The ancient trades in marche by Marche Tourism

THE ANCIENT TRADES IN MARCHE

A journey to discover the ancient trades

A seam of culture and ancient traditions runs through Marche that risks remaining unknown not only by travellers who visit this land, but also by its inhabitants. Protected by the stone walls around small towns, you can still find many artisans who were once employed in local agriculture. This same population is the one Corrado Alvaro said was “full of workers: who still work with wrought iron and who have learnt the old trades well, smiths and carpenters, good builders…”. Capable and inventive, they knew how to meet every need: the blacksmith, who also worked as a farrier, bent iron into elegant scrolls; the carpenter, known locally as the marangone, built coloured birocci (twowheeled carts) and chests for brides; the builder, swapping clay for bricks, helped the potter. Women’s work was equally important: linen fabrics printed with rust- or blue-coloured patterns and woven fabrics made up the bride’s dowry (an old Marche proverb says “Donna co’ la conocchia / fortunati a quilli che tocca” “Woman with a distaff / lucky he who gets her). While in Offida the lacemakers, who are still working, made precious embroidery on the bobbin and in Falerone and Acquaviva Picena expert hands wove, with great patience, useful paiarole, straw or wicker baskets. While it’s true that many ancient trades, mainly associated with share-cropping, are disappearing and being absorbed by industrialisation (such as the carpenters in the Pesaro area or the shoemakers in the Fermo area), it

is still undeniable that an extraordinary world thrives in old villages across Marche where, among keeps and bell towers, alleys, small squares, theatres, museums, near crowded beaches or old farmhouses, you can still meet men and women keeping traditional trades alive, using their ability and creativity to mix ancient skills with today’s tastes. In fact, the tradition of artistic craftwork is so widespread in the region that it’s quite difficult to point out the best-known places and the most characteristic products; just think of the street names in the town centres and how many times we see: via dei vasari (potters street), degli orefici (goldsmiths street), della cartiera (paperworks street), della lana (wool street), or borgo conce (tanners square), porta del cuoio (leather gate), or fonte canapina (hemp spring). The journalist Ermete Grifoni wrote wittily: “Ask someone from Marche what the typical Marche product is and he’ll have trouble

answering. Or perhaps better, you’ll get some interesting answers. If the person is from Ancona, he will tell you accordions. If he’s from Ascoli, it’ll be straw hats. If he’s from Macerata, then it’s shoes and if he’s from Pesaro, it’s pottery”. But that’s not all, because alongside these now consolidated traditions, are many ancient trades of various types: smiths who specialise in working wrought iron and copper; leather workers who produce parchment objects, elegant items of furniture and clothing accessories; paper makers, specialists in restoration and in various woodworking techniques; goldsmiths and silversmiths, armourers, musical instrument makers, including luthiers and organ makers, tapestry weavers, textile designers, carpet weavers, embroiderers and lacemakers, master glassmakers, and again, stone, straw and cane workers, pipe manufacturers, bell makers, and watchmakers. So much so that the Region has created an initiative, “1M Marche craftwork excellence”, to enhance, promote and protect this artistic and productive universe which can claim more than 2,550 workshops around the region. Through the twelve itineraries found on the following pages, you can choose to enjoy the pleasure of discovering the ancient trades. Combine a visit to a workshop to do some shopping with a visit to one of the many museums of folk traditions and to the small and lively markets of artistic craftwork. Given the liveliness and dynamism that characterise the artisan world, the attached list, indicating the craft workshops, may seem incomplete. If this is the case, please tell us what is missing so that we can continuously update this work.

1. Pietrarubbia 2. Sassocorvaro 3. Urbania 4. Sant’Angelo in Vado 1

he heart of Montefeltro is an enchanted land full of ancient villages, monasteries and castles. Worth a visit: Urbania, a fourteenth-century renaissance town, surrounded by walls and famous for the Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace) designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and Gerolamo Genga, the Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop’s Palace) and the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), as well as numerous churches full of works of art and the Parco Ducale (Duke’s Park) and the Barco, the hunting grounds of the Dukes of Urbino. Very significant is the ancient Chiesa della Compagnia della Morte (Church of the Company of Death) where twelve mummies, noted for their facial expressions, have been conserved and are on show to the public. Worth seeing in the surrounding area: Sant’Angelo in Vado, famous for truffles; Mercatello sul Metauro with mediaeval houses and the exquisite renaissance palace; the evocative alleys and the Chiesa di San Francesco (Church of St. Francis), which contains a gallery of frescos painted from the 14th to the 17th century in the Rimini and Marche styles; Lamoli, a village near Borgo Pace, dominated by the imposing Abbazia di San Michele Arcangelo (Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel); Piandimeleto, the mediaeval core of which is gathered around the fine Castello dei Conti Oliva (Castle of the Oliva Counts) with fortifications and tower; not far from the keep is the Biblioteca Ubaldiana (Ubaldian Library) with a notable ancient stock and a collection of works of art; and Lunano with the remains of the Castello degli Ubaldini (Castle of the Ubaldinis) and the Convento di San Francesco (Monastery of St. Francis) built on the summit of Monte Illuminato. Worth stopping to see: Sassocorvaro with its stu-

pendous Ubaldinesque Rocca (Keep) in the form of a ship, the product of the genius of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, which hosts the Arca dell’Arte (Art Ark) Museum; Macerata Feltria a typical old village with an ancient Castle, perched on a ridge, and the Museo Civico Archeologico e Paleontologico (Civic Archaeological and Paleontological Museum). Nearby is the modern Pitinum Thermae spa which makes use of the local sulphur waters, known in ancient times for their notable therapeutic properties; Pietrarubbia to admire the ruins of the Castle which turn red at sunset, recalling the origins of the site, “Petra Rubea”, and the historic village where you can visit a permanent exhibition of sculptures created with the TAM (Trattamento Artritico Metalli - Arthritic Treatment with Metals) Centre, in collaboration with the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro; Frontino, a mediaeval village still surrounded by walls with the notable pentagonal tower and the thirteenth-century Franciscan Monastery of Montefiorentino where you can visit the renaissance Chapel of the Oliva Counts and Giovanni Santi’s masterpiece Madonna in trono col Bambino, angeli, santi e il committente (Madonna on the Throne with Child, Angels, Saints and the Client) of 1489. Not to be missed: Carpegna, which boasts the imposing Palazzo dei Principi (Princes’ Palace) and the Pieve di San Giovanni Battista (Parish Church of St. John the Baptist), is also the headquarters of the Regional Park of Sasso Simone and Simoncello; Montecopiolo, cradle of the ancient dukedom of Urbino and now wellequipped tourist centre for both winter and summer holidays; Monte Cerignone, dominated by its Rocca (Keep), has kept, almost unchanged, its mediaeval town layout and a number of stretches of old town wall. Worth discovering: Monte Grimano with the renowned spa, Mercatino Conca and Montecalvo in Foglia with a fine mediaeval Tower.

8 25

SASSOFELTRIO

MERCATINO CONCA MONTE GRIMANO TAVOLETO MONTECOPIOLO MONTE CERIGNONE

PIETRARUBBIA

MONTECALVO IN FOGLIA

AUDITORE

MACERATA FELTRIA

SASSOCORVARO

CARPEGNA

FRONTINO

URBINO

LUNANO BELFORTE ALL'ISAURO PIANDIMELETO PEGLIO

ITINERARY

URBANIA SANT’ANGELO IN VADO MERCATELLO SUL METAURO BORGO PACE PIANDIMELETO LUNANO SASSOCORVARO MACERATA FELTRIA PIETRARUBBIA FRONTINO CARPEGNA MONTECOPIOLO MONTECERIGNONE MONTE GRIMANO MERCATINO CONCA MONTECALVO IN FOGLIA

URBANIA

SANT'ANGELO IN VADO

BORGO PACE

ACQUALAGNA

MERCATELLO SUL METAURO LAMOLI PIOBBICO

S.S

7 . 25

n this area, which reaches from the Upper Valley of the Metauro down to Val Marecchia, there are at least two points of extraordinary interest. The first is in Urbania, the ancient Castel Durante, where the majolica tradition, which became famous in the 16th century, is still thriving. Today artisans find inspiration in the ancient narrative patterns and in the elegant decorations that made Durantine pottery famous the world over. Splendid exemplars of this pottery are conserved in the collections of the Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace) and of the Museo Diocesano (Diocesan Museum). The secrets of this noble art are divulged in the summer when the Council organises educational holidays for people wishing to learn the ancient techniques. In the area there are also metal-working and wicker-working workshops. The second appointment not to be missed is in the village of Pietrarubbia where, thanks to fruitful collaboration between the Council and the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, a Centre dedicated to metals has been opened. In the workshops, courses are held on processing techniques, working with the poorest metals up to the most precious. Young people from all over Europe give shape to original creations which are then exhibited in the alleys and small squares of the historical town centre. Also worth noting are the woollen rugs and blankets being woven on hand looms and the art of pillow lace-making in Mercatello sul Metauro, the production of terracotta jars and vases in Mercatino Conca, the processing of treated and hand-painted wood in Piandimeleto, the ancient tradition of goldsmithing, wrought iron and wood in Sant’Angelo in Vado, the hand-printing of blankets, tablecloths and fabrics in Carpegna, the pottery production in Montecalvo in Foglia, Borgo Pace and Lunano.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Urbania: Urbania, un Fiore di Città, May. Sant’Angelo in Vado: National fair of Marche’s fine white truffles, October. Piandimeleto (San Sisto): Regional Mushroom Fair at San Sisto, end of September-beginning of October. Belforte all’Isauro: Market fair of honey and autumnal products, second week in October. Macerata Feltria: Market fair of antique jewellery and antiques, beginning of August. Carpegna: Curiosity market, every Sunday in July and August; Carpegna PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) Ham Festival, third weekend in July; Locality Sant’Angelo di Carpegna “Village Festival”, September. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Urbino: La Corte della Miniera - Printing Museum. Urbania: Agricultural History and Craftwork Museum. Urbania: Diocesan Museum with pottery collection. Sant’Angelo in Vado: “The Old Trades ” Museum. Borgo Pace: (Locality Ca’ Sacchia) Collection of objects from the Apennine civilisation. Lamoli: Museum of Natural Colours. Oasi di S. Benedetto (St. Benedict’s Oasis). Piandimeleto: Museum of Farm Work and Earth Sciences. Sassocorvaro: Collection of Objects from the Rural Civilisation of the Middle and Upper Foglia Valley. Pietrarubbia: Pottery Museum, Metal-working complex, Permanent Exhibition of the TAM (Trattamento Artritico Metalli Arthritic Treatment with Metals) Course. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Piandimeleto: Palio dei Conti Oliva, July. Monte Cerignone: Shooting, hunting, riding, jousting and haggling on Mons Cerignonis, July. TYPICAL PRODUCTS Many delicacies can be found here: from the tasty Crostolo, to the fine truffle of Sant’Angelo, to the numerous varieties of mushrooms, to the excellent Carpegna ham and the Montefeltro caciotta cheeses. Among the confectionery specialities from the area is the Bostrengo of the upper Metauro valley, the Bracciatelli with aniseed and the Lattarolo (milk pudding).

