Montalto delle Marche is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) and former Latin catholic bishopric in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Le Marche, located in the hilly area that goes from the Adriatic cost to the Sibillini Mountains, at a distance of about south of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

and about north of

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of Ascoli Piceno, province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city h ...

, with a population of 1 991 inhabitants. The municipal territory covers a 34 km² area. The municipality of Montalto is organised in a central town (Montalto) and three hamlets: Porchia, Patrignone, and an urban agglomeration in "c.da Lago" (located in Valdaso, along the Aso river). Montalto delle Marche is still structured around the medieval village. Along the walls, there are three main gates who provide the access to the central fortification, which is divided into three main areas: the Cassero, the Peracchia and Piazza

Umberto I Umberto I ( it, Umberto Rainerio Carlo Emanuele Giovanni Maria Ferdinando Eugenio di Savoia; 14 March 1844 – 29 July 1900) was King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his assassination on 29 July 1900. Umberto's reign saw Italy attempt colo ...

. The modern part of the city is located on the northeast side, and includes the main square (Piazza Sisto V) and the monumental

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

, constructed by the desire of Pope Sixtus V. The hamlets of Porchia and Patrignone are also medieval villages, once autonomous municipalities: the medieval fortifications are still existing. Montalto delle Marche borders the following municipalities: Carassai, Castignano, Cossignano,

Monte Rinaldo Monte Rinaldo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Fermo in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona, about north of Ascoli Piceno and west of Fermo Fermo (ancient: Firmum Picenum) is a town and '' comune'' o ...

, Montedinove, Montelparo, Ortezzano.

History

The territory of Montalto was already inhabited in

prehistoric times Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...

: in the Archaeological Museum there are several findings and exhibits form the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several pa ...

(6000 BC), from the Apennine people (2500 BC) and from the

Picenum Picenum was a region of ancient Italy. The name is an exonym assigned by the Romans, who conquered and incorporated it into the Roman Republic. Picenum was ''Regio V'' in the Augustan territorial organization of Roman Italy. Picenum was also ...

and Roman periods. In the fourteenth century, the local communities organized themselves in the free municipalities of Montalto, Patrignone and Porchia. In 1418 Montalto started to independently elect the

Podestà Podestà (, English: Potestate, Podesta) was the name given to the holder of the highest civil office in the government of the cities of Central and Northern Italy during the Late Middle Ages. Sometimes, it meant the chief magistrate of a city ...

, and in the 15th century was part of the land of Presidato Farfense, as part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...

. Since 1586, on the will of

Pope Sixtus V Pope Sixtus V ( it, Sisto V; 13 December 1521 – 27 August 1590), born Felice Piergentile, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 April 1585 to his death in August 1590. As a youth, he joined the Franciscan order ...

, the city began the capital of "Presidato di Montalto" (State of Montalto), which included 13 municipalities under its control. Furthermore, a State Mint is founded. In 1798, during the French "Italian Campaign", Montalto rose up against the Napoleonic army: the Bishop of Montalto, Mons. Castiglioni (future

Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII ( it, Pio VIII; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830. Pius VIII's ...

), was arrested and deported to

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

. With the restoration of 1816, Montalto became the a capital district, including the municipalities of Amandola, Offida, Ripatransone and San Benedetto del Tronto. The heritage of the State of Montalto was definitely suppressed in 1861, with the end of the

and the

Italian unification The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

. Among the "illustrious citizens" of Montalto: *

Giuseppe Sacconi Giuseppe Sacconi (Montalto delle Marche, 5 July 1854 - 23 September 1905) was an Italian architect. He is best known as the designer of the monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, in the centre of Rome. Following the prestigious commission, he became ...

Monuments and places of interest

* Montalto Cathedral * Sant'Agostino Monastery *Sixtine Museum (Museo Sistino Vescovile) * Sacconi Palace * Paradisi Palace, with the private chapel "Chiesa di San Pietro" *Archeological Museum *Prison Museum (Museo delle Carceri) * Pasqualini Palace * Palace of the Governor of the State of Montalto (now Municipal Town Hall) * Santa Maria in Viminatu Church (loc. Patrignone) * Santa Lucia Church (loc. Porchia) * Oratory of the Madonna of Reggio (Beata Vergine della Ghiara) * Church of Madonna Tonna * Church of Annunziata

Society

Demography

Events and Associations

La Notte delle Streghe e dei Folletti

Since 1991, every 12-13-14 of August, this characteristic event takes place in the old medieval town of Montalto. "La Notte delle Streghe e dei folletti" (literally the night of the Witches and the Elves) is a famous festival for families and children: in the charming old town, Witches, goblins and Elves play with the main characters of the fairy tales, until the wicked old witch is burned in the main square.

Associazione Giovanile Montaltese "MyClan"

The Youth Association of Montalto (better known as MyClan) was founded in 2010. It organizes sport tournaments, concerts, parties, exhibitions and festivals. MyClan organizes the patronal feast of "San Vito Martire" (15 June) and the "Casserata, a festival of Cassero", a traditional food festival held every year on the third weekend of July.

"La Cordata" Choir

"La Cordata" is an alpine and popular-inspired choir of male voices. Founded in 1984 during an excursion to the Monastery of S.Leonardo (just above the gorges of Infernaccio, in Sibillini Mountains), "La Cordata" is directed since its foundation by M° Patrizio Paci. The choir organizes every year the "Festival degli Appennini", hosting the best choirs in Italy.

Administration

Town-twinning arrangements

* Montreuil-le-Gast

Sport

Football

The main team is the F.C. Montalto 1979, born in 1979. The team colors are yellow and red. The "Atletico Porchia" is the team of the hamlet of Porchia. The team colors are white and blue.

Tennis

Since 2012 there is a red clay court held by the tennis club "Il Salice". The tennis club organize tournaments and participate to several competition with its team.

Motocross

An internationally known motocross track (Lugugnano Cross Park) is located in the Lugugnano district and is active since 2001. The LMT Racing Team is the resident team who takes care of the motocross school.

References

External links

Map of Montalto delle Marche
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montalto Delle Marche Cities and towns in the Marche