Senigallia
Encyclopedia
Senigallia is a comune
and port town on Italy
's Adriatic coast, 25 km by rail north of Ancona, in the Marche
region, province of Ancona
.
The town is one of the most famous seaside resorts of the region, attracting tourists (mainly families) from all over Europe
: especially from Germany
, Belgium
, and the Netherlands
.
The small port is formed by the lower reaches of the Misa
, a stream which flows through the town between embankments constructed of Istrian marble.
and became the first Roman colony on the Adriatic shore.
A colony was founded there by the Romans
after their victory over the Senones, rather before 280 BC: the name is probably a later Roman corruption of Senones; the addition Gallica distinguishes it from Saena (Siena
) in Etruria
. The place is also mentioned in connection with Hasdrubal's defeat at the Metaurus in 207 BC. It was destroyed by Pompey
in 82 BC, and is not often mentioned afterwards.
Ravaged by Alaric
, Senigallia was fortified by the Byzantines, and again laid waste by the Lombards
in the 8th century and by the Saracen
s in the 9th.
It was the second easternmost of the five cities of the medieval Adriatic duchy of Pentapolis
, east of Fano
and west of Ancona
.
Senigallia used to hold one of the largest fairs in Italy, which dated originally from 1200, when Sergius, count of Senigallia, received from the count of Marseilles, to whose daughter he was affianced, certain relics of Mary Magdalene; this fair used to be visited by merchants from France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and especially the Levant.
Senigallia was at length brought so low by the Guelph and Ghibelline wars, and especially by the severities of Guido I da Montefeltro, that it was chosen by Dante
as the typical instance of a ruined city. In the 15th century it was captured and recaptured again and again by the Malatesta
and their opponents. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta of Rimini
erected strong fortifications round the town in 1450-1455. The lordship of Senigallia was bestowed by Pius II on his nephew Antonio Piccolomini, but the people of the town in 1464 placed themselves anew under Pope Paul II
, and Giacomo Piccolomini in 1472 failed in his attempt to seize the place. In 1503, Cesare Borgia carried out a bloody coup at Senigallia, against some of his disloyal supporters. Sixtus IV assigned the lordship to the Della Rovere
family, from whom it was transferred to Lorenzo de Medici in 1516. After 1624 it formed part of the Papal State's legation (province) of Urbino
.
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:...
and port town on 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...
's Adriatic coast, 25 km by rail north 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...
region, 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....
.
The town is one of the most famous seaside resorts of the region, attracting tourists (mainly families) from all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: especially from 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...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
The small port is formed by the lower reaches of the Misa
Misa (river in Italy)
The Misa is an Italian river in the Marche, which runs over 48 kilometers within the region. The source of the river is south of Arcevia in the province of Ancona. The river flows northeast near Arcevia and Serra de' Conti. The river enters the Adriatic Sea near Senigallia....
, a stream which flows through the town between embankments constructed of Istrian marble.
History
Senigallia, spread out along the coast at the mouth of the river Misa, was founded in the 4th century B.C. by the Gallic tribe of the SenonesSenones
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...
and became the first Roman colony on the Adriatic shore.
A colony was founded there by the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
after their victory over the Senones, rather before 280 BC: the name is probably a later Roman corruption of Senones; the addition Gallica distinguishes it from Saena (Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
) in Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
. The place is also mentioned in connection with Hasdrubal's defeat at the Metaurus in 207 BC. It was destroyed by Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in 82 BC, and is not often mentioned afterwards.
Ravaged by Alaric
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
, Senigallia was fortified by the Byzantines, and again laid waste by the Lombards
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...
in the 8th century and by the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s in the 9th.
It was the second easternmost of the five cities of the medieval Adriatic duchy of Pentapolis
Pentapolis
A pentapolis, from the Greek words , "five" and , "city" is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities...
, east of Fano
Fano
Fano is a town and comune of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort 12 km southeast of Pesaro, located where the Via Flaminia reaches the Adriatic Sea...
and west 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....
.
Senigallia used to hold one of the largest fairs in Italy, which dated originally from 1200, when Sergius, count of Senigallia, received from the count of Marseilles, to whose daughter he was affianced, certain relics of Mary Magdalene; this fair used to be visited by merchants from France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and especially the Levant.
