Maiolati Spontini: Spontini’s Legacy, Park and Romanesque Architecture

Maiolati Spontini can be explored through several cultural and landscape themes: Parco Colle Celeste, places of remembrance associated with Gaspare Spontini, Romanesque architecture in Moie, and the Via dei Tesori along the Esino. These offer different focal points for planning your trip.

Parco Colle Celeste and the view over the Esino Valley

Parco Colle Celeste was intended as a garden for public walks in honour of Celeste Erard. A tree-lined avenue, a wood and a viewing terrace shape the grounds. From the terrace, the view stretches over the Esino Valley towards the Adriatic. The avenue and wood create a different spatial impression from the viewing terrace, which opens up the view across the valley. The statue of the Virgin Mary is also part of the park’s history; it was inaugurated in 1858. The garden’s intended use for walks and a feature of the grounds that can be dated thus sit side by side.

Places of remembrance associated with Gaspare Spontini

The traces of Gaspare Spontini tell more than one story. Casa natale di Gaspare Spontini, his birthplace, was declared a national monument in 1924. The Museo Gaspare Spontini is housed in the residence that Gaspare Spontini and Celeste Erard bought and renovated for their return to Maiolati. His sarcophagus is kept in the Chiesa di San Giovanni; the medallion on it is traditionally attributed to Antonio Canova. Here, you can encounter a birthplace, a residence acquired for a return, and a church memorial to Spontini. These places represent different aspects of his connection with Maiolati and therefore cannot be reduced to the same type of place of remembrance.

Romanesque architecture and cultural reuse in Moie

Another form of cultural heritage awaits you in Moie: the Abbazia di Santa Maria delle Moie dates back to the 12th century and is an important Romanesque church in the region. The church has three aisles; at the same time, its floor plan can be read as a Greek cross inscribed in a square. These features describe different aspects of the architecture: the three aisles divide the church interior, while the cross in a square describes its overall geometric form. The abbey therefore offers concrete ways to explore Romanesque architecture and its spatial layout.

The eFFeMMe23 Biblioteca La Fornace cultural centre offers a different historical focus. In Moie, a former brickworks was repurposed as this centre. It includes a library, spaces for gatherings and activities for all age groups. The Hoffmann kiln dates from 1923 and points to the site’s former use as a brickworks. Here, the transformation of an industrial building into a cultural centre shapes how the site’s history is viewed.

The Via dei Tesori as a route through the landscape

The Via dei Tesori shifts the focus from buildings and places of remembrance to the landscape. From Moie, it runs as a cycling and walking route along the Esino River, through the landscapes and river parks of Vallesina and along secondary roads; it connects several places. There are parking, refreshment and meeting points along the route. It can also be accessed from provincial roads. The route thus offers a different way to explore the area than its historic buildings: it follows the river and connects several places instead of focusing on a single building. When planning your trip, you can therefore choose between built cultural history and a cycling or walking route through the river landscape.

Discover more destinations: Montecarotto, San Marcello, Trecastelli, San Biagio, Fabriano, Sirolo, Caudino, Ostra Vetere.

For the wider travel overview: Ancona.