Dear visitor,
With this guide we want to give you some tips that will help you to know a corner of the Marche which is in a very good geographical position, only thirty minutes away from the Adriatic Sea and the beautiful Sibylline mountains. Montegiorgio can also be chosen as a base for a short excursion to discover its nature and art or for a longer journey to visit the areas around Fermo and the Central Southern Marches.
Immersed in the tranquillity of the hills, you will have the opportunity to enjoy charming views of the alleys in the historic centre and learn about the history of the town and the people who have contributed to its prestige. While Montegiorgio’s artistic heritage, its many buildings, frescoes, paintings and monuments that are hidden in ancient buildings will tell you about the town’s past, its crafts and manufacturing activities, the fairs and events will give you the opportunity to enjoy the liveliness and industry of the town’s present.
In the town’s restaurants and inns you will be able to taste our typical dishes and buy our traditional food and wines from the local producers to benefit from a healthy lifestyle and the Mediterranean diet; you will have the opportunity to discover the secrets hidden in the workshops and find out the most unusual aspects of Montegiorgio’s folklore and dialect.
We are sure that when you leave, you will take with you the aromas and flavours of our land, you will always treasure the memories of our town’s views and in your heart you will remember the simplicity and hospitality of our people: by telling others about Montegiorgio and its wonders, you will make our beautiful town known everywhere and we will have the best imaginable publicity.
(Montegiorgio 1873 - 1962): bishop.
He worked in Vatican diplomacy for twenty years. In 1910, while in the Philippines, he founded the diocese of Lipa.
(Montegiorgio 1915 - Rome 1987): Augustinian, prior of the Order. He founded the “Patristic Institute Augustinianum” and worked there first as a professor and then as headmaster. He also founded the New Augustinian Library and published a bilingual edition in Latin and Italian of the entire works of St Augustine.
(Montegiorgio 1884-Torino 1954)
Sculptor of many commemorative monuments. In particular, “The Fighter” in Piazza Alaleona, a monument dedicated to Montegiorgio’s fallen soldiers.
Naturalist and pharmacist.
A missionary from Montegiorgio, he trained entire generations of teachers. He lived in Bangladesh as a global educator where he used education as a lever for a social revolution based on solidarity. In October 2015 the Primary School of Via Mazzini was named after him and on 15 October 2017 a plaque in his honour was affixed to one of the columns of the 19th-century loggia.
(beginning of the 14th century): acknowledged by historical-philological scholars as the author of the Latin text of the Little Flowers of St Francis, written between 1327 and 1340.
(Montegiorgio1881-1928)
Musician and composer. His most famous opera is Mirra (1913). He was a forerunner of certain aspects of modern musical technique and he coined the term dodecaphony, fundamental for 20th-century music.
Andrea Passari (Siena 1848 - Catania 1917): noble, benefactor. In 1879 he founded the Confraternity of Mercy in Montegiorgio.
Castrum Altetae 1617 - Rome 1692), he became pontifical archiatrist of (at least) four Popes, teacher of other illustrious doctors and eminent personage of medical science of the seventeenth century.
The original settlement of Montegiorgio dates back to the Picenian era, as evidenced by many archaeological finds. In Roman era the territory returned under the control of Augustus’ centurions, while there are divergent opinions on the existence in the municipal area of a Roman city called Tignum.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the people moved to the mountains: Benedictine monks from Farfa arrived and established the first urban settlement. The first defensive walls were built in 1099 and almost a century later, Montegiorgio became an independent commune. During the 13th and 14th centuries there were alternating phases of conflict and peace with the neighbouring city of Fermo. This period was followed by an epoch of great expansion and wealth, including the settlement of two religious orders in its territory: the Franciscans (1246) and the Augustinians (1265) and a Jewish colony.
Subsequently, Montegiorgio, alongside Fermo, became involved in the power struggle between Empire and Papacy.
There is only limited evidence of the events of the following centuries as in 1760 a fire destroyed part of the municipal archives: it is certain that the town had to endure the vicissitudes of the State of the Church.
After the French invasion, it became part of the Department of Tronto and was later annexed by the Kingdom of Italy.
Tignio: the term derives from the River Tenna and, probably, it does not refer to an actual town but to a Roman military settlement.
Coat of arms: the coat of arms depicts St George slaying the dragon, a praying maiden, a mountain surmounted by a Greek cross and the motto “Montis Sanctae Mariae in Georgio Felix Terra”, meaning “The happy land on the mount of the St Mary’s Church”.
TIGNUM
termine derivante dal fiume Tenna, è legato alla tradizione montegiorgese sino al 1540; nelle fonti letterarie è documentato fin dai tempi di Cesare e Cicerone, poi scompare sostituito da Iguvium (Gubbio). Probabilmente non ci si riferiva ad una città vera e propria ma ad un insediamento romano di tipo militare.
From the North
Take the A14 motorway Bologna - Bari towards Ancona, take the Civitanova Marche exit and then the SS77 towards Tolentino / Macerata. Exit at the Montecosaro signpost, follow the signs for Rapagnano and continue on SP78, go past Contrada Tenna along SP239 and continue towards Montegiorgio.
From the South
Take the A14 motorway and exit at the Fermo/Porto San Giorgio signpost. Continue on SS16, turn onto SP37 and follow the signs for Montegiorgio.
By train
You can arrive at the train station of Corridonia-Mogliano and then continue by bus using the services of the Trasfer bus company.
Bus
Autolinee Contram www.contram.it
Autolinee Trasfer www.trasfer.eu
Airports
“R. Sanzio” di Ancona airport (85 km)
"P. Liberi" di Pescara airport (120 km)
“S.Francesco d’Assisi” di Perugia airport(120 km)
