Montepagano - Montepagano

Montepagano is a center ofAbruzzo.

To know

After being the municipal capital, today Montepagano is a hamlet of Roseto degli Abruzzi, a recently founded city that has undergone a prodigious development to become the most important center of the municipal area with consequent elevation to the capital. Quiet on the hill with a view of the sea, Montepagano is considered the historic center of Roseto. It is part of the Authentic Villages of Italy.

Geographical notes

On the first Apennine reliefs behind Roseto degli Abruzzi, is 6 km from the capital and the sea, 27 km from Teramo.

When to go

Spring and summer are the best seasons to enjoy the luxuriance of the Apennine vegetation and the proximity of the sea.

Background

The origin of the town dates back to the Middle Ages, when the populations who lived near the sea created settlements far from the coast, on the hills, in a position suitable for controlling the territory and for the fortification of the villages, to oppose the threat of invasions and looting brought by the Turks. The historic center retains traces of the ancient medieval fortifications, with the four entrance gates.

After the foundation that dates back to the eleventh century, Montepagano entered the Norman possessions, then became part of the Papal State from the thirteenth century. It was then always a possession of the Church, except for the parenthesis of the French invasion of 1798. From 1424 until the arrival of the French it became a fief of the Acquaviva family.

In 1857 12 plots of land on the Adriatic coast were assigned to as many settlers in the area between the Villa Comunale di Roseto and the junction for Montepagano: it was the birth certificate of Roseto, which will develop and become the capital of the Municipality, replacing the ancient village of Montepagano which has since been considered the Old Town of the new city.

For a millennium it was the capital of a county whose founders took care to erect grandiose buildings and artistic treasures.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By plane

• Pescara airport (Abruzzo International Airport), Via Tiburtina Km 229.100, ☎ 39 085 4324201. 
• Airport of Ancona

By car

• Through the Adriatic road up to Rose garden; from here deviation on the municipal road
• Toll booth of Roseto degli Abruzzi on the Adriatic highway

On boat

• Tourist port in Roseto, near the mouth of the Vomano

On the train

• Station on the Adriatic railway line in Roseto.

By bus

• Bus lines managed by ARPA - Abruzzesi regional public bus lines [1]

How to get around

What see

Montepagano preserves monuments and works of art from the past that can be considered particularly illustrious and important. There remain some churches, private buildings that may be of some interest to the tourist, who, having climbed up there (289 meters above sea level) to contemplate the vast panorama, wants to immerse themselves in the golden atmosphere of a remote era.

• 42.677613.98851 Bell tower, in the central square. It stands in the central square of the town, without the church that belonged to it, which was dedicated to Sant'Antimo and was demolished at the end of the nineteenth century. It consists of a clearly Romanesque lower part, while the upper part is in Baroque style. It rises for a length of 40 meters and represents together with the great dome of the Santissima Annunziata the main feature in the profile of Montepagano for those who observe the town approaching from the plain A legend has it that it was built by Pope Sixtus V. 
• 42.6771513.990142 Parish Church of the Santissima Annunziata. It was built at the end of the sixteenth century thanks to the offerings made by the people who flocked to the place where an image of the Madonna was seen crying for a few days. On the simple facade. which has a mixed crown, the stone portal surmounted by the tympanum stands out.The entrance is raised above the street level and is accessed via a double staircase leaning against the facade. A window above the entrance gives light to the interior, consisting of a central nave on which eight chapels with a round arch overlook; one of them houses an organ from 1654; the high altar is baroque. It preserves a polychrome wooden altar It has a Latin cross plan; on the intersection of the two arms rises a majestic dome, one of the largest in the Teramo area, which ends in an octagonal lantern surmounted by a globe holding the cross. Leaning against the apse is the church of Santa Maria. 
• Porta da Borea and remains of fortifications. It was part of the ancient walls built in the Middle Ages to defend the center; the defensive structure must have had considerable dimensions, as evidenced by the remains that can be seen in some sections around the houses, or in the lower part of the houses themselves, built on the defensive structures. 
• Church of Santa Maria. Built in 1862, it has an animated facade with columns and a string course. On the façade there is a small bell tower that recalls the bell towers sailing houses a bell. The interior has modern decorations from 1988. 

Events and parties

• Exhibition of typical wines (in August). Event that takes place over several evenings, with promotion of local wines and tastings for visitors. 

What to do

Shopping

Local wines (cerasuolo, trebbiano, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo) and locally produced olive oil.

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Post office

• 42.67761213.9888051 Italian post, Town Hall Square 7, ☎ 39 085 899 1140. 

Around

• Roseto degli Abruzzi - There is a connection between Montepagano and Roseto by means of ancient pedestrian paths, brought to light with a patient restoration work, which offer a unique opportunity for suggestive excursions in contact with nature.
• Giulianova - The ancient city, on a hill, preserves the remains of the fortifications and ancient churches; the urban development spread over the coast constitutes one of the most important seaside resorts in the region.
• Atri - One of the oldest cities in the region, it preserves a first-rate artistic heritage, the excellence of which (among many) is certainly recognizable in the stupendous Cathedral, distinguished among the noteworthy churches ofAbruzzo.
• Teramo - Ancient city with an important historical center, it boasts a splendid Cathedral which is one of the best expressions of Abruzzo's religious architecture.

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Montepagano
• Commons contains images or other files on Montepagano

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