Description : The Archaeological Park of Urbs Salvia is situated in the comune of Urbisaglia (Province of Macerata), in the Marches, Italy. It is the largest archaeological park in the region. The city, located in the V Regio Picenum, was founded as a colonia during the 2nd century BC. It was the birthplace of some leading figures of the Roman Empire, such as the consul Gaius Fufius Geminus and Lucius Flavius Silva Nonius Bassus. Urbs Salvia was sacked by the Visigoths in 408–10 AD, and suffered destruction over the years from earthquakes and plundering. The decadence of the town is described by the poet Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) in his Divine Comedy (Paradiso, XVI, 73-78): If Luni thou regard, and Urbisaglia, How they have passed away, and how are passing Chiusi and Senigallia after them, To hear how races waste themselves away Will seem to thee no novel thing nor hard Seeing that even cities have an end. Archaeological Park The Archaeological Park of Urbs Salvia is exceptional on account of the ease with which the overall building plan can be deciphered. The itinerary starts at the Archaeological Museum which houses, among other things, epigraphs, statues and portraits that were excavated in Urbisaglia from the middle of the 18th century onwards.
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