SENIGALLIA


Histolical outline



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 Senones and was the first Roman colony on the Adriatic shore. An important town in the Imperial age, it was sacked in 400 A.D. by Alaric. Rebuilt again, it became a major centre of the Maritime Pentapolis and of the Exarchate of Ravenna. Having passed under the rule of the Papal States, in the 12th century Senigallia became a free city and actively took part in the struggles of the times. A city of Ghibelline traditions, the 13th century proved a difficult one for Senigallia, to the extent that Dante (Paradise XVI 75 78) includes it among those towns whose "end is near". Senigallia remained in a serious state of neglect for many years only to arise again during the second part of the l5th century by will of, first of all, Sigismondo Malatesta and then Giovanni della Rovere.
In those years, the town walls and the Roveresca Fortress were rebuilt, but above all the population began to grow thanks to a period of economic prosperity brought about by new developments in agriculture and the expansion of commerce. The port of Senigallia became an important centre of maritime trade of the Duchy of Urbino and, after the devolution of 1631, of the Papal States as a whole. The commerciaI hub of the town was the famous "Fiera della Maddalena" which, between the mid-17th century and the late-18th century, reached the height of its importance, favoured by Senigallia's status as a free port. Along the two banks of the town canal, men traded corn, lumber, spices and manufactured goods and, during the town's golden years, over 500 boats could often be seen anchored in the harbour while 50,000 visitors from the Levant, northern and central Italy and central Europe found hospitality there. The fame of Senigallia was confirmed in 1760 when Carlo Goldoni used it as the setting for one of his plays entitled "La fiera di Sinigaglia". Around the mid-18th century, the town, which now counted a population of 8,000, was no longer in a position to contain all the people who flocked to the "Fiera della Maddalena" and consequently Pope Benedict XIV gave instructions for it to be extended. Initiailly, work concentrated on the alteration and more rational organisation of existing buildings, but subsequently the town grew so much that it doubled in size, covering an area similar to that occupied by the old Roman town. Subsequently, for a number of different reasons, the "Fiera" underwent a period of decline and the town turned to tourism as a source of income; in 1854 the first Bathing Establishment was opened. During the summer months, visitors could watch magnificent theatre performances featuring some of the greatest artists and composers of the day: Verdi, Toscanini, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, etc. Since the 1960s, Senigallia has enjoyed a tourist boom. Dozens of new hotels, pensions and camping sites have sprung up and the town has become one of the major seaside holiday resorts of the Marches, offering visitors many sports and recreative facilities, but also important monuments from the Renaissance period onwards and works of art by famous artists like Perugino, Brandani, Barocci, Guercino and Lilli.



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