| Description: |
The name of this village 600 metres up on a cliff plunging vertically into the river Tenna, refers to the occupation of this area by the Franks; we are, however, sure of the existence of a former Roman site known as Ars Rubetana, which probably depended on the nearby Faleria; other archeological sources provide evidence of the existence of an ancient Picenian settlement. In the Middle Ages, the town supported the Guelph party in the latter’s war against the Ghibellines. This led to the Church granting the village those charters that allowed it to be governed by native lords, the Proporzis, a branch of the Brunforte family, and to become, around year 1240, a free municipal entity of the communal Italy of the time. In the first half of 1300 it was placed for a short period under the authority of the “Signoria” of the Da Varano of Camerino, falling, in the centuries that followed and up till the creation of a united Italy, under the authority of the Papal State.
The square donjons of its XIII-XIV century castle are still partially surrounded by a stretch of the original wall, and even a stone entrance belonging to the ancient city walls has survived up to the present.
As far as its economy is concerned, silkworm breeding is certainly to be mentioned, along with the relative production of cocoons(check), the cultivation of the gelso, the drying and the spinning.
Monte S.Martino can also boast some of the most important works of art of the whole region.
Text by Fabio Santilli
Translation by Gianfranco Martorano |