Montappone and the Museum of Hats

Montappone  is a small rural town where handmade hat manufacture set up as early as the 17th century. The sector has remarkably increased over the years and it has gradually become more  profitable.

The traditional handicrafts have been converted into industrial products. One of the first Italian sites to make a fortune with hats, with 70% of the domestic output made here and in six neighbouring towns,
Montappone is now Europe's most important hat-making district.

The lovely Museum of Hats in Montappone shows the hat making steps - straw picking and selection, plaiting, weaving and sewing.

Each step is illustrated by slides, pictures, panels and vintage machines. There is a remarkably wide collection of traditional and innovative hats, including the priceless straw hat worn by the Italian cinema “maestro” and film director Federico Fellini .
A hat festival that celebrates the hat making traditions and folk culture is held in Montappone in July and December each year.

posted by Guide Turistiche Marche - Guide Turistiche Fermo
to reserve  guided tours please contact   stefania@guideturistichemarche.it

Abbey of San Claudio - Corridonia (Macerata)

The Abbey of San Claudio has a singular shape that comprises two vessels of the same dimensions built one above the other; two spiral stairways in the corner towers ascend to the terrace, which introduces the upper church through a remarkable Romanesque doorway.
Created between the 5th and 7th centuries, probably on top of the ruins of a villa which formed part of the Roman city of Pausulae, the church of San Claudio was built using material from the ancient ruins. Its present shape dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Inside, both the upper and lower churches are square in form, and supported on four solid central pillars.

San Claudio al Chienti

posted by Guide Turistiche Marche - Guide Turistiche Macerata

to reserve  guided tours please contact  stefania@guideturistichemarche.it

 

posted by Guide Turistiche Marche,  servizi visite guidate con guide turistiche abilitate  delle province di Ancona,  Macerata, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo e della Basilica di Loreto

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Abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra (Macerata)

The Abbey of Chiaravalle di Fiastra is one of the best preserved Cistercian monastery in Italy.

 Founded in the 12th century, the Abbey of Fiastra  still preserves, besides the imposing church, many of the ancient rooms of the monastery: the refectory, the chapter house, the fine Renaissance cloister, the cellar and the store houses.

This beautifully preserved Romanesque construction was built in the 9th century.
The abbey and its surrounding property lie within the Fiastra Abbey Nature Reserve, where numerous species of animals and plants enjoy special protection.

posted by Guide Turistiche Marche, servizi visite guidate con guide turistiche abilitate  delle province di Ancona,  Macerata, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo e della Basilica di Loreto

per info e prenotazioni info@guideturistichemarche.it

http://www.guideturistichemarche.it/

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posted by Guide Turistiche Marche - Guide Turistiche Macerata
to reserve  guided tours please contact  stefania@guideturistichemarche.it

http://www.macerataguideturistichemarche.com/index.html

Abbey Santa Maria a piè di Chienti, Montecosaro (Macerata)

One of the Marche's earliest and most charming churches, Santa Maria a Piè di Chienti, lies 6 km inland along the SS 485, just below Montecosaro.

This beautifully preserved romanesque construction,  built in the 9th century,  is one of the region's

finest example of Romanesque architecture.

Double-decker in form, the upper floor is built within the church at the further end of the high central nave.

The 14th century frescoes in the apse above the upper altar are all the most powerful in their striking contrast with the remainder of the simple brick interior. The three side chapels built into the semi-circular apse of the lower church are among the few surviving examples of their kind in Italy.

posted by Guide Turistiche Marche - Guide Turistiche Macerata
to reserve  guided tours please contact  stefania@guideturistichemarche.it

Guide Turistiche Marche, servizi visite guidate con guide turistiche abilitate  delle province di Ancona,  Macerata, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo e della Basilica di Loreto

per info e prenotazioni info@guideturistichemarche.it

http://www.guideturistichemarche.it/

http://anconaguideturistiche.weebly.com//

http://www.macerataguideturistichemarche.com/index.html