| Description: |
The castrum sits on a hill overlooking the Chienti valley, at an altitude of 347 metres above sea-level. Some occasional findings, especially those of a tombstone dubbed ‘of Quinto Plozio’ now preserved in the Palazzo Bonfranceschi, bear witness to the Roman presence as early as in the first and second century A.D. From the earliest source of knowledge we learn about the existence of ´Bel Forte´ in 1207, a village with which Camerino signs a formal agreement to strengthen its control over the Chienti valley. Often tormented by internal struggles or wars with the neighbouring town Tolentino, the small town later became a possession of the Papal State, until the Napoleonic period, when it was included in the ‘Dipartimento del Musone’.
Most of the medieval walls which surrounded the original defensive stronghold have recently been restored to their original state. In the XV century the village became a major stop along the ‘Via Lauretana’, the road leading to the shrine of Loreto.
Testo di Fabio Santilli
Translation by Gianfranco Martorano |