Marche Breaks

Smerillo was considered among the castles of average importance together with other important towns as S.Benedetto del Tronto and Porto San Giorgio. Some people attribute the name to “Smeriglio” that is a bird belonging to falcons family; even the symbol of Smerillo confirms this hypothesis in fact, it is a bird on top of 6 mountains. Smerillo has very ancient origins.

The municipal archive preserves information registered until 1617; all the hystorical information are included in the archives of Fermo and Amandola. The finding of roman coins in this territory seems to suggest the presence of military camps and, we can’t exclude that romans were the first inhabitants of Smerillo. The oldest document was written in the 11th century when Smerillo was under church of Fermo rule. In 1192 the village was controlled by the farfense monastery of S. Vittoria in Matenano.

In the 29th volume of the “Antichità Picene” by Colucci is reported that one of the tributary of the monastery of S. Vittoria was the Count Alberto of Smerillo who had to pay 12 pence.

In 1200 Smerillo together with other castles passed under Monte Passillo rule that is a village near Comunanza.

In 1298 Smerillo was conquered by Fermo that was interested in it for its strategical position.

We don’t have interesting events until 1852 when arrived Fra Mariale, a ferocious leader that crossed all Fermo’s territories doing raids and sacks. In the same year he conquered Fermo Gentile da Magliano. Smerillo followed the destiny of the village even in the fight against Monte Verde and its last scion Rinaldo that was decapitated in the square of S. Martino in 1380 on S. Caterina day after he had tried in vain to find shelter in the castle of Monte Falcone. In this period the church of S. Caterina was built perhaps to do homage to S.Caterina to have set free Fermo from the tyrant of Monte Verde the same day of its festivity.  On 3rd March 1396, two guardians of the fortress of Smerillo betraied one’s country consigning the keys of the entrance doors to the Duke of Camerino. As soon as the inhabitants of Fermo had the bad news called to arms the men of the subordinate castles to attack Smerillo. On 13th May 1396 they delivered an attack and after some resistance the village was freed. In the following years Smerillo was victim of unlucky events: first it has been sacked by the troops of the Count of Carrara, then the pestilence from 1445 to 1448 and another one in 1462 followed by a terrible famine.

In 1473 the lands were invaded by crickets that destroyed  the harvest and there was another period of famine. In 1474 Smerillo built the bell tower of SS.Pietro and Paolo to pray them to stop famine.

In 1534 the inhabitants of Comunanza and 100 Ascolans attacked Smerillo destroying the mill and some buildings. They continued attacking the castle with the comand of Piccione Parisani but they were overcame losing five solders and they counted many wounded. In 1585 under Sisto V rule the population restored the town walls ruined during the attack in 1409 and never rebuilt. In the 17th century didn’t happen important events; we have to remember only the controversy between Smerillo and Monte Falcone that involves the Archibishop of Fermo who had to provide at the allotment of some benches of the church of “Luogo di Sasso” between different parties. The 18th century wasn’t very full of events while at the begining of 19th century, in 1808, Smerillo lost its autonomy and it became a possession of S. Vittoria. After the fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna, Smerillo had back its autonomy on 10th January 1818. In 1860 Smerillo together with the region Marche passed from papal government to the reign of Vittorio Emanuele II.

In 1866 Smerillo lost again its autonomy due to Monte Falcone. The village seemed to be destined at the isolation and at the definitive lost of its autonomy, but in 1919 it obteined the reconstitution of its Town Hall thanks to the personal fight of Don Giuseppe Cortellucci and Amedeo Corrado Nobili.