Olbia

Olbia: Church of San Simplicio

Olbia, town, northeastern Sardinia, Italy, on the Gulf of Olbia, an inlet of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Originating as the Greek colony of Olbia, it later passed to the Romans and was the scene in 259 bc of a Roman victory over the Carthaginian general Hanno. Largely rebuilt in 1198 by Pisan colonists, who called it Terranova Pausania (a name it retained until 1939), it was an important centre of the medieval giudicato (judiciary circuit, a territorial division) of Gallura, the capital of which, Tempio Pausania, lies inland. There are traces of Phoenician and Roman tombs, and the Pisan Romanesque Church of San Simplicio is notable.

Olbia is the principal Sardinian passenger port for connections with the Italian mainland at Civitavecchia, and trade, fishing, and cork working are important. The town is growing with the development of tourism on Sardinia’s northeast coast. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 49,082.