5. Fermignano 6. Apecchio 7. Piobbico 5

hrough villas, keeps and castles only a stone’s throw from the sea, in a short time you can reach the interior, which is brimming with artistic testimonies and beautiful landscapes. Worth admiring: Gabicce Mare, stretching along a small gulf, has an enchanting view; Gradara, famous not only for the fascinating beauty of the mediaeval village but also for its Castle, haunted by romantic memories of Paolo and Francesca. Not to be missed: the panoramic road through the Monte San Bartolo Regional Park with the picturesque villages of Casteldimezzo, Fiorenzuola di Focara, Santa Marina Alta and the jewels of Villa Imperiale, Villa Caprile and Villa Vittoria: truly unique. Worth seeing: Pesaro, the ancient Pisaurum, seat of the Dukedom of the Della Rovere family until 1631, Rocca Costanza and the treasures held in the numerous museums that evoke the atmosphere, reached by the town, of a court, Piazza del Popolo, the Town Hall, Palazzo della Paggeria, the renaissance Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace), the Civic Museums (Art Gallery and Pottery Museum), the Rossini Opera Festival (August), the Cathedral, the Oliverian Archaeological Museum, the Chiesa del Nome di Dio (Church of the Name of God), Rossini’s House and the Conservatory. Worth making a detour to see: Sant’Angelo in Lizzola, Montefabbri (a village near Corbordolo), Petriano 11

8. Urbino 9. Gradara 10. Gabicce Mare 11. Pesaro

with the Raffaello Spa. The focal point for culture and the landscape is undoubtedly the city of Urbino, a UNESCO heritage site that holds, within its ancient walls, an inestimable treasure chest of art, culture and history. Worth seeing: the famous Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace) which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (National Gallery of Marche) with masterpieces from every age, including works by Raphael, Pietro della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, Luca Signorelli, Titian and Barocci; the Chiesa di San Bernardino (Church of St. Bernardino) designed by Bramante, the Convento di Santa Chiara (Convent of St. Clare) designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the gothic Chiesa di S. Francesco (Church of St. Francis) with works by Federico Fiore Barocci, the imposing Duomo (Cathedral), the Museo Diocesano Albani (Albani Diocesan Museum), the Albornoz Fortress, the Oratorio di San Giovanni (the Oratory of St. John) with the splendid cycle of frescoes by the Salimbeni brothers, the Oratorio di S. Giuseppe (the Oratory of St. Joseph) with the sculptures of Federico Brandani and the Casa natale di Raffaello (Raphael’s family’s house). Worth visiting: Fermignano, Bramante’s birthplace, with the fine Roman bridge and the mediaeval Tower; Acqualagna, the white truffle capital; Piobbico with a well-maintained mediaeval core, the imposing Castello dei Brancaleoni (Brancaleoni Castle) and the Civic Museum which houses the permanent exhibition “Brancaleoni, Clothes and Jewels of a Noble Family”; Apecchio, a village of ancient origin with the interesting Museum of Fossils and Minerals of Monte Nerone. Worth discovering: the evocative Furlo Gorge, protected as a State Nature Reserve and the surprising forulus tunnel, dug with chisels in 76 B.C. by the Roman legions.

SAN MARINO

PESARO

GRADARA

TAVULLIA

SASSOFELTRIO

2233 .. 44

SS.S.S TAVOLETO MONTE CERIGNONE

MONTELLABATE SANT'ANGELO IN LIZZOLA MONTECICCARDO

AUDITORE MONTECALVO IN FOGLIA COLBORDOLO

MOMBAROCCIO

MACERATA FELTRIA

SASSOCORVARO

PETRIANO

CARTOCETO SALTARA SERRUNGARINA

GABICCE MARE GRADARA PESARO SANT’ANGELO IN LIZZOLA COLBORDOLO PETRIANO URBINO FERMIGNANO ACQUALAGNA PIOBBICO APECCHIO

ITINERARY

GABICCE MARE

.. 8

SS.S.S ISOLA DEL PIANO

URBINO LUNANO

MONTEFELCINO

PIANDIMELETO

ORCIANO DI PESARO FOSSOMBRONE

PEGLIO

SANT'IPPOLITO

FERMIGNANO

S BIS 73 BI S.. 73 S.S.S

BARCHI URBANIA

SANT'ANGELO IN VADO

FRATTEROSA ACQUALAGNA S. LORENZO IN CAMPO

PIOBBICO

APECCHIO

7 . 25 S.S

S.S.

424

PERGOLA

enturies of history dominated by so many illustrious families and princely patrons, could only have left significant traces of artistic craftwork around the area. Pesaro is one of the national centres of the great pottery tradition, thanks to the refined “Raphaelesque” decorations of the 16th century and to the innovations introduced by the Casali and Callegari factory (including the classic “Pesarese pink”) which operated from 1763 to 1815. The ancient tradition lives on today in the Bucci and Molaroni family workshops, the former more innovative in design, the latter more traditional in techniques and colours. The lively town is also renowned for refined metal-working, antiques and restoration of art works and books, production and repair of musical instruments (an activity particularly linked to the Conservatorio di Musica “G. Rossini” - “G. Rossini” Music School) and the creation of precious briar root pipes. Urbino stands out, not just for the majolica (the collection held in the Palazzo Ducale is notable, with works from the workshops of Patanazzi and Nicola da Urbino), but also for metals, textiles and antiques, and for the conservation of artistic historical works and, in particular, the tradition of art prints and book restoration. Along the coast and in the immediate hinterland the craft activities range from refined commonly-used objects to singular souvenirs: in Gradara and in Gabicce there are pottery workshops. In Sant’Angelo in Lizzola the working of glass, gold and wrought iron is prevalent. Worthy of note is the centuries-old tradition of working the fine Furlo stone in Acqualagna; particularly fine are the rustic rugs in rough wool woven on a loom by skilled hands in Piobbico and wrought-iron products in Apecchio and Colbordolo. In Fermignano there is woodworking, pottery production and stone-working.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Pesaro: Domo 360 – Furniture Trade Fair, June (every two years). Urbino: Urbino Antiquaria, antiques market, first Sunday of the month (from March to December); Market Fair of Old Books, every Wednesday. Acqualagna: National White Truffle Fair, October and November; Regional Fine Black Truffle Fair, February; Regional Summer Truffle Fair, August. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Pesaro: Testimonies of Rural Life in the Lower Foglia Valley. Pesaro: Washington Patrignani Maritime Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Gradara: Siege of the Castle, July. Urbino: Duke’s Festival, August. Fermignano: Palio della Rana, first Sunday after Easter; Biciclo Ottocentesco (Nineteenth-Century Bicycle), first Sunday in September. Piobbico: Renaissance Week and Palio della Pannocchia, end of August – beginning of September. TYPICAL PRODUCTS The production of the Casciotta d’Urbino, a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese, goes back centuries. Among lovers of this cheese was a certain Michelangelo Buonarroti. Acqualagna is the capital of the much sought-after White Truffle, Tuber Magnatum Pico, and the fine Black Truffle, Tuber Melanosporum Vitt. The area produces numerous varieties of truffles and mushrooms. Also worth mentioning are the Colli Pesaresi DOC wines, both White and Red.

12. Barchi 13. Serra Sant’Abbondio, Fonte Avellana 14. Fossombrone 12

his is a voyage in space and time along part of the ancient Via Flaminia, the consular road that connected Rome to the Adriatic. Worth seeing: Fano, which still has significant traces of its distant Roman origins, including the monumental Arco d’Augusto (Arch of Augustus), the sixteenth-century Fontana della Fortuna (Fountain of Fortune), the Teatro della Fortuna (Fortune Theatre), the Corte Malatestiana (which houses the Civic Museum and the Art Gallery), the Malatesta Keep, the Cathedral, the Chiesa di San Paterniano (Church of St. Paterniano’s) and the Chiesa di S. Maria Nuova (Church of St. Mary the New), known for two precious paintings by Perugino. Worth visiting: Fossombrone, with its historical churches, the monumental Library, the museums, the Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace) or Corte Rossa (Red Court), the renaissance Corte Alta (High Court) built on the orders of Federico da Montefeltro, the Cittadella with the remains of the Rocca Malatestiana and, in the locality San Martino del Piano, the ancient Roman town of Forum Sempronii, recognised as a Regional Archaeological Park. Worth admiring: the remains of the ancient town walls of Cartoceto, Sant’Ippolito, Barchi, Mondolfo and 18

15. Fano 16. Cagli 17. Mondavio 18. Pergola

Mondavio, famous for the scenic Rocca designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, and Monte Porzio. Not to be missed: Orciano di Pesaro with the renaissance Chiesa di S. Maria Nuova (Church of St. Mary the New); Fratte Rosa, a tranquil village perched on the top of a hill surrounded by walls where much terracotta is still produced; San Lorenzo in Campo with the splendid Abbazia di San Lorenzo (Abbey of St. Lawrence), the Palazzo dei Principi Ruspoli (the Ruspoli Princes’ Palace), the Palazzo Pretorio, the Teatro Tiberini (Tiberini Theatre) of 1816 and the Municipal Museum; Pergola, which kept its mediaeval structure and look, with ancient palaces, the Gothic Chiesa di S. Francesco (Church of St. Francis) , the Chiesa di San Giacomo (Church of St. James) , the Cathedral and the famous Gilded bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola of the JulianClaudian age, testifying to its glorious past. Worth making a detour to see: Frontone with the old village huddled around the evocative Castle, the splendid Eremo di Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana (Fonte Avellana Hermitage of the Holy Cross) located in a solitary wooded valley near Serra Sant’Abbondio; the enchanting town of Cagli gathered around its grandiose Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), famous for the majestic ellipsoidal Tower by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and the Ponte Mallio (Mallio Bridge) from Roman times. Worth discovering: the evocative Burano Gorge and Cantiano, a village characterised by an interesting mediaeval structure which features a fine 17th-century Collegiate Church and a beautiful Roman Bridge.

FANO

TAVOLETO MONTECICCARDO

AUDITORE

PETRIANO S. COSTANZO

SERRUNGARINA

MONDOLFO PIAGGE

ISOLA DEL PIANO

URBINO

S. GIORGIO DI PESARO

MONTEFELCINO

FOSSOMBRONE

AN SANT'IPPOLITO MONDAVIO

FERMIGNANO BARCHI CORINALDO

FRATTE ROSA

GOLA DEL FURLO

S. LORENZO IN CAMPO 7 . 25

E OSTRA VETERE

BARBARA

S.S

S.S.

