We must admit, Olbia does not have the same cultural and archaeological heritage as Pompeii but in its small way, thanks to the great enhancement work done in recent years, it can finally show the whole world its riches.
Much of the credit goes to the Archeolbia association which for a long time has contributed to the dissemination of valuable information on the immense treasure that our city has.
A walk in the moonlight
We decided to go and experience their work first hand and we took part in one of the guided tours they organize, in the cool of an early September evening: Olbia in one night.
We met at 9.30 pm next to the Town Hall, what was once the old port and forum of the city. Then we continued on the Decumanus Maximus, today Corso Umberto.
After a few minutes’ walk we stopped for a first stop at the Simpliciana library, a historic building that has often changed its use over time.
Departing in the direction of the nearby via delle Terme, we made one of the most interesting discoveries of this tour: in a basement of a building, now used as a hotel, it is possible to visit a perfectly preserved monumental cistern which represents the final stretch of the Roman aqueduct that it carried water for three kilometers from Cabu Abbas to the city baths.
Emerging from the subsoil we listened to the explanation of what we were about to visit in the next stop: Su Cuguttu, the top, that is the acropolis of the city. Today the church of San Paolo stands here, built on what was once the temple of Melqart and Hercules.
A walk in time
From the Roman period we move to the medieval period, once again crossing the Decumano to visit the Carreras Bezzas and their curious inscriptions. From here we take a leap to the present day to Piazza Matteotti, in the center of which stands the only active fountain in the city enriched by a bronze statue by the Olbiese sculptor Varalto: the Trivenere.
Let’s then take another step back in time to get to the last stop of our visit: the city walls from the Punic era which, among the finds of this type, are the longest in the world.
Here ends our interesting evening walk through the streets of the city with a new awareness:
Olbia has a richer historical and cultural heritage than it seems.
If you too want to discover something interesting and curious you can book one of the tours
by calling +39 345 632 8150, by writing to archeolbia@gmail.com or by visiting the Facebook page Archeolbia