15
WebsiteOfficial website

History

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Although the name is of Greek origin, due to the Greek presence during the seventh century B.C., the city of Olbia was first settled either by the Nuragics[5] or by Phoenicians, according to the archaeological findings. It contains ruins from the Nuragic era to the Roman era, when it was an important port, and the Middle Ages, when it was the capital of the Giudicato of Gallura, one of the four independent states of Sardinia. During the First Punic War, the Romans fought against the Carthaginians and the Sardinians near Olbia, where the general Hanno died in battle.[citation needed]

 
San Simplicio

From 1113 it was the episcopal see of the Diocese of Cività (succeeding to the Diocese of Gallura, the 1070 restoration of the Diocese of Fausania, c. 500–750), which was renamed in 1839 as Diocese of Civita–Tempio until its formal suppression in favor of (in fact merger into) the Diocese of Tempio–Ampurias (also integrating the Diocese of Ampurias, which was in personal union with the see of Civita from 1506).[citation needed]

Geography

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Harbour

It is the economic centre of this part of the island (commercial centres, food industry) and is very close to the Costa Smeralda tourist area. It was one of the administrative capitals of the province of Olbia-Tempio, operative since 2005 and canceled after a referendum seven years later. Olbia is a tourist destination thanks to its sea and beaches and also for the large number of places of cultural interest to visit.

Climate

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Olbia has a Mediterranean climate (Csa), with mild winters, warm springs and autumns and hot summers.

Climate data for Olbia, Sardinia
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.1
(77.2)
24.5
(76.1)
28.0
(82.4)
27.8
(82.0)
35.0
(95.0)
39.9
(103.8)
47.4
(117.3)
41.0
(105.8)
38.3
(100.9)
33.3
(91.9)
29.0
(84.2)
24.0
(75.2)
47.4
(117.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 14.6
(58.3)
15.2
(59.4)
16.5
(61.7)
18.4
(65.1)
22.7
(72.9)
27.6
(81.7)
30.5
(86.9)
30.8
(87.4)
27.0
(80.6)
22.2
(72.0)
17.8
(64.0)
15.4
(59.7)
21.6
(70.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.2
(41.4)
5.9
(42.6)
6.3
(43.3)
8.2
(46.8)
11.3
(52.3)
15.4
(59.7)
18.3
(64.9)
18.5
(65.3)
15.9
(60.6)
11.8
(53.2)
8.0
(46.4)
6.1
(43.0)
10.9
(51.6)
Record low °C (°F) −3.6
(25.5)
−3.0
(26.6)
−2.5
(27.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
3.9
(39.0)
7.0
(44.6)
12.0
(53.6)
10.0
(50.0)
8.9
(48.0)
4.0
(39.2)
−1.4
(29.5)
−4.2
(24.4)
−4.2
(24.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 47.3
(1.86)
72.6
(2.86)
63.4
(2.50)
56.1
(2.21)
37.4
(1.47)
18.4
(0.72)
6.4
(0.25)
28.1
(1.11)
40.8
(1.61)
58.4
(2.30)
55.6
(2.19)
97.9
(3.85)
582.4
(22.93)
Average precipitation days 7 8 8 8 4 3 1 3 5 5 6 9 67
Average relative humidity (%) 70 69 65 66 66 58 60 63 67 65 72 72 66
Mean monthly sunshine hours 127 138 186 213 279 312 360 316 249 195 138 118 2,631
Source: Aeronautica Militare [6][7]

Main sights

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Archaeological museum
 
Porto Istana beach and Tavolara island

Sport

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Olbia Calcio 1905 represents Olbia in Serie C, the third division of Italian football. Olbia hosted several legs of Aquabike World Championship (powerboating) in 2003, 2004, 2018, 2019.

Transport

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Olbia Airport departures area

Olbia is one of the main connections between Sardinia and the Italian peninsula, with an airport (Olbia – Costa Smeralda), a passenger port (Olbia-Isola Bianca), and a railway from Olbia railway station to Porto Torres, Golfo Aranci and Cagliari. There is an expressway to Nuoro and Cagliari (SS131) and national roads to Sassari (SS199-E840), Tempio Pausania (SS127) and Palau (SS125).

Local transport

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The internal city public transport and bus connections with the surrounding areas are provided by the ASPO[8] (Olbia's public service company), while vehicle connections with the other centers of the territory are provided by the ARST[9] (Sardinian regional transport company). Other private carriers operate with lines under concession.

Hospitals

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Mater Olbia

The major hospitals in the area are:

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References

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  1. ^ Population data from Istat.
  2. ^ Migliorini, Bruno; Tagliavini, Carlo; Fiorelli, Piero. Tommaso Francesco Borri (ed.). "Dizionario italiano multimediale e multilingue d'ortografia e di pronunzia". dizionario.rai.it. Rai Eri. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  3. ^ Canepari, Luciano. "Dizionario di pronuncia italiana online". dipionline.it. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  4. ^ Olbia e la sua storia: arrivata la cartellonistica con i toponimi storici – Olbia.it.
  5. ^ Pittau, Massimo (2007). Storia dei sardi nuragici (in Italian). Selargius: Domus de janas. ISBN 978-88-88569-39-0. OCLC 876584347. Noi respingiamo con decisione la tesi sostenuta di recente da qualcuno secondo cui Olbia sarebbe stata fondata dai Cartaginesi nel 350 a.C., e sosteniamo invece che non si possa dubitare per nulla del fatto che il sito di Olbia fosse stato occupato in epoca molto più antica dai Nuragici. Lo dimostra all'evidenza innanzitutto il fatto che tutto il retroterra olbiese è risultato ricco di monumenti e reperti nuragici – si pensi al pozzo sacro di 'Sa Testa' ed inoltre al santuario fortificato di 'Cabu Abbas'-, in secondo luogo la circostanza che ai Nuragici non poteva sfuggire l'importanza enorme della baia di Olbia come insenatura difesa dai venti e quindi adattissima alla pesca, all'estrazione del sale ed alla navigazione.
  6. ^ "Climate Statistics for Olbia, Sardinia". Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  7. ^ "16531: Olbia / Costa Smeralda (Italy)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  8. ^ "ASPO Trasporto Pubblico Olbia". ASPO. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  9. ^ "ARST - - Home". www.arst.sardegna.it. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  10. ^ "ASSL Olbia - Servizi al cittadino - Ospedali - Giovanni Paolo II". www.aslolbia.it. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  11. ^ "ASSL Olbia - Servizi al cittadino - Ospedali - Paolo Dettori". www.aslolbia.it. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  12. ^ "ASSL Olbia - Servizi al cittadino - Ospedali - Paolo Merlo". www.aslolbia.it. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
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