424

FANO CARTOCETO FOSSOMBRONE SANT’IPPOLITO BARCHI MONDAVIO ORCIANO DI PESARO MONTE PORZIO MONDOLFO FRATTE ROSA SAN LORENZO IN CAMPO PERGOLA FRONTONE SERRA SANT’ABBONDIO CAGLI CANTIANO

ITINERARY

. S.S

A PERGOLA SERRA DE' CONTI CAGLI

ARCEVIA

O CANTIANO

SERRA S. ABBONDIO

long this itinerary there are at least three points with an extraordinary craftwork tradition: Fano with its goldsmiths, Sant’Ippolito with its stone workers and Fratte Rosa with its terracotta. Gold-working is found in Fano with master artisans of international renown, making original creations. These are the product of an untiring search for designs and a skilful mastery of the techniques of repoussé and chasing, drawing and filigreeing. The town also stands out for wood-, iron-, glass- and metal-working; in addition, thanks to the annual cart procession of the Carnevale dell’Adriatico (Adriatic Carnival), papier-mâché techniques are well-developed; this material is predominant in the construction of allegorical floats. Stone- and marble-masons operate in this area, in particular in Sant’Ippolito, where they worked from the fourteenth to the end of the nineteenth century, but the tradition is still alive today and is renewing itself in an extraordinary conjunction with sculpture. Just as ancient but original in its shapes and designs (owing in part to the new-found energy brought by the young who are being attracted to this work), is the terracotta production in Fratte Rosa and Barchi: the type varies, ranging from kitchenware to typical jars, from furniture accessories to souvenirs, all made of a red clay and left natural or coated with a luminescent black-purplish enamel. In Mondolfo it is worth noting the restoration of antique furniture, while in Pergola, famous in the Middles Ages for the wool industry and dyeing, there are workshops in the restoration and conservation of art works. Cagli is known for restoration of antique furniture, and glass-, stone- and iron-working; Cantiano for the production of millstones, sandstone wheels for knife grinders, and artistic lamps; Cartoceto for wicker-weaving; Monte Porzio for iron-working Fossombrone for gold, watches and barometers. In Frontone and Serra Sant’Abbondio print engraving is done on glass and copper.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Fano: Antiques Market Fair, second Sunday in the month; National market fair of books and old prints, July. Montefelcino: Feudatory’s Market, every Tuesday from the middle of July to the middle of August. Fossombrone: Market fair of the Bianchetto spring truffle, March. Orciano di Pesaro: Ancient market of St. Rocco, August. Sant’Ippolito: Scolpire in piazza (Sculpting in the Square), Art of sculpture in sandstone, July. Montecarotto: Verdicchio Festival, June-July. Pergola: Wine festival, end of July. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Mombaroccio: Museum of Rural Civilisation. Isola del Piano: Sulle tracce dei nostri padri (In the Footsteps of Our Fathers), Montebello Monastery. Sant’Ippolito: Museum of the Territory - the Stonemason’s Art. Fratte Rosa: Museum of Terracotta and Terra Cruda (Raw Earth), St. Victoria’s Convent. Orciano: Museum of Ropes and Bricks. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Mondavio: Boar hunting, August. Orciano di Pesaro: Museum of Ropes and Bricks. Pergola: Mediaeval festival, first Friday after the August bank holiday. Serra Sant’Abbondio: Palio della Rocca, middle of September. Cagli: Gioco dell’Oca (Game of the Goose) and Palio, first and second Sunday in August. Cantiano: La Turba, re-enactment of the Good Friday Passion. TYPICAL PRODUCTS Meat from the Catria Horse is of very high quality; Cantiano is renowned for its famous amarene (sour cherries). Worthy of note is the brodetto alla fanese (Fanese broth), a tasty variant containing tomatoes and vinegar. The Bianchello del Metauro DOC wine is produced in the area. Some typical cakes are: the Amaretti of Valcesano and the Baci marchigiani (Marche Kisses) of Fonte Avellana. These are cakes made with hazelnuts. Cartoceto oil is excellent; this is the first and only Marche extra-virgin olive oil with the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) mark.

19. Ostra 20. Falconara Marittima 21. Ostra Vetere 19

elvety beaches and delightful hills are the distinguishing features of this area, a land which produces fine DOC wines. Worth admiring: in Senigallia, a renowned seaside resort, the Rocca Roveresca, which overlooks a wide square with the Palazzo del Duca (Duke’s Palace) and the Palazzetto Baviera, the seventeenth-century Chiesa della Croce (Church of the Cross), the Chiesa di S. Martino (Church of St. Martin), the Duomo (Cathedral) alongside the Pinacoteca Diocesana, (Diocesan Art Gallery) the Casa natale di Pio IX (House in which Pius IX was born) and the scenic Portici Ercolani; in the immediate interior the renaissance chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Church of Our Lady of Graces) which houses a fine Madonna in trono e Santi (Madonna on the Throne and Saints) by Perugino. Worth visiting: Monterado, dominated by a seventeenth-century noble palazzo; Castel Colonna and Ripe, both surrounded by defensive walls; Corinaldo, picturesque mediaeval town with spectacular town walls, the Santuario di Santa Maria Goretti (Sanctuary of St. Maria Goretti) the Family Home of the Saint, the Chiesa dell’Addolorata (Church of Our Lady of Sorrows), the scenic Piaggia with Pozzo della Polenta (Polenta Well) and the former Benedictine Convent which houses the Civic Art Collection. Not to be missed: Castelleone di Suasa noted by its mediaeval Castle and by archaeological finds of the 25

22. Chiaravalle 23. Jesi 24. Corinaldo 25. Senigallia

ancient Roman city of Suasa Senonum kept in the Regional Archaeological Park and in the Civic Archaeological Museum; Barbara whose “Castellaro” looks towards the sea, is a village full of works of art; Ostra Vetere, a small, lively town with an interesting, old centre; Ostra, in a position dominating the Misa valley, with the imposing Civic Tower and the Santuario della Madonna della Rosa (Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rose), a destination for pilgrims and Belvedere Ostrense, with its well-preserved old centre. Worth seeing: the picturesque village of Morro d’Alba, still gathered within the fifteenth-century walls characterised by high escarpment curtain walls; Monte San Vito, whose noble eighteenth-century Collegiate Church is full of fine paintings; Chiaravalle, where you can admire the Abbazia di S. Maria in Castagnola (Abbey of St. Mary in the Castagnola), one of the oldest establishments founded by the Cistercians; the historic centre of Montemarciano in which the 19th-century Teatro Alfieri stands out; Falconara Marittima, with a fine mediaeval Castle in the high part and the village of Camerata Picena not far from the historical nucleus of the Cassero, an ancient, fifteenth-century fortification. Along the Esino valley you come to Jesi, the Roman Aesis which has a harmonious architectural structure, with mediaeval quarters, noble palaces, ancient churches and the imposing Palazzo della Signoria, by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The town was the birthplace of Frederick II of Swabia and of the musician Pergolesi to whom the fine Theatre is dedicated. Palazzo Pianetti, which houses the Civic Art Gallery with masterpieces by Lorenzo Lotto, is a significant example of eighteenth-century architecture.

MONDOLFO

PIAGGE S. GIORGIO DI PESARO DO MONTERADO MONTEPORZIO

MONDAVIO

LDO CORINALDO

S.S . 36 0

RIPE BARCHI

FALCONARA M.MA MONTEMARCIANO

OSTRA CHIARAVALLE

CASTELLEONE DI SUASA

MONTE S. VITO

SERRA DE' CONTI JESI T TT MONTECAROTTO

POLVERIGI

ITINERARY

S. COSTANZO

MONTEMAGGIORE AL M.

SENIGALLIA MONTERADO CASTEL COLONNA RIPE CORINALDO CASTELLEONE DI SUASA BARBARA OSTRA VETERE OSTRA BELVEDERE OSTRENSE MORRO D’ALBA MONTE SAN VITO CHIARAVALLE MONTEMARCIANO FALCONARA MARITTIMA CAMERATA PICENA JESI

ARCEVIA CASTELPLANIO

MERGO CUPRAMONTANA

S. MARIA NUOVA

S.S .3 62

FILOTTRANO

O SERRA S. QUIRICO

ike other seaside towns, Senigallia has numerous small shops selling local products which are the result of a combination of maritime culture and farming traditions, applied to objects for domestic use, pottery, glass, costume jewellery, fine jewellery and restored wooden furniture. One of the most significant centres for antiques and restoration is Ostra, where there is a School for Old Furniture Restoration, specialised in the sectors of wood and iron (with courses on embroidery, internal painting and decorating and glassworking) which makes use of the technical skills and consolidated experience of the local artisans. The valleys of the Misa and the Esino are characterised by a particularly innovative and advanced industrialisation process in the fields of engineering and clothing: the surprising thing is however the “against the flow” choice made by numerous young people, who have decided to carry on traditional artistic craft trades recovering ancient techniques like the typically French one of artistic windows. In Jesi, for example, the centuries-old gold-working tradition is continuing. The tradition can be seen by the street names such as Via degli orefici (Goldsmiths’ Street - today however renamed Via Pergolesi) in which, until a few years ago, held numerous well-equipped workshops. The town produces leather accessories and decorations on glass, and iron and wood are worked, while silkworm cultivation and silk-working have now fallen into disuse. The wide distribution of these is testified by the numerous spinning mills and farmhouses in the area with dovecotes. It is also worth noting the typical luthier’s workshop. Goldworking and restoration workshops and shops selling paintings and antique furniture may be found in Chiaravalle, Montemarciano, Falconara Marittima, Ostra Vetere and Ripe, a place in which the craftwork tradition is so wellrooted that it is called “the town of trades”; in Camerata Picena artistic fabrics are made, while in Monsano refined embroidery work is done.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Senigallia: Exhibition of the goldsmith’s art, beginning of July; Market fair of craftwork and antiques, every Wednesday in July and August; Pane Nostrum, September. Monterado: Market fair of artistic and historical craftwork, beginning of October. Ostra Vetere: Montenovo in Festa, end of January. Ostra: National Exhibition of Antiques and Artistic Craftwork, first half of August. Jesi: Tipica, December. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Senigallia: “Sergio Anselmi” Sharecropping History Museum. Corinaldo: Sala del Costume e delle Tradizioni Popolari (Hall of Costumes and Folk Traditions). Belvedere Ostrense: International Museum of Postal Images. Morro d’Alba: Utensilia - Museum of Sharecropping Culture. Jesi: Lo Studio per le Arti della Stampa (Printing Arts Studio). Ostra Vetere: Parish Civic Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Corinaldo: Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta (Polenta Well Contest), third Sunday in July. Jesi: Palio di San Floriano, first week in May. TYPICAL PRODUCTS This is an area with a great variety of wines, including the celebrated Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, the White and Red Esino, the tasty Lacrima di Morro d’Alba. Among vegetables noteworthy are the Suasa onion, the cauliflowers and artichokes of Jesi, the cicerchia (grass pea, Lathyrus Sativus) and broad beans in the Ostra area.

26. Sassoferrato 27. Serra San Quirico 28. Serra de’ Conti 26

onders of nature such as the Frasassi Caves, pristine landscapes and a great variety of artistic and historical assets make this route so memorable. Worth visiting: Fabriano, birthplace of Gentile and of other great artists, known for its ancient paperworks founded between the 12th and the 13th centuries. The town has kept its mediaeval aspect, modelled around the Piazza del Comune (Town Hall Square) with the thirteenth-century Fontana Sturinalto and the Palazzo del Podestà, the Civic Art Gallery, housed in the Spedale di Santa Maria del Buon Gesù (Hospital of Our Lady of Good Jesus), the fine historical Teatro Gentile, the Duomo (Cathedral), the Oratori del Gonfalone e della Carità (Oratories of the Town Banner and of Charity). Worth admiring: a few kilometres away, in an enchanting natural area protected by the Regional Park of Gola della Rossa and Frasassi, the Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves), a karst environment of extraordinary beauty, and the Benedictine Abbey of S. Vittore alle Chiuse, founded probably at the end of the 10th century. Worth stopping to see: Genga, which still has its original mediaeval town plan and the noble Palazzo dei Conti della Genga; Sassoferrato, dominated by the remains of the Keep built on the orders of Cardinal Albornoz with Palazzo Montanari, Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo Oliva, the Romanic Church of S. 32

29. Fabriano 30. Staffolo 31. Arcevia 32. Genga, Grotte di Frasassi

Croce (the Holy Cross), the Church of the Clarisse (Poor Clares) which houses works by the painter Giambattista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato) and the Roman town of Sentinum, today a Regional Archaeological Park. Worth driving along: the panoramic road which leads to Arcevia, where you can visit the Collegiate Church of S. Medardo which houses significant paintings by Luca Signorelli and Ercole Ramazzani; and terracotta works by Fra’ Mattia and Giovanni della Robbia. Of particular interest are the surroundings, characterised by Castles, including the picturesque fortified villages of Palazzo, Piticchio, Loretello, Nidastore, Castiglioni and Avacelli. Not to be missed: Serra de’ Conti, with the Gothic Church of S. Michele (St. Michael) and the mediaeval town walls in which stands the imposing Monastero di Santa Maria Maddalena; (Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene) the characteristic centre of Montecarotto with its Municipal Theatre with three tiers of balconies; Moie, where you must visit the Romanic Abbazia di Santa Maria (Abbey of St. Mary); the ancient and evocative villages of Castelbellino, Monte Roberto and Maiolati Spontini, birthplace of the musician Gaspare Spontini; Cupramontana, interesting for the ruins of the Eremo dei Frati Bianchi (White Friars’ Hermitage) and for the Badia del Beato Angelo (Abbey of the Blessed Angel); Staffolo, still mostly surrounded by a great circle of walls and, perched on hills on the opposite side of the valley, the old fortified villages of Castelplanio, Rosora, Mergo and Serra San Quirico, renowned for its copertelle, roads covered by houses built on the remains of the castle walls, and the baroque Chiesa di Santa Lucia (Church of St. Lucy).

