Jesi
Encyclopedia
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
of the province of Ancona
Province of Ancona
The Province of Ancona is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Ancona. The province has an area of 1940 km² and a 2006 population of 465,906 in 49 comuni , see Comunes of the Province of Ancona....
in the Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino
Esino
The Esino is a river of c. 85 km in the Marche, central Italy. Its name could derive from the Latina Aesis, the ancient city of Iesi .-Path:...
river 17 kilometres (10.6 mi) before its mouth on the Adriatic Sea.
History
Iesi was one of the last towns of the UmbriUmbri
The Umbri were an Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is currently occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the ancient Umbria....
when, in the 4th century BC, the Senones Gauls
Senones
The Senones were an ancient Gaulish tribe.In about 400 BC they crossed the Alps and, having driven out the Umbrians settled on the east coast of Italy from Forlì to Ancona, in the so-called ager Gallicus, and founded the town of Sena Gallica , which became their capital. In 391 BC they invaded...
invaded the area and ousted them. They turned it into a stronghold against the Piceni. In 283 BC the Senones were defeated by the Romans. Iesi in 247 BC became a colonia civium romanorum with the name of Aesis.
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
, Iesi was ravaged by the troops of Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...
(476 AD) and again in 493 by the Ostrogoths of Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great
Theodoric the Great was king of the Ostrogoths , ruler of Italy , regent of the Visigoths , and a viceroy of the Eastern Roman Empire...
. After the Gothic War, Italy became part of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, and Iesi became one of the main centers of the new rulers, and also became a diocese seat. In 751 it was sacked by the Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
troops of Aistulf
Aistulf
Aistulf was the Duke of Friuli from 744, King of Lombards from 749, and Duke of Spoleto from 751. His father was the Duke Pemmo.After his brother Ratchis became king, Aistulf succeeded him in Friuli. He succeeded him later as king when Ratchis abdicated to a monastery...
, and later was a Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
imperial city.
Starting from 1130, it was an independent commune
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...
, gradually expanding in the neighboring countryside. In December 1194 it was the site of the birth of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who later gave it the title of "Royal City". In the 14th century it was captured by the Papal
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
vicar Filippo Simonetti, by Galeotto I Malatesta
Galeotto I Malatesta
Galeotto I Malatesta was an Italian condottiero, who was lord of Rimini, Fano, Ascoli Piceno, Cesena and Fossombrone.-Biography:Born in Rimini, he the son of Pandolfo I Malatesta and the brother of Malatesta II Malatesta. In 1333 he was captured while besieging Ferrara, but was soon freed and...
(1347–1351), by Braccio da Montone
Braccio da Montone
frame|Braccio da Montone.Braccio da Montone , born Andrea Fortebracci, and also known as Braccio Fortebraccio, was an Italian condottiero.-Biography:...
in 1408, and by Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza
Francesco I Sforza was an Italian condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in Milan, Italy. He was the brother of Alessandro, with whom he often fought.-Early life:...
, who turned it into his family's main stronghold in the Marche. In 1447 it was bought by the Papal States.
Main sights
- The Cathedral (DuomoDuomoDuomo is a term for a cathedral church. The formal word for a church that is presently a cathedral is cattedrale; a Duomo may be either a present or a former cathedral . Some, like the Duomo of Monza, have never been cathedrals, although old and important...
), built in the 13th-15th centuries. The façade and the Latin cross interior are modern. - Palazzo della Signoria, built in 1486-1498 by Francesco di Giorgio Martini. The angular tower was elevated in 1661 and received a dome, but crumbled down a few years later. Notable is the interior courtyard, with two orders of loggias, partially designed by Andrea SansovinoAndrea SansovinoAndrea dal Monte Sansovino or Andrea Contucci del Monte San Savino was an Italian sculptor active during the High Renaissance...
from 1519. - Palazzo Balleani, an example of local Baroque architectureBaroque architectureBaroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
, built from 1720 and designed by Francesco Ferruzzi. The façade has a characteristic balcony supported by four atlasesAtlas (architecture)In the classical European architectural tradition an atlas is a support sculpted in the form of a man, which may take the place of a column, a pier or a pilaster...
(1723). The interior has precious gilted stucco decoration. - The convent of San Floriano (18th century).
