Back Arcevia and the castles of Arcevia

Arcevia and the castles of Arcevia

The village nestled in the hill

Arcevia is located on a hill with the charming name of Monte Cischiano, an extension of the lowlands of the pre-Apennine chain on the Umbria-Marche Region slopes. Its 13th/16th century town walls that still retain a number of towers and four gates are formidable but easily accessible at places.

The most interesting buildings of the old town are: the baroque collegiate church of St. Medardo, which contains masterpieces by Luca Signorelli, works by Della Robbia, Gian Battista Salvi and Claudio Ridolfi; the Misa theatre, an architectural gem built between 1840 and 1845 inside the Palazzo dei Priori and the Church of St. Agatha; the Cultural Centre of San Francesco, housed within the former Franciscan convent where the Renaissance cloister and the magnificent church are located. The State Archaeological Museum of Arcevia has an important collection of archaeological finds from the area surrounding Arcevia. There are splendid funerary remains in the Gallic necropolis of Montefortino (4th / 3rd century BC).

The nine castles of Arcevia (Avacelli, Castiglioni, Caudino, Loretello, Montale, Nidastore, Palazzo, Piticchio and San Pietro) are among the main attractions: these are walled towns based on a fourteenth fifteenth century plan, which have preserved their typical features right up to the present day.

Read all Read less
Level of difficulty: media
Target: Family

The stages of the itinerary

  • Arcevia
    Corso Giuseppe Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.981972
    The stage includes the following destinations: Arcevia

    Arcevia is a noble town which rises on a ridge in the Apennine foothills of the central Marche, not far from Senigallia. It’s surrounded by strong walls, built between the 13th and 14th centuries, with four remaining gateways and some towers. Among the main attractions of Arcevia, there are nine castles called  Avacelli, Castiglioni, Caudino, Loretello, Montale, Nidastore, Palazzo, Piticchio and San Pietro. They were built between the 14th and 15th century and they have preserved their original layout up to the present day. Arcevia is within the protected area called “Natural Regional Park of Gola della Rossa and Frasassi”.

    Not to miss is the Baroque church of San Medardo, half way up Corso Mazzini, where you can see two dramatically framed masterpieces by the Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli, “the Polyptych of St. Medard” (1507) and “The Baptism of Jesus Christ” painted while he was living here between 1507 and 1508, as well as important works of art of Giovanni and Mattia Della Robbia, exceptionally concentrated in this single town of the Marche, such as the altarpiece by Giovanni della Robbia (1513), an altar cloth  and a crucifix by Mattia della Robbia in glazed terracotta two painted statues of St. Catherine and St. Mary Magdalene by the Della Robbia brothers as well as a nativity scene by a workshop from the March,. They’re all in the church of St. Medardo. In the church St. Maria del Soccorso., instead,you can admire a impressive glazed altar piece representing the Annunciation, a work by Mattia della Robbia. In the castle of Avacelli, the church of St. Lorenzo houses a crucifix and a spectacular altar piece in painted terracotta representing the Madonna of the Rosary and of Mercy. It was done by a workshop from the Marche influenced by the Della Robbia brothers

    Several smart buildings line the main Corso Mazzini. Piazza Garibaldi is presided over by the town hall, topped by its 14th century tower. On the opposite side, a balcony under the arcades looks out into the mountains to the south. Arcevia boasts a remarkable archeological museum, documenting the history of the Galli Senoni, a Celtic tribe who settled here around the 4th century BC., and the Misa historic theatre.

    In the last few years in Arcevia it’s been cultivated again a variety of corn which ran the risk of disappearing. It’s called “Mais otto file di Roccacontrda” ( this is the ancient name of the town). It’s  excellent for a good cornmeal mush and it’s the main product to which the  event “Una domenica andando a Polenta “ (Cornmeal mush on a Sunday) is dedicated. It takes place every Sunday in Februar and it involves all the restaurants of the area. Similarly, every Sunday in October you can take part to the initiative called "Una domenica andando per primi” ( First courses on a Sunday). Not to miss is the “Festa dell’uva” ( Grapes festival”), which is scheduled in the last week end of September in Arcevia and the traditional “Festa d’Autunno “(Autumn festival) in the second weekend of November within the castle of Piticchio.

    Many cultural events are organized in the town centre and in the various castles, among which the well known Arcevia Jazz in July and August and Arcevia International Art Festival from August to September.

     

