Offida () is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Ascoli Piceno The province of Ascoli Piceno ( it, Provincia di Ascoli Piceno) is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ascoli Piceno, and the province is bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Province of Fermo to the no ...

in the Italian region

Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...

, located about south of

Ancona Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region. The city is located northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic ...

and about northeast of

Ascoli Piceno Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000. Geo ...

, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino (from north) and Tronto (south) rivers.

History

The origins of Offida are debated. In its territory have been found tombs of the Piceni (7th–5th century BC) and Roman remains; however, the town is known only from 578 AD when the population, fleeing the Lombard invasion, founded several castles in the area, included that of Offida. The true first historical mention dates to 1039, when the Abbey of Farfa received the castle of ''Ophida'', being confirmed in 1261 by

Pope Urban IV Pope Urban IV ( la, Urbanus IV; c. 1195 – 2 October 1264), born Jacques Pantaléon, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1261 to his death. He was not a cardinal; only a few popes since his time ha ...

. During the war between the communes of Ascoli and Fermo, Offida sided for the latter. In the early 16th century Offida signed a truce with Ascoli while, in the same period, all the lands of the Farfa Abbey went to the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of ...

. From the late 19th century the economy, from a wholly agricultural one, started to rely on handicraft also. Offida12

Main sights

Santa Maria della Rocca

The church of Santa Maria della Rocca is considered one of the main architectural features of the whole Marche region. It is located on the westernmost tip of the town, surrounded on three sides by ravines that enhance its size. It is a large brickwork construction in Romanesque-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style, designed by a master Albertino in 1330 on a pre-existing Benedictine church. The façade, looking towards the countryside, has fake columns; on the town's sides are three tall polygonal apses with fake columns in white stone,

mullioned window A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...

s and Gothic Lombard bands. In the central apse is a Gothic portal leading to the

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a ...

(with a nave and four aisles—originally only two aisles) which has the same surface of the upper church and is decorated by frescoes attributed to the Master of Offida. The upper church, with a single hall, has

Giotto Giotto di Bondone (; – January 8, 1337), known mononymously as Giotto ( , ) and Latinised as Giottus, was an Italian painter and architect from Florence during the Late Middle Ages. He worked during the Gothic/ Proto-Renaissance period. ...

esque frescoes, some attributed to the

Master of Offida The Master of Offida (active mid to late 14th century) was an anonymous painter active in the towns of Offida and Ascoli Piceno in the Marche Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred t ...

(one is dated 1367 and others to Giacomo da Campli (16th century). Some of the original decorations are much ruined or lost at all. Among the side altars, the St. Andrew one has a canvas by Vincenzo Pagani.

Other sights

*The ''Palazzo Comunale'' ("Town Hall"), built between the 13th and 14th century. It has a

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

ed central tower, while the façade is preceded by a portico with seven arcades and a

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

added in the 15th century. The interior houses a small art gallery with works by

Pietro Alemanno Pietro Alemanno ( 1430 – 1497 or 1498) was an Italian-Austrian painter of the Renaissance period. He was born in Göttweig (Austria) and died in Ascoli Piceno. He trained with Carlo Crivelli. In 1484, Alemanno painted a fresco of the ''Ann ...

and

Simone de Magistris Simone de Magistris (known from 1555–1613) was an Italian painter and sculptor. Born at Caldarola, Marche, he was the son of Giovanni Andrea de Magistris Simone de Magistris (known from 1555–1613) was an Italian painter and sculptor. Born a ...

. *Sanctuary of St. Augustine, built in 1338–1441. The façade is in Baroque style (1686), while the interior was modified and expanded in the 18th century with Latin Cross plan and late Baroque decorations. It houses a precious silver !relic cross" executed in Venice in the 13th century. *Church of ''Madonna dell Suffragio'', with an external fresco by Simone de Magistris. *Monastery of ''San Marco'', built by the Franciscans in the 14th century. The church with the same name is from 1738 (a rose window and other Gothic-style details from a pre-existing structure can be seen today).

DOCG

The area around Offida produces red, white and

Vin Santo Vin Santo ("holy wine") is a style of Italian dessert wine. Traditional in Tuscany, these wines are often made from white grape varieties such as Trebbiano and Malvasia, though Sangiovese may be used to produce a ''rosé'' style known as ...

Italian DOC wine. The grapes are limited to a

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most lab ...

yield of with the finished wines needing a minimum alcohol level of 12%. The reds are a blend of at least 85% Montepulciano with other local red varieties permitted up to 15%. There are two

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

white wines produced in the DOCG based on

Pecorino Pecorino cheeses are Types of cheese#Semi-hard or hard cheese, hard Italian cuisine, Italian cheeses made from Sheep milk, sheep's milk. The name "" derives from ''pecora'' which means sheep in Italian language, Italian. Overview Of the six mai ...

and Passerina with the primary grape needing to compose of at least 85% of the wine and other local white varieties permitted up to 15%. The Vin Santo is based on Passerina and must be aged for at least three and half years before released.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities and towns in the Marche