Montepagano
The origins of the town date back to the Middle Ages, when the populations living near the sea moved to the hills to resist the threat of invasion and looting by the Turks. The historical centre retains traces of the ancient medieval fortifications, with its four gates.
After its foundation in the 11th century, Montepagano became part of the Norman possessions, then part of the Papal State from the 13th century. It was then always in the possession of the Church, except for the parenthesis of the French invasion in 1798. From 1424 until the arrival of the French it became a fief of the Acquaviva family.
In 1857 12 plots of land on the Adriatic coast were assigned to as many settlers in the area between the Villa Comunale of Roseto and the crossroads for Montepagano: this was the birth of Roseto, which was to develop and become the capital of the municipality, replacing the old village of Montepagano, which has since been considered the historic centre of the new town.
The ancient Fountain of Accolle
An ancient walkway that connected Montepagano to Roseto is still passable on foot. In addition to the fantastic panorama that can be enjoyed during the walk, there is a fountain dating back to the beginning of the last century, used by the women both for washing clothes and for the supply of water that they brought home with copper conches held balanced on their heads.
The material culture museum
In 1987, on the initiative of some citizens of Montepagano and with the help of journalist Luigi Braccili, the Museum of Material Culture was founded.
The objects kept in the museum are many and of great interest: musical instruments, typewriters, work tools, both agricultural and artisan, old books, period photographs, clothes and lingerie over a hundred years old, wedding dresses, a collection of coins and one of posters dating back to the last World War.
Two period rooms have been reconstructed: a kitchen with all the household items and a bedroom complete with washbasin and wedding trousseau. The museum is cared for on a voluntary basis by Mrs Annamaria Rapagnà, a living memory of much of Pagan history, and by the ‘Vecchio Borgo’ Association.
Porta da Sole, Porta da Piedi, Porta di Borea
Aromatic herbs are being grown in the Ligurian sea, on an experimental basis, at a depth of 10 metres, in the underwater biospheres of Nemo’s Garden. Agronomist divers follow the cultivation. The particularity of the habitat favours very fast growth times and makes the aroma and scent of the herbs extremely intense. These aromas can be tasted exclusively at D.one at certain times of the year, thanks to the collaboration with Ocean Reef.
The Sixtus V
bell tower
The 40-metre-high bell tower stands in the village’s main square. It is the symbolic monument of Montepagano. It was probably built in 1550, by pupils from Abruzzo of the master Antonio da Lodi.
In 1583, a lightning strike caused the spire to collapse and two years later Pope Sixtus V ordered its repair. According to legend, the bell tower had such a large bell that, combined with its position in full control of the surrounding valleys, it was able to warn of the imminence of danger from the sea, particularly that of Turkish landings.
Today it stands alone without the church of St Antimo, which was demolished in 1876.
The Church of SS. Annunziata
The medieval church was rebuilt after a miracle: towards the end of the 16th century, the image of the Madonna on the altar was seen crying for several days. The event attracted numerous pilgrims from neighbouring villages. The offerings, generously left by the people, were used to rebuild the crumbling church, which was completed in 1611.
Noteworthy are:
– the high altar in painted wood dating back to the end of the 17th century and most likely the work of an artist who was a pupil of Carlo Riccione, one of the best-known Abruzzo sculptors of the Baroque period;
– the wooden group of the Annunciation, in the lower part of the altar, made in the 14th century by master Luca D’Atri;
– the chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, built at the beginning of the 18th century on the commission of the nobleman Tizio Patrizio by Lombard artists. The painting that adorns the altar, depicting the Madonna and Child, is attributed to the Neapolitan school of the mid-18th century; the chapel houses the precious tabernacle of the Holy Sacrament from the 19th century.
– the organ on the right side of the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, made in the 17th century;
– the precious silver cross dated 1500, made by Pietro Di Sante from Teramo, kept in the sacristy