  • Arcevia – Piticchio Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Piticchio
    Piticchio, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved in the Arcevia area, rises on a hill at 379 metres some seven kilometres from Arcevia. Various historians claim that it sits on the ruins of the Roman settlement of Pitulum, but this identification remains uncertain. First documented in 1223 as among the possessions of the Bishop of Senigallia, it was conquered by Rocca Contrada in late 1200s after having been destroyed several times. Very ably restored, the castle has a typically XV-century layout. A grand walkway covers the entire length of the walls and a wide slope characterises much of the circuit. The S. Sebastiano parish church is home to an impressive altarpiece of carved and gilded wood from the XVI century on which three canvases and two tablets were mounted, late masterpieces by Ercole Ramazzani dating to the 1590s.
  • Arcevia – Avacelli Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Avacelli
    Avacelli Castle, attested since 1248, was built on a hilltop by Rocca Contrada on the border with the territory under the control of Serra San Quirico. The entrance gate with a ravelin and part of the stone wall, without any sign of a slope, is what remains of the old defensive building. The castle’s church, San Lorenzo, dates to the late XV century and houses a spectacular terracotta altar graced with a painting of the Madonna of Mercy (XVI century) attributed to an artist from the Marche who was influenced both by Agabiti and Friar Mattia. At the foot of the hill, in a valley nestled in the woods, is the Church of Sant’Ansovino, a unique local example of Romanesque architecture with a gabled façade, semicircular apse and blind arches on the right wall. Aside from the terracotta cross imbedded in the façade, the church features re-used ancient capitals which probably date to the high Middle Ages, frescoes and sinopia drawings on the inside.
  • Arcevia – Castiglioni Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Castiglioni
    Castiglioni Castle borders on the territory of the Serra de’Conti area. Attested as a castle since 1289, it was most likely founded after the nearby Fossaceca castle had finally been abandoned. It only became a castle to all effects and purposes in the early XV century, and was built in an organic and unitary manner by the City of Rocca Contrada to defend inhabitants from the hazards of the wars being fought (the castle was occupied by Braccio Fortebraccio da Montone). Castiglioni still boasts its original medieval structure, with well-preserved walls and two lovely fortified gates. The parish church, dedicated to St. Agatha, is home to the Madonna of the Rosary (1589) – one of the finest works of Ercole Ramazzani – and a wooden cross from the XV century. The church of St. Maria della Piana (XIII century), located just outside its walls, is worthy of note for its remarkable rectangular façade, which contains a moving fresco of St. Sebastian attributed to Andrea di Bartolo da Jesi (1474).
  • Arcevia – Montale Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Montale
    Montale Castle sits on a circular hill located on the border with the municipality of Serra de’ Conti. Documented for the first time in 1223 as the property of the Bishop of Senigallia, it was destroyed twice by Rocca Contrada (first in 1250 and then again in 1280) in their attempt to conquer this very important defensive outpost. Worthy of note are the walkway at the northern end and the watch tower at the southern end, which was reused and re-proposed as the bell tower for the Church of S. Silvestro, rebuilt after 1830. The use of brickwork dominates both the interior and the boundary walls.
  • Arcevia – Loretello Castle
    Frazione Loretello , Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Loretello
    Of all the castles still in existence today, Loretello is the oldest. First documented in 1072 and built at the same time as the church of S. Andrea by the monks of Fonte Avellana, it was taken over by Rocca Contrada in the second half of the 1200s. The castle as we see it today dates to an expansion project undertaken in the late 1300s – early 1400s.   The walls, the ravelins and the lovely triple-arched bridge are almost entirely intact. The most important structure, aside from the spectacular brick bridge (XV century), is the great round tower from the 1400s, with many of its arrow slits still visible.
  • Arcevia – Nidastore Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Nidastore
    Nidastore Castle – or "nest of goshawks", the birds used for hunting in the Middle Ages – is the northernmost castle in Arcevia and sits on the border with the province of Pesaro. Nidastore was constructed in the mid-XII century and was always fought over by the bishop of Fossombrone and Roccas Contrada. In 1408 the castle was granted to the grandson of Bishop Raniero di Taddeo of the Ranieri family of Pesaro, who was killed by refugees from Rocca Contrada. This episode is linked to the story according to which Ranieri was murdered by men from Nidastore following his insistence on his driot de seigneur. In 1462, Pope Pius II recognised Rocca Contrada as the rightful rulers of the castle. The town itself dates to the second half of the 1400s: the walls, on which there are homes and several palazzi with XVI and XVII century doors, is beautifully preserved.
  • Arcevia – S. Pietro Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di San Pietro in Musio
    The little castle of San Pietro sits on a hill at 354 metres not far from Loretello. It was mentioned for the first time when some of its inhabitants filed a castellania act at Rocca Contrada.   Although its XV urban layout remains intact, very few traces of the original structure have been preserved. The defensive stone wall on the brickwork slope and the walkway, however, have survived to our day. Just outside its walls is the Madonna di Montevago sanctuary (XVI century) which boasts a lovely fresco of the Virgin Mary done by Venanzio da Camerino and Piergentile da Matelica.
  • Arcevia - Palazzo Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Palazzo

    Palazzo is one of the area’s most characteristic castles. It sits at 508 metres on the slopes of Mt. Cadino in the upper valley of the Fenella river. In 1130 it was donated to the Fonte Avellana hermitage. In the Middle Ages it was owned by the archbishops of Ravenna and then fought over by the bishops of Fossombrone and Sanigallia. As the XIII century came to a close, it came under the dominion of Arcevia after a victorious war against the city of Fossombrone. Its medieval urban structure has remained almost entirely intact and it still has imposing sections of stone and terracotta walls and a lovely XV century gateway. The parish church of Sts. Settimio and Stefano (1st half of the XVIII century), an imposing late-Baroque structure – most likely the work of an exponent of the Vici family of architects from Palazzo – with splendid marble altars and a gracious Venetian painting from the XVIII century, the Private Oratory of S. Venanzio (1751-1759) built on a design by Arcangelo Vici and with a remarkable frescoed interior, are all worthy of note.

  • Arcevia – Caudino Castle
    Corso Mazzini , 67 Arcevia (AN)
    0731.98991
    The stage includes the following destinations: Castello di Caudino
    Mentioned for the first time in 1338, Caudino was one of last castles built by Rocca Contrada. It was an important bastion constructed to defend the territory facing Pergola, west of Arcevia. It still boasts a picturesque entrance gate and a part of the ancient fortified structure. A memorable battle was fought not far from here between the Guelph and Ghibelline forces as they struggled for control of the area. At its centre, next to the old bell tower, is the Church of S. Stefano, which was reconstructed in the XVIII century and is home to a XVI-century fresco depicting the Madonna of Loreto.