Offida
Encyclopedia
Offida is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno
in the Italian
region Marche
, located about 80 km south of Ancona
and about 12 km northeast of Ascoli Piceno
, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino
(from north) and Tronto
(south) rivers.
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
.
During the was 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
.
From the late 19th century the economy, from a wholly agricultural one, started to rely on handicraft also.
Italian DOC wine. The grapes are limited to a harvest
yield of 10 tonnes/ha with the finished wines needing a minimum alcohol level of 12%. The reds are a blend of 50-70% Montepulciano
and at least 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
with other local red varieties permitted up to 20%. There are two varietal
white wines produced in the DOC based on Pecorino
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.
-Gothic
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 windows and Gothic Lombard band
s. In the central apse is a Gothic portal leading to the crypt
(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 Giottoesque frescoes, some attributed to the Master of Offida (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
.
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:...
(municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno
Province of Ascoli Piceno
The Province of Ascoli Piceno is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ascoli Piceno.It has an area of 1,228 km², and a total population of 212,846 . There are 33 comuni in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Ascoli Piceno.-External links:**...
in the Italian
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...
region 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...
, located about 80 km south of Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
and about 12 km northeast of Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino
Tesino
The Tesino is a 37 km Italian river which flows through the region of Marche. It is born on the slopes of Monte La Torre, near Force in the Province of Ascoli Piceno, and enters the Adriatic near Grottammare...
(from north) and Tronto
Tronto
The Tronto is a 115 km-long Italian river that arises at Monte della Laghetta and ends in the Adriatic Sea at Porto d'Ascoli, San Benedetto del Tronto. Anciently the Truentus, it traverses the Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions....
(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 LombardLombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
invasion, founded several castles in the area, included that of Offida. The true first historical mention dates to 1039, when the Abbey of Farfa
Abbey of Farfa
Farfa Abbey is a territorial abbey in northern Lazio, central Italy. It is one of the most famous abbeys of Europe. It belongs to the Benedictine Order and is located about 60 km from Rome, in the commune of Fara Sabina, not far from the Fara Sabina railway station.-History:A legend in the...
received the castle of Ophida, being confirmed in 1261 by Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV , born Jacques Pantaléon, was Pope, from 1261 to 1264. He was not a cardinal, and there have been several Popes since him who have not been Cardinals, including Urban V and Urban VI.-Biography:...
.
During the was between the communes
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...
of Ascoli
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
and Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
, 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
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...
.
From the late 19th century the economy, from a wholly agricultural one, started to rely on handicraft also.
Offida DOC
The area around Offida produces red, white and Vin SantoVin santo
Vin Santo or Vino Santo 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 Occhio di Pernice or eye of the partridge...
Italian DOC wine. The grapes are limited to a harvest
Harvest (wine)
The harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to...
yield of 10 tonnes/ha with the finished wines needing a minimum alcohol level of 12%. The reds are a blend of 50-70% Montepulciano
Montepulciano (grape)
Montepulciano is a red Italian wine grape variety that is most noted for being the primary grape behind the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita wine Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane and the Denominazione di origine controllata wines of Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno.It should...
and at least 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
with other local red varieties permitted up to 20%. There are two varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
white wines produced in the DOC based on Pecorino
Pecorino (grape)
Pecorino is an early-ripening white wine grape mainly grown in the Marche, Abruzzo, Umbria and Lazio regions of Italy.-External links:* , from tigulliovino.it* , from Vino in Rete* , from Picenos...
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.
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 RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
-Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic 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....
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 windows and Gothic Lombard band
Lombard band
A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually exterior, often used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of architecture.Lombard bands are believed to have been first used during the First Romanesque Period of the early 11th Century. At that time, they were the most common architectural...
s. In the central apse is a Gothic portal leading to the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
(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 Giottoesque frescoes, some attributed to the Master of Offida (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
Vincenzo Pagani
Vincenzo Pagani was an Italian painter.Born at Monterubbiano, he apprenticed in his father's workshop, being influenced by Carlo Crivelli . Later he followed the path of Luca Signorelli, as exemplified by a canvas at Corridonia from c...
.
Other sights
- The Palazzo Comunale ("Town Hall"), built between the 13th and 14th century. It has a merlonMerlonIn architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
ed central tower, while the façade is preceded by a protico with seven arcades and a loggiaLoggiaLoggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
added in the 15th century. The interior houses a small art gallery with works by Pietro Alamanno and Simone de MagistrisSimone de MagistrisSimone de Magistris was an Italian painter and sculptor.Born at Caldarola, Marche, he was the son of Giovanni Andrea de Magistris and Camilla di Ambrogio, and brother to Palmino and to Giovanfrancesco, both painters...
. - Sanctuary of St. Augustine, built in 1338-1441. The façade is in Baroque stle (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).