The town of Montedinove rises between the valleys of the rivers Aso and Tesino, on the highest hilltop of the zone. Archaeological excavations have discovered, even recently, Piceni tombs with funerary objects, some of which have been collected by the Archaeological Club and now housed in the Town Hall. According to some historians, these findings may be a part of the mysterious Roman town of Novana, which Plinio il Vecchio collocates in the Piceno region but which has not been found yet. A second hypothesis collocates this legendary town in the zone surrounding Carassai, not far from the sanctuary of Monterinaldo.
The territory of Montedinove is a part of the donation which Longino of Azzone made, in 1039, to the abbot of Farfa; in the 12th century, then, the Farfense monks built the fortifications which today give to the town its peculiar, almost circular, conformation. The town walls had two gates: the Monti Gate, no longer existent, and the Marina Gate, which now features only its archway. In 1240 the troops of King Enzo, son of Frederick II, guided by Rainaldo of Acquaviva, assaulted the castle, which bravely resisted for two years; this is the reason why the name of the gate was later changed into Vittoria (the Gate of Victory). The municipality of the town was institutionalised in the 13th century. The illuminated dominion of the Farfense monks exercised a positive role in the economy of the town, encouraging its activities. Consequently, the town guilds and associations flourished and the corporation of the tailors has left a sign of its existence in the archivolt of a 14th century portal through the escutcheon of their congregation.
The territory of Montedinove is a part of the donation which Longino of Azzone made, in 1039, to the abbot of Farfa; in the 12th century, then, the Farfense monks built the fortifications which today give to the town its peculiar, almost circular, conformation. The town walls had two gates: the Monti Gate, no longer existent, and the Marina Gate, which now features only its archway. In 1240 the troops of King Enzo, son of Frederick II, guided by Rainaldo of Acquaviva, assaulted the castle, which bravely resisted for two years; this is the reason why the name of the gate was later changed into Vittoria (the Gate of Victory). The municipality of the town was institutionalised in the 13th century. The illuminated dominion of the Farfense monks exercised a positive role in the economy of the town, encouraging its activities. Consequently, the town guilds and associations flourished and the corporation of the tailors has left a sign of its existence in the archivolt of a 14th century portal through the escutcheon of their congregation.
The Church of St Lorenzo, featuring an incomplete facade, was done on a project by Pietro Maggi (1786-1797) and built on the rests of a pre-existent church; its interiors were decorated with stucco-works by Domenico Fontana. The town centre of Montedinove features, moreover, some rests of a tower and an elegant house with a small Renaissance loggia which is, instead, of the 18th century. Outside the town centre, on the Cuprense road, there is the 17th century sanctuary, realized on the site of a pre-existing chapel built by the Farfensi monks, of St Thomas Becket, the courageous English Saint murdered by order of Henry II in the cathedral of Canterbury. The cult of the Saint is deeply felt by the believers, his name is invoked to heal the sicknesses of the bones. The relationship with this Saint dates back to very ancient times; he was a fellow student of the bishop of Fermo, Presbitero, at the University of Bologna, and to him he had sent, as a gift, a precious 12th century casula of Arabic manufacture, embroidered in silk and gold and now housed in the cathedral of Fermo.
The inhabitants of the zone will tell you a story that will take you back in time to the political intrigues of the England of Henry II and the stubbom defence of the rights of the Church carried out to the bitter end by Beckett which led to him being assassinated by hired killers in the Cathedral in 1170 just after he had faithfully prayed for the last time.
Montedinove remained linked to the PapalState until 1861.
