Find out Monteprandone
Info
Fringed by pine trees, Monteprandone stands on a hill, about 5 km from the sea, from which it is possible to admire the Tronto valley framed between the coast and the mountains. All around it is surrounded by cultivated land and hills full of vineyards, from which fine D.O.C. wines are born. such as Rosso Piceno Superiore and Bianco Falerio from the Ascolani Hills. Over the centuries the city has not undergone major transformations. In part thanks to the inhabitants themselves who have preserved the medieval aspect of the town as much as possible, in part because the demographic and industrial development is concentrated entirely in the plains near the river Tronto, in the hamlet of Centobuchi. This is where most of the population of the municipality resides. There are many types of activities present in the vast industrial area and activities related to services, which are found surrounded by vast agricultural land intensely cultivated with vines, olive trees, cereals and vegetables. Among the industrial activities we remember that of bathroom furniture and woodworking, aeronautics (helicopters) and knitwear.
History
In the area of Monteprandone there were human settlements already in the Neolithic, but the birth of the inhabited nucleus of the city should have occurred between the 9th and 10th centuries, following the displacement of the population from the coast towards the interior due to probably of the continuous incursions of the Saracens. The first evidence of the castle of Monteprandone dates back to around the year 1039, in which the feudal lords Guido and Longino donated it to the abbey of Farfa. In the thirteenth century Monteprandone the territory of the city extended to the coast and therefore became the subject of a dispute between the city of Ascoli, which wanted an outlet to the sea, and Fermo, which opposed its ambitions. In 1292, Monteprandone became a free municipality and made an act of submission to Ascoli, and in 1323 Pope John XXII granted the latter permission to build its own port at the mouth of the Tronto river. This led Monteprandone to be more involved in the bitter territorial disputes of the two large cities of the Piceno, which included the mediation work of San Giacomo della Marca, who managed to have a peace treaty stipulated in 1400. After the annexation of the Papal State to the Kingdom of Italy, Monteprandone became an independent municipality and its borders, which reached the sea, were confirmed. In 1935 the hamlet of Porto d'Ascoli asked to break away from the hill town to join that of San Benedetto del Tronto, resizing the territory.
Famous People
San Giacomo della Marca (1394 - 1476)
Born in 1394 into a family of modest conditions, Giacomo della Marca completed his liberal studies in Ascoli. He graduated in Law in Perugia around 1412 and entered the Order of Friars Minor in July 1416. He left many writings on theology, over 180 codices, which he had collected for the library of the small Franciscan convent of Monteprandone which also included Latin classics and Greeks, an excerpt from the Koran and autograph works. He died in Naples on November 28, 1476 where he was on a political mission commanded by Pope Sixtus IV. He was beatified on 12 August 1624 by Urban VIII and canonized on 10 December 1726 by Benedict XIII. His remains have recently returned to his hometown (2001) and are now in the friars' convent.
Carlo Allegretti
Painter, born in the 16th century, he studied in Venice with the Bassano family. His best works are: Adoration of the Magi (Offida), Martyrdom of S. Bartolomeo (church of the same name in Ascoli Piceno) and another Adoration of the Magi (Cathedral of Ascoli Piceno).
What to see
Historic center of Monteprandone
In the town there are still several sections of castle walls: the fifteenth-century Porta del Borgo a Monte (sixteenth century) with a supporting tower and some sixteenth-century towers and palaces, including Palazzo Campanelli and the Town Hall.
Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie
The Franciscan convent is located outside the town walls, on the road that leads to Centobuchi. Built in the 14th century, it has undergone several transformations over the centuries and only a few traces remain of the original appearance. Inside there are several works and some objects that belonged to St. James, including the cloak, the traveling stick, the tunic, a 15th century chalice, a small chest for relics and an ivory triptych from the 15th century Bottega degli Embriachi. . Inside there are other works including a Madonna with Child in polychrome terracotta attributed to Durante Nobili di Caldarola (15th century), a Coronation of the Virgin by Vincenzo Pagani from 1525, two panels depicting the Addolorata and San Giovanni; the latter are placed on the apse at the sides of a carved and painted Crucifix from the 16th century. attributed to Cola d'Amatrice.
Civic Museum
In the museum 54 codices from the San Giacomo della Marca bookshop are kept and exposed to the public. The other codices are found in various Italian and foreign libraries, many have been lost. Many date back to the 14th-15th century and one to the 9th-10th century. There are also works by S. Bonaventura, San Giovanni Damasceno, S. Agostino, Scotus, Aristotle, Seneca, Boethius, Cicero, San Gregorio, and an autographed letter from the saint to S. Giovanni da Capestrano, documents relating to the library, ancient medieval parchments from the castle of Monteprandone and catalogs from various eras.
Collegiate Church of San Niccolò
The Collegiate Church was designed in neoclassical style by the architect Pietro Maggi in 1808. Inside it preserves a wooden crucifix from the 13th century. XIII and an organ by Angelo Morettini from Perugia, built in 1840.
