CUPRAMONTANA

Cupra Montana dominates the Jesi Castles and is called "The Verdicchio's capital"
Since 1570, on Monday there is a very popular market.
Since 1928, it is the seat of the most famous grape festival of the region.
Height 505 m

History

Cupra Montana is one of the oldest cities of the Piceno and it was founded in the VI/V century B.C.. It draws its name from the goddess Cupra, who presides over the fertility. The rich ancient Roman Municipium (Town Hall) was destroyed entirely by the barbarian invasions. It was part of the Longobard Dukedom of Camerino/Spoleto. Some centuries before the year one thousand, a fortified post, a castle later, called Massaccio (mass of Accio) was risen in the highest part of the hill. Since the XIII century it joined the rural area of Jesi, following its historical events.
In the XV century, it was one of the fortress of the Friars' heretical sect; In the XVI/XVII century was an important cultural centre.
In 1798, the inhabitants offered a tenacious resistance against the French troops. In 1861, Massaccio had back its old name of Cupra Montana.


What to visit

International label's museum - The museum is situated in the eighteenth-century Lions Palace. The museum was opened in 1987 and it boasts about 60.000 wine's labels, coming from all over the world.
It is divided into three sections: the historical one, which documents the oldest labels, either of Verdicchio or of other wines; the artistic one, with hundreds sketches relating to wine, created by famous Italian and foreign artists; the present one, with about 2000 labels, which are periodically on show, according to some special themes.

Archaelogical Zone - here you can still admire the tracing of the Roman thermal baths, by the Town Hall. In Bovio street, there are the ruins of the aqueduct's container, which dates back to the classical age.

Town Hall - it dates back to the second half of the XVII century and it was build according to Mattia Capponi's plan. It is the residence of the Town Library, which is equipped with a rich patrimony of incunabula and several editions of the sixteenth century.

St. Leonard's Church - firstly built in the XIII century and then rebuilt in the XVIII century, with the statues on the façade. Inside the Church, there is the "altar-frontal in carved wood" (1681) by Andrea Scoccianti, " The Circumcision" (1615) by Antonio Sarti and a table of the Scuola Marchigiana (1400).

St Lawrence's Church - the church was achieved from 1770 to 1785 according to Mattia Capponi's plan. There are paintings by Pietro Locatelli (XVII century) and Francesco Appiani (1704-1792).

St. Mary of the Mercy's Church - it was rebuild according to Luigi Bellonci's plan, a Mattia Capponi's pupil, between 1806 and 1810. Inside there is a noteworthy fresco of the Xvth century, painted by Dionisio, Girolamo and Gioacchino Nardini.

St. Joseph of the Cave's Monastery or White Brothers' monastery - of the last decades of the XVIIIth century, it has been founded by the Camaldolite Confraternity (X century), with its caves bored in the sandstone. The eremites lived there until 1927.


Festival

The Grape Festival - 1st Sunday of October
Patron Festival - 26th May

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