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Urbs Salvia

The remains of the Roman town of Urbs Salvia, founded around the 1st Century BC, lie a short distance away from modern day Urbisaglia, 15 kilometres south-west of Macerata. The site is now preserved as an archaeological area.

The amphitheatre, built in 75-76 AD, has survived remarkably intact and is still used for summer performances of classical drama. It is oval in form, with a diameter of around 90 metres along the main axis and 70 metres along its narrower axis and stands on an area of flat ground, about 200 metres outside the town's eastern gate. It was originally entirely surrounded by a portico and had two entrances to the arena at opposite ends of the main axis, while spectators reached the auditorium through 12 vomitoria, or underground passageways.

A frescoed cryptoporticus, or enclosed gallery, surrounded what was once probably a temple to the goddess Salus Augusta.

The vast cistern on the northern edge of the town, comprising two long identical chambers with an overall storage capacity of around 100 cubic metres, was once fed by an underground aqueduct carrying water from the distant Apennine mountains.

In addition to the amphitheatre, there is also a theatre, 104 metres wide, built before 23 AD on the hillside below the medieval town of Urbisaglia. The remains of both its stage and semi-circular auditorium are clearly visible.

The many archaeological finds unearthed on the site are now housed in a nearby museum, including portraits and sculptures found during excavations on the site of the theatre.

By the 1st Century AD Urbs Salvia had become a powerful town, producing a number of illustrious figures, before being destroyed by the Visigoths under the leadership of Alaric in 409-410 AD.