- The 14th century walls, built following the line of the Roman ones and mostly rebuilt in the 15th century by Baccio PontelliBaccio PontelliBaccio Pontelli was an Italian architect. Baccio is an abbreviation of Bartolomeo.Pontelli was born in Florence. Passing the phase of artistic formation with Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano in Florence, and influenced by Francesco di Giorgio Martini during the trip to Urbino , he was an in-layer...
and Francesco di Giorgio Martini. Six towers remain today. - Church of San Marco, just outside the historical centre. A Gothic architectureGothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, it was erected in the 13th century. The interior has a nave and two aisles, with a 14th century fresco of RiminiRiminiRimini is a medium-sized city of 142,579 inhabitants in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It is located on the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia and Ausa...
's school. - Palazzo Ricci, finished in 1547. The diamond-like bricks of the façade are inspired to famous Palazzo dei DiamantiPalazzo dei DiamantiPalazzo dei Diamanti is a palace located on Corso Ercole I d'Este 21 in Ferrara, northern Italy. It is one of the most famous palaces in Italy, as well one of the most influential examples of European Renaissance architecture.-History:...
in FerraraFerraraFerrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. - Teatro PergolesiTeatro PergolesiThe Teatro Comunale Pergolesi is an opera house in Jesi, Italy. It was originally named the Teatro della Concordia when it was the rival to the original 1732 opera house in the city, the Teatro del Leone...
, built in 1790. - Palazzo PianettiPalazzo PianettiThe Palazzo Pianetti or Pianetti Tesei is a Rococo palace in the town of Jesi, Italy. Presently, it is owned by the town, and the palace and its adjacent building are used as a museum and exhibition site....
, one of the most outstanding examples of Italian Roccoco art. The wide façade has exactly one hundred windows, while the interior has a noteworthy giardino all'italianaGiardino all'italianaThe Giardino all'italiana, Garden all'italiana or Italian garden, is a style of garden from Italy based on symmetry, perfect geometry and the principle of imposing order over nature. It was influenced by Roman gardening and Italian Renaissance gardening, and has been copied by other courts around...
. The palace houses city's civic art gallery, with a series of paintings by the Venetian artist Lorenzo LottoLorenzo LottoLorenzo Lotto was a Northern Italian painter draughtsman and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school. He painted mainly altarpieces, religious subjects and portraits...
. - The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (15th century). The belltower is from the 17th century.
- The 13th century church of San Nicolò. It has a Romanesque apse and a Gothic portal.
Natives of Iesi
- Frederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick II, Holy Roman EmperorFrederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
- Giancarlo Aquilanti
- Giancarlo FalappaGiancarlo FalappaGiancarlo Falappa was an Italian motorcycle road racer from Iesi. He is remembered for his fearsome riding style....
- Virna LisiVirna LisiVirna Lisi is a Cannes and César award-winning Italian film actress. She was born in Ancona, Marche, as Virna Lisa Pieralisi.-Early career:...
- Roberto ManciniRoberto ManciniRoberto Mancini is an Italian football manager, formerly an international player and current manager of Premier League club Manchester City.As a player Mancini was best known for his time at Sampdoria, where he played more than 550 matches, and helped them win the Serie A league title, four Coppa...
- Antonio Magini-ColettiAntonio Magini-ColettiAntonio Magini-Coletti was a leading Italian baritone who had a prolific career in Europe and the United States during the late 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. A versatile artist, he appeared in several opera world premieres but was particularly associated with the works of...
- Valeria MoriconiValeria MoriconiValeria Moriconi was an Italian actress who appeared both in movies and on stage....
- Giovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista PergolesiGiovanni Battista Pergolesi was an Italian composer, violinist and organist.-Biography:Born at Iesi, Pergolesi studied music there under a local musician, Francesco Santini, before going to Naples in 1725, where he studied under Gaetano Greco and Francesco Feo among others...
- Paolo PolidoriPaolo PolidoriPaolo Polidori was an Italian Roman Catholic Cardinal.Born in Iesi, Marche, he studied in the seminary of Perugia.-Priesthood:...
- Rafael SabatiniRafael SabatiniRafael Sabatini was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure.-Life:Rafael Sabatini was born in Iesi, Italy, to an English mother and Italian father...
- Orfeo Tamburi
- Giovanna TrilliniGiovanna TrilliniGiovanna Trillini is an Italian foil fencer. She is a 4-time Olympic champion and she won an additional silver and 3 bronze medals in individual Olympic competitions....
- Valentina VezzaliValentina VezzaliMaria Valentina Vezzali is an Italian fencer who has won five Olympic gold medals in foil competitions.-Career:...
Sister cities
Cluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca
Cluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Mayenne
Mayenne, Mayenne
Mayenne is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is situated on the river Mayenne.-History:In medieval times, the town was the seat of the Lords of Mayenne...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Waiblingen
Waiblingen
Waiblingen is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart Region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital of the Rems-Murr district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, UK