Montefiore dell'Aso

Under the Sign of Painting

The Name

Tradition links Montefiore’s place name to the cult of the goddess Flora (Mons Floris), a rural divinity worshipped by ancient Italic populations before the Roman conquest.

History

Montefiore dell’Aso is a lovely village of Piceno area, situated between the Aso and Menocchia Valleys. Its horizon goes from Sibillini Mountains to the sea, which is only few kilometres away.

The historical centre is well preserved: there are a lot of pieces of town walls with doors and six fortified towers which date back to XV and XVI centuries.

From De Carolis panoramic view-point, through Aspromonte Door, you can enter the historical centre an go into Piazza della Repubblica, the heart of the village, dominated by the St. Lucia Collegiate Church. The church is completely rebuilt in neoclassical style, but its origins are very old, between III and V century, and go back to the parish, rebuilt inside town walls in the second half of the XV century.

Going down from Piazza della Repubblica towards Piazzale San Francesco, you can see the church dedicated to the Saint and its adjoining monastery.. S. Francesco’s Church was built between 1247 and 1303, thanks to the proceeds of friars’charity. The church still preserves its original Romanesque-Gothic style in the external structure and in the portal of 1303, which you can admire in the sacristy now.

Radical restorations, made between the half of the XVII century and the half of XVIII century, have transformed its interior in a baroque style.
In the monastery the new S. Francesco’s Museum have been inaugurated in October 2006.

The friars’rooms in the monastery have been prepared to put art, cinema, ethnography up.
The new Museum winds in the rooms of the monastery, containing Carlo Crivelli’s Room, Giancarlo Basili’s Centre of Stage Documents, Adolfo De Carolis’Museum, Peasant Civilization Museum, Domenico Cantatore’s Collection.
The subject of the new staging is not the mere exhibition but the imagination as a reality to live. Real spatial productions in which interior space play the same part of landscapes.
In the village there are also a lot of buildings of eighteenth-century: Egidi Palace, Farsinelli Pace, De Sgrilli Pace, Rossi Palace, Ciarrocchi Palace, Simonetti Palace. Quite near the centre, St Filippo’s Church had been built on a little church built between 1573 and 1605, dedicated to S. Maria del Monte, and restored at the end of the XVII century.

The Corpus Domini Church and its Dominican Monastery (1846) stand near St. Filippo’s Church.
Three extra-urban churches have to be mentioned: along the main road that leads to Carassai S. Maria delle Grazie, a nice rural church, which reminds to a short prayer in the green meadows, and S. Maria della Fede; along the road leading to Campofilone S. Giovanni Battista’s Church.

In the collegiate church, the terse and refined Gothic style of Carlo Crivelli

Montefiore dell’Aso is a lovely village of Piceno area, situated between the Aso and Menocchia Valleys. Its horizon goes from Sibillini Mountains to the sea, which is only few kilometres away.

The historical centre is well preserved: there are a lot of pieces of town walls with doors and six fortified towers which date back to XV and XVI centuries.

From De Carolis panoramic view-point, through Aspromonte Door, you can enter the historical centre an go into Piazza della Repubblica, the heart of the village, dominated by the St. Lucia Collegiate Church. The church is completely rebuilt in neoclassical style, but its origins are very old, between III and V century, and go back to the parish, rebuilt inside town walls in the second half of the XV century.

Going down from Piazza della Repubblica towards Piazzale San Francesco, you can see the church dedicated to the Saint and its adjoining monastery.. S. Francesco’s Church was built between 1247 and 1303, thanks to the proceeds of friars’charity. The church still preserves its original Romanesque-Gothic style in the external structure and in the portal of 1303, which you can admire in the sacristy now.

Radical restorations, made between the half of the XVII century and the half of XVIII century, have transformed its interior in a baroque style.

In the monastery the new S. Francesco’s Museum have been inaugurated in October 2006.

The friars’rooms in the monastery have been prepared to put art, cinema, ethnography up.

The new Museum winds in the rooms of the monastery, containing Carlo Crivelli’s Room, Giancarlo Basili’s Centre of Stage Documents, Adolfo De Carolis’Museum, Peasant Civilization Museum, Domenico Cantatore’s Collection.

The subject of the new staging is not the mere exhibition but the imagination as a reality to live. Real spatial productions in which interior space play the same part of landscapes.

In the village there are also a lot of buildings of eighteenth-century: Egidi Palace, Farsinelli Pace, De Scrilli Pace, Rossi Palace, Ciarrocchi Palace, Simonetti Palace. Quite near the centre, St Filippo’s Church had been built on a little church built between 1573 and 1605, dedicated to S. Maria del Monte, and restored at the end of the XVII century.

The Corpus Domini Church and its Dominican Monastery (1846) stand near St. Filippo’s Church.

Three extra-urban churches have to be mentioned: along the main road that leads to Carassai S. Maria delle Grazie, a nice rural church, which reminds to a short prayer in the green meadows, and S. Maria della Fede; along the road leading to Campofilone S. Giovanni Battista’s Church.

Local Products

The Aso valley has not only preserved its landscape, art and history, it has also jealously guarded the secrets of an ancient culinary tradition, based on simple and natural ingredients: legumes, grains, vegetables, olive oil and pork for flavoring, Rosso Piceno or Falerio red wine.

Local dishes

With the vincisgrassi, or rich lasagna of the Piceno area, perfection is reached in Valdaso.

Tajuli and taccu are made with the humble pastry, without eggs, served respectively in broth and with vegetable, pork, sardine or dried cod ragù.