Senigallia was at length brought so low by the Guelph and Ghibelline wars, and especially by the severities of Guido I da Montefeltro, that it was chosen by Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
as the typical instance of a ruined city. In the 15th century it was captured and recaptured again and again by the Malatesta
House of Malatesta
The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as other lands and towns in Romagna.Malatesta da Verucchio The House of Malatesta was an Italian family that ruled over Rimini from 1295 until 1500, as well as (in different periods) other lands and...
and their opponents. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta of Rimini
Rimini
Rimini 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...
erected strong fortifications round the town in 1450-1455. The lordship of Senigallia was bestowed by Pius II on his nephew Antonio Piccolomini, but the people of the town in 1464 placed themselves anew under Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II
Pope Paul II , born Pietro Barbo, was pope from 1464 until his death in 1471.- Early life :He was born in Venice, and was a nephew of Pope Eugene IV , through his mother. His adoption of the spiritual career, after having been trained as a merchant, was prompted by his uncle's election as pope...
, and Giacomo Piccolomini in 1472 failed in his attempt to seize the place. In 1503, Cesare Borgia carried out a bloody coup at Senigallia, against some of his disloyal supporters. Sixtus IV assigned the lordship to the Della Rovere
Della Rovere
Della Rovere is a noble family of Italy. Coming from modest beginnings in Savona, Liguria, the family rose to prominence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere popes, Francesco della Rovere, who ruled as Pope Sixtus IV and his nephew Giuliano...
family, from whom it was transferred to Lorenzo de Medici in 1516. After 1624 it formed part of the Papal State's legation (province) of Urbino
Urbino
Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482...
.
Main sights
Despite its ancient origin the city presents a modern appearance, with wide streets. Attractions include:- Palazzo Comunale, from the 17th century.
- The Castle (Rocca Roveresca), of Gothic origin, was restored 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...
in 1492. It has a square plan with four large round tower. - The Cathedral, erected after 1787.
- The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, outside the town, is one of the only two churches which he is known to have executed (the other is at Orciano near Mondavio, about 20 km to the west by road). It housed the painting of Madonna di SenigalliaMadonna di SenigalliaThe Madonna di Senigallia is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, finished around 1474. It is housed in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, in the Ducal Palace of Urbino....
by Piero della FrancescaPiero della FrancescaPiero della Francesca was a painter of the Early Renaissance. As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting was characterized by its...
. - The Rotonda a mare.
Notable people
- Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, who in 1846 become Pope Pius IXPope Pius IXBlessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
, was born at Senigallia on 13 May 1792 - Gaetano BediniGaetano BediniGaetano Bedini was an Italian ecclesiastic, Cardinal and diplomat of the Catholic Church.- Biography :Bedini was born in Senigallia into the peasant Bedini family of Ostra, the son of Alessandro Pellegrino and Marianna Spadoni.Last of 7 sons, Bedini was destined by his father to be a priest...
(15 May 1806 - 6 September 1864) Cardinal and diplomat of the Catholic Church. - Cardinal Domenico ConsoliniDomenico ConsoliniDomenico Antonio Luigi Pacifico Nicola Baldassare Consolini . He was the fourth son of the Marchese Tommaso Consolini and Angela Grapelli....
(7 June 1806 - 20 December 1884) Camerlengo of the Catholic Church - Manoah Leide-TedescoManoah Leide-TedescoManoah Leide-Tedesco was an Italian-American composer, conductor and violinist.- Biography :Tranquillo Manoah Leide-Tedesco was born in Sinigaglia, Italy, but grew up in Naples...
(1895-1982) Italian-American composer-conductor. - Mario GiacomelliMario GiacomelliMario Giacomelli was an Italian photographer born on 1 August 1925 in Senigallia, Italy. He died on 25 November 2000 in the town of his birth.Known for:Photographs of Italian seminaries and a poetic transcription of everyday life in Southern Italy...
(1925–2000) Photographer. - Ferruccio Ferroni (1920 - 5 September 2007) Photographer.
- Fabri FibraFabri FibraFabri Fibra is an Italian rapper.- Biography :Tarducci was born in Senigallia, Marche. He became interested in music from a young age; he wrote and performed his first piece when he was 17 years old....
(1976) Italian rapper.
Sources and references
- "Sinigaglia" — article on the Catholic diocese, from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopædia
- Senigallia In a Nutshell: An Illustrated Guidebook to Senigallia