OSTRA

E OSTRA VETERE BELVEDERE OSTRENSE

S.S.

S. MARCELLO

424

MONSANO

JESI

T TT MONTECAROTTO

FRONTONE

S.S

PERGOLA

A ARCEVIA

SERRA S. ABBONDIO S. PAOLO DI JESI A S. QUIRICO SERRA STAFFOLO SASSOFERRATO G GENGA APIRO

CINGOLI

ITINERARY

FRATTE ROSA

GOLA DEL FURLO

FABRIANO GENGA SASSOFERRATO ARCEVIA SERRA DE’ CONTI MONTECAROTTO CASTELBELLINO MONTE ROBERTO MAIOLATI SPONTINI CUPRAMONTANA STAFFOLO CASTELPLANIO ROSORA MERGO SERRA SAN QUIRICO

B FABRIANO

GUBBIO PERUGIA ROMA

CERRETO D'ESI 2 S.S. 50

76 S.S.

n this strongly industrialised area we are amazed by the beauty of the rural landscape marked by large vineyards and the conservation of the mountains, sometimes covered by green woods, sometimes harsh and rocky. In the heart of this area lies Fabriano, a town which, before the current industries took off, was wholly identified with the production of paper and with the invention of the particular filigree technique which is the essence and distinctive feature of paper instruments and banknotes. In the Museo della Carta e della Filigrana (Museum of Paper and Filigree), housed in the former Convento di San Domenico (Monastery of St. Dominic), you can still follow the ancient processing techniques and admire the engineering of the instruments from the middle ages. Traditional handmade paper production, which today is the subject of considerable interest, was done by Cartiere Miliani. You can still buy pottery decorated with the now classic patterns of the former Ceramica Bolzonetti, and of particular significance is the recovery of the refined technique of art printing. One activity, once widespread, was iron-working, as shown by the blacksmiths who appear on the town’s arms. The extraordinary influx of tourists created by the Grotte di Frasassi (Frasassi Caves), stimulated the recovery of other traditional trades associated both with the sale of souvenirs, gifts, jewellery (giving a new impulse to goldsmiths’ craft workshops), and with the ancient techniques of furniture and wood restoration in Cupramontana, Arcevia, Maiolati Spontini, Rosora, Serra de’ Conti and Sassoferrato. The art of embroidery is practiced in Montecarotto, Castelbellino and Castelplanio.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Fabriano: Market fair of craftwork, September. Genga: Market fair of craftwork, August. Sassoferrato: Old Time Market, last Saturday in the month, from May to August. Arcevia: Grape Festival, last weekend in September. Serra de’ Conti: Serrantiqua, third Saturday in the month (from April to September); Cicerchia (Grass Pea) Festival, last Sunday in November. Montecarotto: National Festival of the Questua della Pasquella (a kind of collective door-to-door busking at the Epiphany), 6 January. Maiolati Spontini (Moie): Antiquariato e Collezionismo (Antiques and Collections), first Sunday in May and first Sunday in September. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Fabriano: Mestieri in Bicicletta (Trades on Bikes), permanent exhibition of vintage bicycles for old trades. Fabriano: Museum of the Mazzolini Giuseppucci Pharmacy. Fabriano: Museum of Paper and Filigree. Fabriano: Museum of Rural Civilisation. Fabriano: Grande Museo (Large Museum). Sassoferrato: Cabernardi Sulphur Mine Museum. Sassoferrato: Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions. Serra de’ Conti: Le stanze del tempo sospeso (The Rooms of Suspended Time). Museum of Monastic Arts. Cupramontana: International Label Museum. Staffolo: Art of Wine Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Fabriano: Palio di San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), flower carpets and Sfida del Maglio (Hammer Challenge), 24 June. TYPICAL PRODUCTS Cupramontana, Serra de’ Conti, Montecarotto and Staffolo, together with other towns in the Vallesina (Esino Valley), are typical areas of production for the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, a renowned DOC Marche wine. Famous among typical products is the tasty Fabriano salame.

33. Ancona, Portonovo 34. Loreto 35. Sirolo 33

his evocative itinerary leads to the discovery of the Riviera del Conero and the towns of the inteT rior, full of art and ancient memories. Worth visiting: Ancona, capital of Marche, founded by Syracusans, the history of which has always been linked to the imposing port dominated by the Cattedrale di San Ciriaco (Cathedral of St. Cyriacus) and characterised by the Arco di Traiano (Trajan’s Arch, 100-115 AC); nearby is the eighteenth-century Arco Clementino (Clementine Arch), the baroque Porta Pia and the extraordinary Mole Vanvitelliana, where exhibitions and shows are held almost year-round. Worth seeing: the neoclassical Teatro delle Muse, the fifteenth-century Loggia dei Mercanti, the Romanic Church of S. Maria della Piazza (St. Mary of the Square), Palazzo Ferretti, which houses the National Archaeological Museum of Marche, the Chiesa di S. Francesco (Church of St. Francis), the sixteenth-century Palazzo Bosdari which houses the “F. Podesti” Civic Art Gallery, Piazza del Plebiscito, flanked by the sixteenth-century Tower, by the Palazzo del Governo and by the Chiesa di S. Domenico (Church of St. Dominic) and in Corso Mazzini, the Fontana del calamo (Reed Pen Fountain). It is worth stressing the quality of the sculptures, created by the artists Trubbiani, Mattiacci, Sassu, Fazzini, Pomodoro, Ligi. They stand at the city’s focal points and have become well-known at an international level, also for their skilled metalwork. Worth making a detour to see: Agugliano, where there is a Home-made Ice Cream Study Centre, 39

36. Osimo 37. Numana 38. Offagna 39. Ancona

Polverigi and Santa Maria Nuova in a panoramic position; Offagna, in the land where they produce Rosso Conero, dominated by the spectacular 15th-century Rocca (Keep); Filottrano, an important clothing industry centre, the historical core of which was built entirely of brick, boasts as a rare work of rural architecture, the neoclassical Casino Beltrami (approx. 1820); Osimo, full of ancient vestiges, including the thirteen Roman statues from the Imperial Age conserved in the Town Hall, the Romanic Cathedral and the Battistero (Baptistry), the Sanctuary of S. Giuseppe da Copertino, (St. Joseph of Copertino) the Teatro La Nuova Fenice (New Phoenix Theatre) and the prestigious Palazzo Campana with alongside the small theatre designed by A. Vici and the Civic Museum;and the adventurous hypogeum walk. Not to be missed: Castelfidardo, the accordion capital which has a monument commemorating the historic battle of 1860; Loreto, partially surrounded by sixteenthcentury walls and bastions, is home to the largest Marian Sanctuary built on the spot where, according to the story, the House of Nazareth was flown away from Palestine by angels. Alongside the Basilica, is the Palazzo Apostolico (Apostolic Palace) built by some of the most illustrious architects of the Renaissance following Bramante’s plans. Its rooms house the Museo Pinacoteca dell’Antico Tesoro (Art Galley and Museum of Ancient Treasure); unique of its kind is the itinerary of the Rocchette: splendid patrol walkways overlooking the sea. We recommend stopping at: Numana, a well-known seaside resort whose Antiquarium Statale (State Antiquarium) exhibits remains of the Picene civilisation; Sirolo, a charming village perched over the sea and headquarters of the Monte Conero Regional Park; the Bay of Portonovo with the Torre Clementina and the splendid Romanic Church of Santa Maria (St. Mary); Camerano, birthplace of the painter Carlo Maratti of whom there are works in the Parish Church and in the Church of St. Faustina. Of great interest to tourists is a visit to the underground caves dug in the sandstone.

ANCONA

P PORTONOVO

A 1

A CAMERATA PICENA

AGUGLIANO

NUMANA

ITINERARY

ANCONA AGUGLIANO POLVERIGI OFFAGNA FILOTTRANO OSIMO CASTELFIDARDO LORETO NUMANA SIROLO CAMERANO

S.S

OFFAGNA POLVERIGI

OSIMO S. MARIA NUOVA CASTELFIDARDO

O LORETO

O NO RANO FILOTTRANO

PORTO RECANATI

S.S. 361

RECANATI MO MONTEFANO

S.S

O MONTECASSIANO

MARKET FAIRS Ancona: Antiques market, last Sunday of the month (except for June, July and August); Mercatino Al Riò Dej Archi, third Sunday of the month and the Saturday before. Numana: Spring Festival, Easter Sunday and Monday; Summer Craft Market, July and August.

USEFUL INFORMATION

he most significant craftwork tradition in this area is accordion making, which places Castelfidardo as one of the leading global centres for this instrument. In the Eighties, in an attempt to reconcile the past with current, a florid industry of various musical instruments was developed but has since suffered from the competition from the oriental market. A period of crisis was however followed by rapid manufacturing reconversion, which has consolidated and re-launched traditional accordion and piano accordion making. The town is also known for gift items, furnishing objects and accessories made of gold and silver. Loreto, with the Santa Casa (Holy House), has developed an extraordinary production of religious articles, including sacred images on gold and silver plate, innovative silver objects, rosaries and a wide range of souvenirs which, while following the most fashionable materials quickly but with unchanging artistic flair, give priority to the local tradition of pottery and wood carving. In the centre of Ancona, very close to the quays from which hundreds of thousands of people embark every year for Mediterranean countries, in the alleys that wind their way between the entrance to the port and Piazza del Plebiscito, you can find small shops selling gifts, art prints and restored antiques, costume jewellery and artistic gold items, and textile and leather workshops, run by young people and artisans, who still hand down their ancient processing techniques. Noteworthy are also the embroidery, tailoring and restoration activities in Filottrano, wood, iron, glass and metal processing and musical instrument making in Osimo, wood and metal processing in Polverigi and typical pottery production in Sirolo. Embroidery work is done in Agugliano, while in Camerano they make watches, giftware and gold items.

MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Filottrano: Biroccio (Two-Wheeled Cart) Museum. Filottrano: Beltrami Museum. Castelfidardo: International Accordion Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Offagna: Mediaeval Festivals and Contesa della Crescia, last week in July. Filottrano: Contesa dello stivale (Boot Contest), first Sunday in August. Loreto: Corsa del Drappo, 6 September. Loreto (Villa Musone): Re-enactment of Good Friday Passion. TYPICAL PRODUCTS This is a wine-making area particularly suited to the production of the renowned Rosso Conero DOCG. It is worth mentioning the “Serpe” (Snake) of Filottrano (the original recipe is the one conserved by the Nuns of Saint Clare), a typical Christmas cake in the shape of a spiral with ground almonds and icing. The stoccafisso (stockfish) and the brodetto all’anconitana (Anconitan Broth) are delicious.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The history of the white lace which in circles, diamonds and stripes starts, winds its way and finishes to the rhythm of a perfect game...â&#x20AC;? V. Castelli, Le Merlettaie (The Lace Makers), 1950

“…and the small tea table was ready, with cups and saucers in majolica from Castel Durante, ancient shapes of inimitable grace…” G. D’Annunzio, Il piacere (Pleasure), 1889

40. Corridonia 41. Porto Recanati 42. Civitanova Alta 40

laces of art full of Leopardian echoes, pleasant and well-equipped beaches and a landscape of rolling hills characterise this route. Worth seeing: Porto Recanati, dating back to the time of Frederick II in a spot not far from the Roman colony of Potentia, the fifteenth-century Svevo Castle grew which now houses the Municipal Art Gallery; Recanati, birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi with the square and the monument dedicated to him, his memoirs conserved in the Town Hall, Palazzo Leopardi, the Civic Museum in Villa Colloredo Mels which has some significant works, including four paintings by Lorenzo Lotto, the Diocesan Museum, the Oliviero Pigini Guitar Museum and the Beniamino Gigli Museum, housed in the nineteenth century Persiani Theatre and the Church of S. Domenico (St. Dominic) with a fine white stone portal by Benedetto da Majano. Not to be missed: the imposing Montefiore Castle near Montefano; Montecassiano which has an unusual urban structure with concentric streets surrounded by stairs and is full of mediaeval and renaissance buildings; Macerata, famous for its old University, significant monuments such as the Arena Sferisterio (which houses the Macerata Opera Festival), the almost completely intact old walls which surround a series of alleyways and the 46

43. Montecassiano 44. Morrovalle 45. Recanati 46. Macerata

old centre, the Church of La Misericordia (Church of Mercy), the Loggia del Grano (housing the university), Piazza della LibertĂ with the Loggia dei Mercanti, the Clock Tower, the Town Hall and the Palazzo della Prefettura (Prefecture), the eighteenth-century Lauro Rossi Theatre and precious art collections: Museo della Carrozza (Cart Museum) in Palazzo Buonaccorsi (you can also visit the Aeneid Gallery and the noble floor) and the 20th-Century Italian Collection in Palazzo Ricci. Worth making a detour to see: the Church of San Claudio al Chienti (St. Claud by the Chienti - 11th century) at Corridonia Stazione; Corridonia, the ancient Pausulae, in the interesting Parish Art Gallery where you can admire a Madonna con Bambino (Madonna and Child) by Carlo Crivelli; Mogliano, where there is a fine Madonna in Gloria e Santi (Madonna in Glory and Saints) by Lorenzo Lotto; Monte San Giusto, with Palazzo Bonafede and the Chiesa di S. Maria in Telusiano which houses the celebrated Crocifissione (Crucifixion) by Lorenzo Lotto; the ancient village of Morrovalle; the splendid Romanic Church of Santa Maria a PiĂ¨ di Chienti (St. Mary at the Foot of the Chienti) at Montecosaro Stazione. Worth visiting: Civitanova Marche, a comfortable seaside resort, which has a high part Civitanova Alta, the birthplace of Annibal Caro to whom the Theatre of the same name is dedicated, characterised by town walls with towers, bulwarks, two gates, fine noble palaces, churches and the well-stocked M. Moretti Modern Art Gallery; Potenza Picena, renowned for the renaissance Villa Buonaccorsi with its splendid Italian garden.

LORETO PORTO RECANATI 361 S.S.

FA O MO MONTEFANO M

RECANATI

S.S

PORTO POTENZA PICENA

MONTECASSIANO POTENZA PICENA MONTELUPONE

S. 77

S. S. S. 2 36

A CIVITANOVA ALTA S.S. 77 S

NT ONT MONTECOSARO CIVITANOVA MARCHE MORROVALLE

CORRIDONIA STAZIONE

MONTECOSARO STAZIONE PORTO SANT'ELPIDIO

POLLENZA

SANT'ELPIDIO A MARE

77 PETRIOLO MONTE S. PIETRANGELI

S.S

URBISAGLIA

.2 10

MONTEGRANARO

MOGLIANO FERMO

LORO PICENO

RAPAGNANO

COLMURANO A FERMANA MASSA

he itinerary winds through an area dense in footwear production where Civitanova Marche (also a wrought iron and wood processing centre) and Monte San Giusto emerge as the headquarters of national and international brands, and are full of a myriad of small workshops. Worthy of note are the other towns characterised by craftwork, such as that of cane, wicker and willow in Mogliano (the town of basket-makers) and the manufacture of silk damasks and brocades made by the nuns of the Istituto Figlie dell’Addolorata (Daughters of Our Lady of Sorrows Institute) in Potenza Picena. The area of footwear and leather-working (which thrives in Corridonia), is part of the larger industrial district which includes the bordering area of the Province of Fermo and is the result of growth in which inventiveness has combined with skill in the use of materials, creative design and organisational abilities. The typical contribution of craftwork is still essential today, even though it is very different from the past when it was done in small workshops which opened onto the alleys of the old town centres. In the area that includes the municipalities of Porto Recanati, Recanati, Montecassiano and Potenza Picena, where the nearness to Loreto is more influential, precious metals are processed and religious items manufactured. Leopardi’s town - which has always been famous for the production of combs obtained from carving ox and buffalo horns, is renowned for briar root pipes and toy factories. The territory is full of furniture restorers and old painting restorers (significant in this sector is Corridonia), and there is no shortage of smiths specialised in wrought iron (in Morrovalle); from Macerata, also known for the arts of printing, glass, precious metals, embroidery and for its “master tailors”, to the smallest walled villages which are scattered along the itinerary, the pleasant surprises are never ending.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Porto Recanati: Craftwork Market Fair, every Sunday in July and August. Macerata: Il Barattolo, second Sunday in the month (excluding July and August); Central Marche Trade Fair, April. Civitanova Marche: Tesori in piazza, (Treasures in the Square) second Sunday in the month (excluding July, August and December); Market Fair of Craftwork and Artistic Antiques, fourth Sunday in the month (excluding July and August); Market Fair of Craftwork and Artistic Antiques, every Saturday evening in July and August; Cartacanta (Paper Sings) National Market Fair, October. Apiro: “Art and Land” Market Fair (first half of August). Montelupone: Apimarche, August. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Macerata: “La Tela” workshop-permanent exhibition of ancient looms. Macerata: Cart Museum. Macerata: Typological Nativity Scene Museum - Cassese Collection. Morrovalle: International Nativity Scene Museum. Civitanova Marche Alta: Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions. Civitanova Marche: Historical Trotting Museum. Montelupone: Arts and Ancient Trades Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Montecassiano: Palio dei Terzieri, July. Corridonia: Contesa della Margutta, first Sunday in September. Mogliano: Mogliano 1744, beginning of July; Re-enactment of the Good Friday Passion. Potenza Picena: Palio del Grappolo d’Oro (Bunch of Gold), end of September. TYPICAL PRODUCTS The entire hill territory of the Province of Macerata is involved in the production of Colli Maceratesi White and Red wines. Among fruits and vegetables worth noting are the roveja (a legume, the field pea) the artichokes of Montelupone and the figs of Recanati. The brodetti (thin broths) of Porto Recanati and Civitanova Marche are excellent. Characteristic of the Macerata area is the ciauscolo, a particular type of soft salume sausage.

ITINERARY

CASTELFIDARDO

FILOTTRANO

PORTO RECANATI RECANATI MONTEFANO MONTECASSIANO MACERATA CORRIDONIA MOGLIANO MONTE SAN GIUSTO MORROVALLE MONTECOSARO CIVITANOVA MARCHE POTENZA PICENA

47. San Ginesio 48. Urbisaglia 49. Tolentino 47

he name of “Land of Harmonies” is a perfect way to describe the Province of Macerata. Worth visiting: Cingoli, the Balcony of Marche offers unforgettable views over the surrounding area, with its palaces, the Collegiate Church of Sant’Esuperanzio (St. Exsuperantius) and the Church of San Domenico (St. Dominic) which houses the Madonna del Rosario by Lorenzo Lotto and the “Donatello Stefanucci” Municipal Art Gallery. Worth making a detour to see: Apiro, with the interesting Roman Abbazia di Sant’Urbano (Abbey of St. Urban); Appignano, with a mediaeval core still surrounded by walls; Treia, with the charming Piazza, the portico of the Town Hall which houses the Civic Archaeological Museum, the Church of San Filippo (St. Philip) and the Palazzetto of the Georgian Academy; Pollenza, an old village near which stands the Church of Santa Maria Assunta di Rambona (Our Lady of the Assumption of Rambona - 8th century). Worth seeing: Tolentino with the Basilica di San Nicola (Basilica of St. Nicholas), whose celebrated Cappellone (Large Chapel) is decorated with a grandiose series of frescoes of the fourteenth-century Riminese school, the Cathedral, the Terme di Santa Lucia (Spa of St. Lucy) and the nearby Castello della Rancia (Rancia Castle). 53

50. Cingoli 51. Treia 52. Caldarola 53. Sarnano

We recommend stopping in: Belforte del Chienti surrounded by town walls and known for the precious polyptic by Giovanni Boccati (15th cent.); Serrapetrona, to taste the excellent Vernaccia; Caldarola, birthplace of the De Magistris painters, where you can admire the Castello Pallotta rebuilt in the late sixteenth century and walk the “path” dedicated to painters, as far as the Croce district; Cessapalombo where you can visit the old fortified village and enjoy a pleasant rest in the public gardens; Sarnano, a busy ski resort and renowned spa, famous for the “cotto rosso” (red brick tiles) of the roofs, the steep narrow streets, the Art Gallery and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta; (Our Lady of the Assumption) Monte San Martino known for the Crivelli masterpieces housed in the Church of San Martino (St. Martin); San Ginesio, a picturesque mediaeval village surrounded by large walls dotted with towers and bulwarks, with the 13th-century Ospedale dei Pellegrini (Pilgrims’Hospital), the beautiful Collegiate Church with its interesting late-Gothic façade, the Church of S. Francesco (St. Francis), the Museum and the Art Gallery. Not to be missed: the fortified villages of Ripe San Ginesio, Colmurano and Urbisaglia, which has an imposing 15th-century Rocca (Keep) and was built on the ruins of the Roman Urbs Salvia, now protected as a Regional Archaeological Park; the Cistercian Abbey of Santa Maria di Chiaravalle di Fiastra, immersed in the Fiastra Abbey Nature Reserve where you can go on nature walks and visit interesting museums.

O MONTECASSIANO CINGOLI

S.S.

APPIGNANO

MO MONTELUPONE

S.S

G S. VICINO POGGIO

.3 S.S. 77

2 S.S. 50

TREIA

S.S.

