Situated along Gaspare Spontini Street and erected around 1430, it is dedicated to St. Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity. It was consecrated in 1723 and often restored. Later the church was fitted with a marble altar dating back to the seventeenth century, coming from the church of S. Francesco dei Frati Minori of Jesi. Above the front door you can admire a beautiful Baroque-Rococo wooden choir, donated by Gaspare Spontini to the parish church whose priest was his brother Don Antonio.
Erected towards the end of the eighteenth century and designed by Arch. Giannantonio Mengoni with Paolo Isidoro Capponi’s approval.
It holds an altar-piece depicting The Virgin with the Apostles (1620) by Cristoforo Roncalli, known as Pomarancio.
Here you can also admire a cup (1523) from the former church of Santa Maria d'Arco and a marble and wooden baptismal font dating 1708.
In the choir stalls above the front door, you will find the organ built by Feliciano Fedeli from Camerino in 1737 and restored in 1993.
The origins of the castle are to be dated back to the thirteenth century as the chronicles report speaking about a “villa” over the hill which was under the feudal jurisdiction of the bishop of Jesi.
Take a gander inside San Marcello al Poggio, a small Romanesque Benedectine church where a fresco of the crucifixion was found.
It dates back to the XV century and surely belonged to Fabriano school. Snap a photo of it, restored and displayed in the parish church.
Admire the Gothic Crypt dating back to 1300 in the church of Santa Maria del Monte, situated along Gioncare Street, a few kilometers from Poggio San Marcello.
In 1261 the Castle of Poggio San Marcello was already a well organized urban centre and became part of Jesi in 1301. It was under its jurisdiction, as an important document of 1530 reported. It is the most ancient parchment attesting the participation of Poggio San Marcello to the traditional “Palio di San Floriano”, on the feast of Jesi’s patron, St. Florian.
The local historical archives report that Poggio San Marcello was under the rule of Jesi, even if a certain autonomy was granted. It lasted until the fall of "Ancien Regime" in Marche, after the Napoleonic invasion of territory of the Papal States.
In 1926 the municipality of Poggio San Marcello was abolished and considered hamlet of Castelplanio. But in 1947 it gained its independence again.
Enjoy a tour inside the castle walls where the beautiful buildings witness the intense life during the 1600s and 1700s.
The Town Hall, built in 1772 and designed by Andrea Vici of Rocca Contrada (now Arcevia), has been recently restored and has a frescoed ceiling with beautiful decorations. Do not forget to visit it!
Cupramontana, S. Marco, Calapina, Castelbellino, Monteroberto, Maiolati Spontini, Cupramontana
Distance: km 14
Time advised: 75 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Starting from the parking in front of Colonnara winery, take the road for the historic centre.
Just before arriving at Cupramontana, follow the signs indicating the cemetery . In front of the cemetery, take the avenue on the left . Go through San Marco street and turn left until reaching a junction , then turn right and take the white road. The path becomes flat only for a short distance, then it is narrow again and turns on a slight slope. Turn left and right; at the bottom of a steep slope cross the farmland and then right up to a bar. From here proceed along an old house until reaching a white road.
Follow the steep path to the right (Calapina Street), after about 100 metres turn left and follow the main road for about 500 metres until the junction with the big oak tree. Go straight on for about 100 metres and turn left uphill just before the descent. At the junction take the flat road on the right passing through a fence and a wash-tub and climb up to a big villa with a park; straight down until reaching the tarmac road (S.P. Castelli di Jesi).
Follow the left road that leads to Castelbellino. When you join the village, just before the last houses, turn right uphill to Monteroberto (approx. 800 metres). Then right under the castle walls and go straight up to the Provincial Road (S.P.).
At the junction turn to the right arriving at Maiolati Spontini. Go through the village and take the white road on the left. Continue until you come back to the Provincial Road and follow the signs indicating Cupramontana. After about 1,5 km you are again at the point of departure.
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Tel. +39 0731778710
Fax. +39 0731778750
Via Nazario Sauro, 1
60034 Cupramontana (AN)
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