MACERATA

CORRIDONIA STAZIONE

361

POLLENZA CORRIDONIA

GAGLIOLE

S.S

ABBADIA DI FIASTRA PETRIOLO

S.S

MOGLIANO FRANCAVILLA D'ETE

CASTELRAIMONDO LORO PICENO

361

SERRAPETRONA MASSA FERMANA MONTAPPONE MONTE VIDON CORRADO

CAMERINO

ITINERARY

APIRO

CINGOLI APIRO APPIGNANO TREIA POLLENZA TOLENTINO BELFORTE DEL CHIENTI SERRAPETRONA CALDAROLA SARNANO MONTE SAN MARTINO SAN GINESIO RIPE SAN GINESIO COLMURANO URBISAGLIA

MONTEGIORGIO

FALERONE S.S. 25 6

CESSAPALOMBO SANT'ANGELO IN PONTANO SERVIGLIANO

BELMONTE PICENO

GUALDO

CCIA

PENNA S. GIOVANNI PIEVEBOVIGLIANA

MONTELEONE DI FERMO MONTERINALDO

ORINA

MONTE S. MARTINO SARNANO FIASTRA

S. VITTORIA IN MATENANO

MARKET FAIRS Cingoli: Mercante in Fiera, (Merchant at the Fair) every Tuesday in July and August. Pollenza: Market Fair of Antiques, Restoration and Craftwork, July. Tolentino: Fierantiqua, antiques and local craftwork market, fourth Sunday in every month. Sarnano: National Market Fair of Craftwork and Antiques, end of May and beginning of June.

USEFUL INFORMATION

long this route full of events and historical re-enactments, which range from mediaeval jousts to pages of nineteenth-century history, the wealth of cultural assets is equal to that of the natural environments. It is in this Marche of low hills, ready to roll down to the sea, visible in the distance, or to rise rapidly to the snowy peaks of the nearby Monti Sibillini (Sibylline Mountains), that the heart and memory of ancient trades live on. Tolentino is the leather-working centre: here skilled artisans, following an original and unique processing and finishing tradition, use the finest leather to create not only high-quality clothing accessories, but also elegant and refined sofas and armchairs. Also found in the area are many loom weavers as well as the traditional processing and weaving of linen and hemp. Whilst in the last few years, Pollenza has gained a certain importance in the textile industry. Sarnano and above all Pollenza are the Maceratese towns where once the pottery industry, known popularly as “le cocce” (the fragments), thrived the most . The oldest evidence of pottery, relating to the existence of a vase workshop, dates from 1509. From the beginning of the century it declined before finally dissolving and transforming its vocation into wood-working. As well as being an important centre for the production and restoration of antique furniture, Treia is known for wrought iron working and mosaics. Restoration workshops can be found in Urbisaglia, Cingoli and Caldarola, while Appignano is well-known for furniture production and for the rustic terracotta with characteristic finishes ranging from glossy golden or blue enamels, to the classic white base sprayed with green, to the traditional “biscotto” (biscuit or twice-cooked).

MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Tolentino: Pottery Museum. Basilica di San Nicola (Basilica of St. Nicholas). Tolentino: Museum of Rural Civilisation at the Fiastra Abbey. Serrapetrona: Museum of Humanity. Sarnano: Museum of Weapons and Hammers. Cessapalombo: Museum of Charcoal-making. Colmurano: Renzo C. Ventura Memorial Museum. Tolentino: Wine Museum at Fiastra Abbey. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Cingoli: Cingoli 1848 and Gioco del Pallone a Bracciale (Bracelet Ball Game), August. Treia: Disfida del Bracciale (Joust for the Bracelet), end of JulyAugust. Tolentino: Tolentino 815, beginning of May; City of Tolentino Historic Procession, August-September. Caldarola: Giostra de le Castella (Castle Tournament) with Palio, beginning of August. Sarnano: Palio del Serafino, second Sunday in August. San Ginesio: Palio di San Ginesio, 15 August. TYPICAL PRODUCTS The area produces the excellent Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, a sweet or medium-dry sparkling red wine, and a much-appreciated oil. From an ancient confectionery tradition come the Calcioni of Treia, the Cavallucci of Apiro and the walnut cake of San Ginesio. The mushrooms and celery of Cingoli are particularly well-known.

54. San Severino Marche 55. Visso 56. Pioraco 54

long this fascinating route, among unspoilt mountains with their ancient legends and towns boasting an illustrious past, it is inevitable that you’ll come across some of the innumerable examples of art “hidden” in the area. Worth visiting: Matelica, a town of art, characterised by numerous historical buildings, including Palazzo Pretorio and Palazzo Piersanti housing the Art Museum which exhibits oriental porcelains, ivory objects, miniatures, and sacred and secular silverwork. Of no less importance are the Palazzi Ottoni, Palazzo Fossa and the G. Piermarini Theatre; Castelraimondo with the nearby Chiesa eremitica di Santa Maria delle Macchie (Hermitage Church of Our Lady of the Woods) and Lanciano Castle; Pioraco, a small mediaeval village situated in an evocative rocky gorge, famous for its ancient paperworks; San Severino Marche with the Santuario dei Lumi (Sanctuary of Lights), the Church of Santa Maria del Glorioso (Our Lady of the Glorious), the old Cathedral, the large elliptic-shaped Piazza del Popolo, the well-stocked Art Gallery and the splendid Feronia Theatre. This noble town was the fulcrum of a cultural renewal thanks to the presence of the Sanseverinate School of painters to which the Lorenzo brothers and Jacopo Salimbeni belonged. Of great interest is the town’s Archaeological Museum and the finds from the Roman Septempeda, now a Regional Archaeological Park a few kilome60

57. Castelsantangelo sul Nera 58. Fiastra 59. Camerino 60. Matelica

tres from the town centre. Worth seeing: Camerino, an ancient dukedom of the Da Varano family, led the 15th century in an intense economic and artistic flowering which maintained the mediaeval principle of defending the surrounding territory as can be seen by the nearby ruins of the thirteenth-century Rocca di Varano. The town has one of the oldest and most illustrious universities in Europe based in the elegant Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace); in the old town centre there are also the Cathedral and the Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop’s Palace), housing the Diocesan Museum which houses some famous masterpieces and the Church of San Filippo (St. Philip) which houses the Madonna in Gloria e San Filippo by Tiepolo. We recommend a detour to: Muccia, Pievebovigliana, of Roman origin, and Pieve Torina, where you can visit the Hermitage of Sant’Angelo di Prefoglio; the Santuario di S. Maria (Sanctuary of Our Lady) of Macereto, an imposing building of Bramantesque design built in 1528, isolated on a plateau; Visso, headquarters of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (Sibylline Mountains National Park) and a town with a noble past testified to by much mediaeval and renaissance architecture; Castelsantangelo sul Nera, a small mediaeval village with churches on Roman foundations. Not to be missed: Fiastra with its evocative lake and the Gole del Fiastrone (Fiastrone Gorge) from which pleasant excursions start out for Eremo dei Frati (the Friar’s Hermitage or Cave) and the Lame Rosse (Red Blades); Acquacanina, where you can visit the interesting Church of S. Maria di Rio Sacro (Our Lady of the Sacred Stream), founded sometime around the year one thousand and Bolognola, a picturesque mediaeval village in the heart of a pristine natural setting.

MATELICA

MARCHE OM S S. SEVERINO

GAGLIOLE

S.S

URBISAGLIA

S.S

TOLENTINO CASTELRAIMONDO

PIORACO

. 36

COLMURANO

S.S

FIUMINATA

BELFORTE DEL CHIENTI P S. GINESIO RIPE CAMERINO

R SEFRO

O S. GINESIO CESSAPALOMBO

NOCERA UMBRA

.7 S.S

MUCCIA

GUALDO

PIEVEBOVIGLIANA E DI CHIENTI SERRAVALLE

ITINERARY

ESANATOGLIA

MATELICA CASTELRAIMONDO PIORACO SAN SEVERINO MARCHE CAMERINO MUCCIA PIEVEBOVIGLIANA PIEVE TORINA VISSO CASTELSANTANGELO SUL NERA FIASTRA ACQUACANINA BOLOGNOLA

PIEVE TORINA SARNANO

MONTECAVALLO

MACERETO BOLOGNOLA

O FOLIGNO ROMA

USSITA MONTEFORTINO

VISSO MONTEMONACO

CASTELSANTANGELO SUL NERA

n this enchanting mountainous corner of Marche, the courageous decision to devote oneself to artistic craftwork has often represented the only way to avoid the dreaded emigration. It has been a hard road to travel, but the results have not been long in coming. The fruits of this labour can be admired, in the summer, in the ancient Rocca dei Da Varano, at the foot of Camerino, the evocative exhibition hall for a selection of the most representative artistic craftwork products made in the region. It is good to see that a building, long used to defend people, has been transformed into a place that safeguards the ancient traditions and centuries-old processing techniques. Along the itinerary described there are not many workshops. Considering its history, the long cultural tradition and the extraordinary beauty of the landscape, the territory could host many more. The quality of the workmanship, however, is always excellent: Matelica and Castelraimondo stand out for textile processing and antique furniture restoration, Muccia is well-known for wrought iron, as is Camerino, where there are also workshops for book and furniture restoration, whilst San Severino Marche is a centre for theatre scene decoration. Particularly significant is paper-working in Pioraco, the origins of which date back to the 16th century. Pievebovigliana is a textile production centre combining the ancient loom weaving techniques with traditional decorative patterns, including real and imaginary animals, stars, diamonds and scenes in movement like those depicting the “saltarello”, a Marche folk dance.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Matelica: Antiques and souvenirs market, July and August. San Severino Marche: Second-Hand Clothes Market, fifth Sunday in the month and 8 December; Exhibition of Productive Activities of San Severino, September. Camerino: Craftwork Market Fair at Rocca da Varano, July and August Muccia: Second-Hand Clothes Market, August. Fiastra: Good Things Market, May. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Pioraco: Museum of Paper and Filigree. Sefro: “Florindo Ferretti” Rural Civilisation Collection. San Severino Marche: “Oberdan Poletti” Territorial Museum. Pieve Torina: Museum of Our Land and Mill on the River. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Camerino: Corsa alla Spada (Sword Race) and Palio, May. San Severino Marche: Palio dei Castelli, June. Castelsantangelo sul Nera, Visso, Ussita: Torneo delle Guaite (Tournament between Districts), end of July. TYPICAL PRODUCTS Of particular quality is the Verdicchio di Matelica DOCG, a white wine with a delicate fragrance. The area of the Monti Sibillini, like almost all the mountainous territory in Marche, produces excellent pecorini (sheep’s cheeses), delicious honey and exquisite lamb. Visso is renowned for its ciauscolo (salami sausage), Camerino for its cold pork meats, San Severino Marche for its snails, baked and in roast pork. The whole area is an important place for the production of a typical mistrà, a liquor based on aniseed (the Varnelli of Pievebovigliana is famous) and other herbs from the mountains around. The black truffle of Ussita, Visso and Castelsantangelo sul Nera is excellent. Noteworthy among cakes are the pannociato and the torrone (nougat) of Camerino.

61. Massa Fermana 62. Porto San Giorgio 63. Falerone 150 62

150 63

This itinerary winds through the numerous thriving towns of the Province of Fermo, full of works of art. Worth seeing: Sant’Elpidio a Mare, situated on a hill, with intact mediaeval walls, the massive Torre Gerosolimitana (Jerusalem Tower), the Collegiate Church and the Churches of Sant’Agostino (St. Augustine) and Maria Santissima della Misericordia (Our Most Holy Lady of Mercy), interesting for their architectural structure and precious works of art; Montegranaro, which grew around the old core where the ancient churches of Sant’Ugo (St. Hugh) and San Pietro (St. Peter) stood. We recommend stopping: for anyone who wants sun and sea, in Porto Sant’Elpidio, a typical seaside resort with a promenade rich with vegetation, and in Porto San Giorgio, an ancient guard post along a coast infested by Turkish pirates and today an important tourist resort known for its mediaeval centre with the Rocca (Keep) and for its modern town with avenues, trees and gardens. Worth a visit: the noble Fermo, considered the monumental hall of Marche with its ancient and vast Roman cisterns, the panoramic Piazzale del Girfalco on which stands the Cathedral with its unusual asymmetrical façade, the splendid Piazza del Popolo flanked by loggias, the Teatro 67

150 64

150 65

150 66

64. Montappone 65. Montegranaro 66. Torre di Palme 67. Fermo

dell’Aquila (Eagle Theatre), the sixteenth-century Palazzo dei Priori which houses the Civic Gallery containing precious works such as the Adorazione dei pastori (Adoration of the Shepherds) by Rubens and the eight panels of the Polyptic of S. Lucia (St. Lucy) by Jacobello del Fiore. Of great interest is the Oratorio di Santa Monica (Oratory of St. Monica) with frescoes in an international Gothic style. Worth making a detour to see: Torre di Palme, a “balcony over the sea” very well conserved with numerous mediaeval buildings, also famous for the waters of the Fonti di Palme (Palm Springs). Not to be missed: Ponzano di Fermo, known for the Pieve di San Marco (Parish Church of St. Mark) founded in the high middle ages; Monte Giberto, the ancient heart of which, in a dominant position, is enclosed by its fourteenth-century walls; Servigliano, built in accordance with the town planning rules of the eighteenth century, and Falerone, where you can visit the Regional Archaeological Park which protects the ruins of Falerio Picenus, the ancient Roman city with its splendid theatre with stage and cavea. Worth discovering: Monte Vidon Corrado, a village with the remains of imposing fortifications, birthplace of the great painter Osvaldo Licini; Montappone, a small town with a mediaeval centre in which the Oratorio del Sacramento (Oratory of the Sacrament) stands out; Massa Fermana, where you can admire a fine polyptic by Carlo Crivelli, and Montegiorgio, where people visit its celebrated Ippodromo (horse carting racecourse).

STAZIONE MONTECOSARO STAZIONE PORTO SANT'ELPIDIO MONTEGRANARO

CORRIDONIA

.2 S.S

MONTE S. PIETRANGELI

PETRIOLO

MOGLIANO

PORTO SAN GIORGIO

FRANCAVILLA D'ETE LORO PICENO

RAPAGNANO FERMANA A FE MASSA

O DI TENNA MAGLIANO

FERMO TORRE DI PALME

MONTAPPONE MONTE VIDON CORRADO

O MONTEGIORGIO

ITINERARY

S.S. 77

MORROVALLE

MACERATA

SANT’ELPIDIO A MARE MONTEGRANARO PORTO SANT’ELPIDIO PORTO SAN GIORGIO FERMO PONZANO DI FERMO MONTE GIBERTO SERVIGLIANO FALERONE MONTE VIDON CORRADO MONTAPPONE MASSA FERMANA MONTEGIORGIO

G GROTTAZZOLINA PEDASO

FALERONE BELMONTE PICENO SERVIGLIANO

A14

MONTERINALDO

ORTEZZANO CARASSAI

MONTELPARO MONTALTO DELLE MARCHE

RIPATRANSONE

MARKET FAIRS Porto Sant’Elpidio: Mirabilia Market, August. Porto San Giorgio: Craft Market, every Tuesday in July and August. Antiques Market, August. Fermo: Tipicità, Festival of Typical Marche Products, March; Market Fair of Craftwork and Antiques, every Thursday in July and August.

USEFUL INFORMATION

owards the end of the nineteenth century in this area there were dozens of footwear-making workshops. This work was, in Montegranaro in particular, the main economic resource of the area. With the passing of the years, industrial transformation exploded although most firms remained small family businesses, constituting an innovative district network which has been studied by many economists. The same evolution was experienced by the art of weaving straw and wicker (today cane and bamboo) to make various kinds of objects such as fans, welcome mats, cases, but above all hats. So much so that Montappone which had always been a hat production centre further increased its business following the introduction of machines together with Falerone, Monte Vidon Corrado and Massa Fermana. An evocative journey into the past of the ancient craftwork traditions can involve two museum trips: to the Footwear Museum in Sant’Elpidio a Mare, which presents the historical evolution of footwear in Marche, as well as a collection of old machines, famous people’s footwear and a faithful reconstruction of a craft workshop from the 1940s, and to the Hat Museum in Montappone, which illustrates all the straw processing stages up to the press which gives the hat its shape and exhibits machinery, panels and a selection of varied headgear. In Fermo, of the “brickmakers” and “potters”, once found in large numbers in the city, as is also true of the smiths specialising in casting bells, there remain the “steel smiths”, makers of gates, grilles, beds, andirons, etc.; there are also workshops of restorers, potters and goldsmiths, who work following the renowned Picene gold-working tradition. Wood, marble and precious metals are worked in Porto San Giorgio, Montegiorgio and Porto Sant’Elpidio, which is also known for pottery production.

MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Sant’ Elpidio a Mare: “Cavalier Vincenzo Andolfi” Footwear Museum. Montappone: Hat Museum. Montegiorgio: Museum of Rural Culture of the Upper Picene Area (in preparation). Ponzano di Fermo: Museums of the Field. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Sant’ Elpidio a Mare: La Città Medioevo (The Mediaeval Town), third week in July; Contesa del Secchio (Bucket Contest) and procession, second Sunday in August. Fermo: Palio dell’Assunta, 15 August. Servigliano: Knightly Tournament of Castel Clementino, August. Montappone: The Straw Hat, last week in July. TYPICAL PRODUCTS Rosso Piceno is a fine wine, the production area includes the hill country of the Provinces of Macerata and Ancona, up to Senigallia. The typical white wine is the Falerio dei Colli Ascolani. Particularly delicious is the caciotta cheese of the Fermo area.

68. Moresco 69. Offida 70. Cupra Marittima 68

his very exciting route, through rolling hills and ancient villages, leads us to discover the beauties and smells of the green Riviera Picena, between the Provinces of Fermo and Ascoli Piceno. Worth seeing: Pedaso, a seaside resort; Altidona and Lapedona, which still conserve most of their ancient castle walls; Moresco, a village with an imposing fortified structure; Monterubbiano, birthplace of the painter Vincenzo Pagani. Worth admiring: on the opposite bank of the River Aso, in a dominant position, Montefiore dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aso, birthplace of Adolfo De Carolis, the Museum Complex which holds a precious tryptic by Carlo Crivelli. Worth stopping to see: Petritoli, founded in the 10th century by monks from Farfa, with the remains of mediaeval fortifications; Montottone and Montelparo, with its ancient town walls; Montalto delle Marche, a town linked to the memory of Sixtus V with the Cathedral, the Town Hall housing the Civic Art Gallery, the Archaeological Museum and the Museo Sistino Vescovile di Montalto (Bishop Sixtus Museum of Montalto); Castignano, an ancient town of Picene origin perched on a hill; Offida the core of which, surrounded by intact walls, holds the ruins of the Rocca (Keep), Palazzo Pagnanelli, which houses numerous 74

71. Grottammare 72. Acquaviva Picena 73. Ripatransone 74. San Benedetto del Tronto

museums, and the majestic Abbazia di Santa Maria della Rocca (Abbey of Our Lady of the Rock). We recommend a detour: along the rolling hills to admire the beautiful Rocca di Montevarmine near Carassai; to Cossignano which still has a fine fortified village; of great interest is the Church of Pietro e Paolo (Peter and Paul), now a Museum of Sacred Art; to the noble Ripatransone, with the narrowest alley in Italy, full of archaeological finds and precious paintings exhibited in the Civic Art Gallery; to Acquaviva Picena, with its imposing and perfectly conserved mediaeval keep , and to Monteprandone, birthplace of San Giacomo della Marca (St. James of Marche). Worth visiting: San Benedetto del Tronto with its promenade characterised by 7,000 palm trees which give the name to this last stretch of the Riviera, the oldest high nucleus with the fourteenth-century Torre dei Gualtieri and the Museums devoted to the sea. The maritime tradition, still very much alive, kickstarted the frozen food industry, which is thriving today; Grottammare, pearl of the Adriatic with its splendid mediaeval village with a sea view in which there are old houses and narrow streets, still has the unmistakeable flavour of oranges; if you stop in this town it is also worth visiting the Church of S. Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist), now the Sacred Art Museum; Cupra Marittima where you really must stop off at the Picene Malacological (Mollusc) Museum, at the fortified hamlet of Marano and at the ruins of the Roman town of Cupra Maritima, protected today by the Regional Archaeological Park.

PORTO SAN GIORGIO

O TORRE S. PATRIZIO FERMO

RAPAGNANO

O DI TENNA MAGLIANO

O MONTEGIORGIO

G GROTTAZZOLINA

S.S PETRITOLI

CUPRA MARITTIMA

MONTELPARO

RIPATRANSONE

CASTIGNANO ROTELLA

MONSAMPOLO

SAN BENEDETTO DEL PEDASO TRONTO ALTIDONA GROTTAMMARE LAPEDONA CUPRA MARITTIMA MORESCO MONTERUBBIANO MONTEFIORE DELL’ASO PETRITOLI MONTOTTONE MONTELPARO MONTALTO DELLE MARCHE CASTIGNANO OFFIDA CARASSAI COSSIGNANO RIPATRANSONE ACQUAVIVA PICENA MONTEPRANDONE

ITINERARY

S.S .2 10

MONTE S. PIETRANGELI

CASTEL DI LAMA

S.S .4

MALTIGNANO FOLIGNANO

articularly interesting in Acquaviva Picena is the production of “paiarole” or baskets made with wheat straw, wicker and various types of marsh canes. From the 1970s, dolls and nativity figures have also been produced with maize leaves. The processing is completely manual and it is the women who prepare the material and make the baskets. It is amazing that, even today, in a world marked by speed and frenzy, in Offida the laborious and patient art of delicate bobbin lace-making is still practised. This is a very ancient tradition, dating back to the 15th century and imported from the Orient, practised with skill by the women from Offida who often sit in small groups in front of their homes. The places of the ancient trades are numerous in this area, which is known as “Il Piceno”: in San Benedetto del Tronto there are restoration, goldsmiths’, pottery, tailoring, stone-working and metalworking workshops, as well as boatyards, and net and rope factories; travertine- and wood-working are present in Grottammare and in Cupra Marittima, whilst wrought iron craftwork characterises Montefiore dell’Aso, Lapedona and Petritoli and pottery Carassai, Monteprandone and above all Montottone, a renowned centre for terracotta, as well as of wrought iron and copper. In the numerous museums of folk traditions scattered along the itinerary the exhibitions of looms and spinning wheels are evocative, recalling a time, not long ago, when every farmhouse they made their own fabrics; there are also wine presses and other wine-making equipment, testifying to the long winemaking tradition. In the attempt to re-launch the ancient trades and typical workshops, the commitment of the Board of the Monti Sibillini National Park and of the Local Action Group is a positive factor.

USEFUL INFORMATION

MARKET FAIRS Monterubbiano: Chi Cerca Trova (Seek and You Shall Find), August. Offida: Mercato del Serpente Aureo (Golden Serpent Market), July and August; Bobbin Lace Exhibition, July and August; Sagra del Chichiripieno, first Sunday in August; Di Vino in Vino, first week in September. Acquaviva Picena: Craftwork and Antiques Market Fair, every Wednesday in July and August. San Benedetto del Tronto: L’antico e le palme (The Ancient and the Palms), January, June, July, August. Grottammare: Market of Antiques and Craftwork, every Monday in July and August, end of March, 8 December. MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Montefiore dell’Aso: Polo Museale di San Francesco (St. Francis’s Museum Complex) – Museum of Rural Civilisation. Montottone: Pottery Workshop Museum. Montalto delle Marche: “L’acqua, la terra, la tela” (Water, Land, the Loom) Museum. Offida: Museum of Folk Traditions Offida: Bobbin Lace Museum. Ripatransone: Museum of Rural Civilisation. Acquaviva Picena: “Pajarola” (Handmade Basket) Museum. San Benedetto del Tronto: Museum of the Sea. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Monterubbiano: Armata di Pentecoste Sciò la Pica and Giostra dell’anello (Ring Joust), Pentecost (Whit Sunday). Offida: Lu Bov’ Fint (The Fake Ox), Carnival Friday; Sfilata dei V’lurd (Faggot Procession), Carnival Tuesday. Castignano: Templaria, August. Ripatransone: Il cavallo di fuoco, April. Acquaviva Picena: Sponsalia, August. San Benedetto del Tronto: “Notti al museo - I bambini e il mare” (Nights at the Museum - Children and the Sea). TYPICAL PRODUCTS The Maccheroncini of Campofilone, made with durum wheat flour and twice as many eggs as in normal pasta, can now be found in shop windows all over the world. The valleys of the Tronto and the Aso have an extraordinary market gardening vocation: among the numerous products we can note the white beans of the Tronto and the peaches of the Val d’Aso. Also noteworthy is the excellent brodetto sambenedettese (thin broth of San Benedetto). The funghetti (small “mushroom” biscuits) of Offida and the panetti di fichi (fig cakes) of Monsampolo del Tronto are delicious. The Offida DOC wine is produced in the area.

75. Comunanza 76. Force 77. Amandola 75

he natural values of the nearby mountains with their luxuriant vegetation and stupendous views are combined on this route with a wealth of historical and artistic assets. Not to be missed: Ascoli Piceno, the “city of two hundred towers”, with its treasures held in the numerous museums and historic churches, such as the SS. Vincenzo e Anastasio (Saints Vincent and Anastasius), the silent palaces, the splendid squares, the noble octagonal Battistero (Baptistery), the imposing Cathedral (with a precious polyptic by Carlo Crivelli), the enchanting Piazza del Popolo where the thirteenth-century Palazzo dei Capitani stands alongside the celebrated Caffè Meletti, shining with Liberty gold and decorations, the beautiful Gothic Church of S. Francesco (St. Francis) with the adjacent Loggia dei Mercanti (Merchants’ Loggia), the historic Ventidio Basso Theatre and the reminders of the ancient Roman age. Worth making a detour to see: Folignano, Castel di Lama, Castorano, Spinetoli and Colli del Tronto, interesting for their craft and eno-gastronomical traditions; the ancient centres of Venarotta, Roccafluvione, and Force, one of the first Farfa monk settlements where copper-working thrived; among other things Palazzo Canestrai, which houses the Sacred Art Museum, contains a 12th-century wooden Crucifix. Worth seeing: Comunanza, birthplace of the three Ghezzi painters, which has a historical centre with 81

78. Arquata del Tronto 79. Montemonaco 80. Montefalcone Appennino 81. Ascoli Piceno

tall old terraced houses perched above the Aso River; Montefalcone Appennino, imposing at the top of a steep cliff, with interesting mediaeval ruins; Santa Vittoria in Matenano, founded by the Farfa monks to whom we owe the Church of Santa Vittoria (St. Victoria); other points of interest are Palazzo Melis, the Church of S. Agostino (St. Augustine), the Torre dell’Abate Oderisio (Abbot Oderisio’s Tower) and the Monastero delle Benedettine (Benedictine Convent); Montelparo which overlooks the Aso valley; the typical mediaeval village of Smerillo, with its beautiful wood and the “Fessa”, a characteristic split in the rock. Worth visiting: Amandola with the churches of S. Agostino (St. Augustine) and S. Francesco (St. Francis), the nearby Abbazia dei Santi Ruffino e Vitale (Abbey of Saints Ruffinus and Vitalis) and the Lago di San Ruffino (Lake of St. Ruffinus). Worth driving along: the panoramic road leading to the heart of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini, (Sibyllline Mountain National Park) among an evocative corona of mountains and the green of the woods, and through small villages such as Montefortino, with its narrow stone streets and its extraordinary “F. Duranti” Civic Art Gallery; Montemonaco, interesting for the remains of its walls and of the Rocca (Keep) and a view that stretches away forever; Montegallo, a pleasant tourist resort, and Arquata del Tronto, the only municipality in Italy included in two national parks (that of the Monti Sibillini and that of the Monti della Laga), with a superb mediaeval Rocca (Keep). A stop in Acquasanta Terme will doubtless turn out to be healthy owing to its beneficial sulphur waters; worth noting is the Church of S. Maria delle Piane (Our Lady of the Plains) of Roman origin, but enriched by the beauty of frescoes by Augusto Mussini.

G GROTTAZZOLINA

FALERONE

O S. GINESIO

SANT'ANGELO IN PONTANO SERVIGLIANO

6 .7 S.S GUALDO

MORESCO

PENNA S. GIOVANNI MONTELEONE DI FERMO

CARASSAI

MONTE S. MARTINO MONTELPARO

RIPATRANSONE ME SMERILLO SM O COSSIGNANO

AMANDOLA CASTIGNANO ROTELLA OFFIDA MONTEFORTINO

PALMIANO

MONTEMONACO

VENAROTTA

ROCCAFLUVIONE

ASCOLI PICENO MONTEGALLO FOLIGNANO ARQUATA DEL TRONTO CASTEL DI LAMA ACQUASANTA TERME CASTORANO SPINETOLI COLLI DEL TRONTO VENAROTTA ROCCAFLUVIONE FORCE COMUNANZA MONTEFALCONE APPENNINO SANTA VITTORIA IN MATENANO SMERILLO AMANDOLA MONTEFORTINO MONTEMONACO

ITINERARY

O MONTEGIORGIO

ARQUATA DEL TRONTO

ACQUASANTA TERME

S.S .

MALTIGNANO MONTEGALLO

O FOLIGNANO

TERAMO

he majolica tradition has ancient origins in T Ascoli Piceno, as is proven by the numerous fragments from the Italic, Roman and High Middle MARKET FAIRS Ascoli Piceno: Antiques, Artistic Craftwork and Collections Market, third Saturday and Sunday in the month. Arquata del Tronto: Marrone che Passione (Chestnuts How Exciting!), market fair of typical products of the mountains, last Sunday in October.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Ages and the creations of “figuli” (majolica workers) operating in the 14th and 15th centuries. After a break in production, it began again with new vigour in 1812, thanks to the work of the Paci and Matricardi factories which made use of the contributions of artists such as Adolfo De Carolis and Bruno da Osimo. Today production continues with the M.A.A. (Maioliche Artistiche Ascolane) factory and thanks to the work of numerous craft workshops which are inspired by the past. The old city centre is also enlivened by workshops of goldsmiths, antique dealers, restorers, blacksmiths, tailors and marble workers; straw working lives on, while the centuries-old paper-making tradition is now in disuse. This latter tradition is testified to by the Opificio di Porta Cartara (Papermakers’ Gate Factory), recently restored. Instead, in our time, copper-working has been less fortunate. This material was widespread at the end of the nineteenth century when, concentrated in particular around Force and Comunanza, there were more than thirty small workshops of copper-workers and boilermakers who carried out their trade even in an itinerant form around the farmhouses. Amandola, once known for ancient wool-working and weaving, has been a centre of wood-working since the 16th century, as have Comunanza, Montefortino, Roccafluvione and Colli del Tronto. In the area of Castel di Lama there is considerable leather-working. In the small village of Colle di Arquata del Tronto the production of charcoal is still important to the local economy. This is a technique that consists of knowing how to transform wood into charcoal leaving it to burn in a structure that prevents its complete combustion. In Colle this ancient trade still survives, handed down from generation to generation, despite this being an activity now becoming extinct. As well as the pottery tradition, which is also found in Folignano, in the upper Tronto valley, and in particular in Acquasanta Terme, Travertine has been worked for centuries. This material characterises most of the buildings in the Ascoli area and is used today for furniture.

MUSEUMS OF FOLK TRADITIONS Spinetoli: Museum of Rural Civilisation at Oasi La Valle. Amandola: Anthropo-geographical Museum - Museum of Rural Civilisation. Montelparo: Itinerant Trades Museum. HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENTS Ascoli Piceno: Quintana, July and August. Amandola: Processione delle Canestrelle (Basket Procession), August. Arquata del Tronto: Alla corte della regina (At the Queen’s Court), 19 August. Arquata del Tronto: Re-enactment of the Battle of Lepanto, August (every three years). Arquata del Tronto: Presentation of the legend of the fairies, August (every three years). TYPICAL PRODUCTS Very well-known and excellent are the Ascolan olives, above all the stuffed and fried version. Acquasanta Terme, Roccafluvione, Comunanza and Montefortino are places in which the prized black truffle, Tuber melanosporum Vitt, is widespread, as well as numerous species of mushroom and chestnut. At risk of extinction are the mele rosa (pink apples) of Amandola and the Cucuccetta pears of S. Emidio. Rosso Piceno Superiore wine is produced in a narrow band of towns, whilst the anisetta aniseed liquor is typical of Ascoli Piceno. It should be noted that in the area of Arquata del Tronto there are numerous charcoal workshops.

San Benedetto del Tronto (AP) Riviera del Conero (AN) Macerata - Arena Sferisterio National Park of the Monti Sibillini (M. Palazzo Borghese) Villa Potenza (MC) - Ruins of the ancient Helvia RĂŹcina

Ascoli Piceno - La Quintana The interior of Marche Genga (AN) - Frasassi Caves Ancona - Cathedral of Saint Cyriacus Jesi (AN) - Pergolesi Theatre

Loreto (AN) - Piazza della Madonna Urbino (PU) - Chiesa di San Bernardino Ascoli Piceno - Palazzo del Capitano Fermo - Cathedral Pesaro - Rossini Opera Festival

FOR INFORMATION CNA MARCHE National Confederation of Trades of Small and Medium Enterprises Via Sandro Totti, 4 - 60131 ANCONA Tel. +39.071286091 - Fax +39.0712860928 www.marche.cna.it cnamarche@marche.cna.it Confartigianato Imprese (Confederation of Trades) Marche Via Fioretti, 2/A - 60131 ANCONA Tel. +39.0712900134 - Fax +39.0712900135 www.confartigianato.it segreteria.fram@confartps.it Ancona Chamber of Commerce Piazza XXIV Maggio, 1 - 60123 ANCONA Tel. +39.07158981- Fax +39.0712073907 www.an.camcom.gov.it direzione@an.camcom.it Pesaro and Urbino Chamber of Commerce Corso XI Settembre, 116 - 61121 PESARO Tel. +39.07213571 - Fax +39.072131015 www.ps.camcom.gov.it segreteria.generale@ps.camcom.it Macerata Chamber of Commerce Via Tommaso Lauri, 7 - 62100 MACERATA Tel. +39.07332511 - Fax +39.0733251622 www.mc.camcom.it segreteria@mc.camcom.it Fermo Chamber of Commerce Corso Cefalonia, 69 (Palazzo Azzolino) - 63900 FERMO Tel. +39.0734217511 - Fax +39.0734217541 www.fm.camcom. it segreteria.generale@fm.camcom.it Ascoli Piceno Chamber of Commerce Via L. Mercantini,25 - 63100 ASCOLI PICENO Tel. +39.07362791 - Fax +39.0736262144 www.ap.camcom. it segreteria @ap.camcom.it