Information about the city

Notes on history | Famous personalities | To visit

Sant`Angelo in Vado is not only the truffle. Indeed history is telling about antique Tifernum Mataurense as a land of love, art and culture. Situated along the Alta Val Metauro it was first a Roman city and afterwards the capital of Massa Trabaria becoming property of that famous leader who the whole world knows with the name Federico da Montefeltro lord of Massa Trabaria and afterwards the duke of Urbino. A traveller makes a mistake if being on holiday in the province of Pesaro and Urbino he does not visit this treasure chest named Sant`Angelo – the home land of the Zuccari brothers, Mancini and other famous men of art and culture. It is a town to discover and enjoy...

Sant`Angelo in Vado is one of the richest small towns with history, art and culture of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the territory of Alta Valle del Metauro. Its most antique populated centre can still be seen easily in the well-preserved historical centre as well as in medieval outskirts beyond the walls of the town and “ditches” being filled with water of the calm and rich Metauro. Sant`Angelo in Vado is a town which works. In the last decades it experienced a strong industrialization of the territory especially in the sector of textile and clothing that is sold not only in Italy but is also exported to Europe, especially the Northern Europe. At the same time Sant`Angelo in Vado has unpolluted nature, the truffle, centuries-old forests and ploughed fields with beautiful colours and geometry that proves the presence and work of vadesi [people of Sant`Angelo in Vado] who work in this territory since hundreds of years.

[^TOP]

Notes on history

Sant`Angelo in Vado rises on ruins of the antique Tiphernum Mataurense. This name comes from tipher or tifia, a water plant which grows in marshy areas. The studies of the Tiphernum map, reconstructed on the basis of obtained information by excavation and recent interpretations of aerial photographs, lead to the conclusion that the town had a square form with classic cardo and decumanus which criss-crossed in the main street. The existence of this antique Roman town is proved by many archaeological findings that nowadays are preserved in the town`s museum. It is considered that after arrival of Christianity it was a bishop’s see.

The long war between the Byzantines and the Ostrogoths (VI century) affected also the territory of Tiphernum Mataurense which suffered a total destruction. The Lombards reconstructed the new living place on the ruins of the Roman city which were completely covered by alluvial soil. They named it after the archangel Michele from where the name Sant`Angelo comes. The second part of the name – “in Vado” – was added afterwards and it could be ascribed to the fact that in order to reach the two main parts of the town laid down on the riversides you had to “wade [guadare]” Metauro. According to another interpretation the name is related to the plant “guado” which rather grows much along the riversides and from which using appropriate procedure was extracted a dark ink used for printing and tissue` colouring.

Towards the end of the Middle Ages Sant`Angelo in Vado was the capital of “Massa Trabaria”, province of the Church’s State. The Parliament of the province of Massa Trabaria which included the territory between Cagli – Urbino and the Apennines gathered there.

In 1636 the pope Urbano VIII elevated Sant`Angelo to the rank of “city” and upgraded it to dioceses.
In the June of 1849 Giuseppe Garibaldi was escaping through this place after the fall of Roman Republic.
In 1860/61 Sant`Angelo in Vado became a part of the Italian Kingdom.

[^TOP]

Famous personalities

The painter Taddeo Zuccari (1529-1566). An apprentice of Father Ottaviano and Pompeo Morganti from Fano, being fourteen-year-old went to Rome where after a difficult beginning he made his way decorating diverse external facades of buildings. He decorated Cappella Mattei in the church of Consolazione under Campidoglio. This work was commissioned from Giacomo Mattei. He started decoration works in Cappella Frangipane in San Marcello al Corso. He had also worked in the Cathedral of Orvieto, decorated the apartment of Pio IV, Regia room in the Vatican etc. He had a prestigious commission to decorate the residence of the cardinal Alessandro Farnese in Caprarola where he opened a workshop: a big part of commissions that he did not finish because of his sudden death were finished by his brother Frederico.

The painter and treatise writer Federico Zuccari (1539-1609). He developed his skills in Rome at the workshop of brother Taddeo becoming his natural cultural heir. Frederico Zuccari, a painter and treatise writer, travelled around a big part of Italy and Europe: from the Netherlands till England, from Spain till the north of Italy. Being loved by customers he created much: in the Santa Maria dell'Orto church in Trastevere, in the Gesù church, in the Trinità dei Monti church, in the Duchi di Urbino chapel in Loreto. He took part in decorating the cupola of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence etc. He is very present in the Marches region since his works can be found in his home town, in Fermo, in Recanati, in Urbino and in Pesaro.

The canonist Prospero Fagnani (1588-1678). Prospero Boni added the surname Fagnani after he was adopted by his maternal uncle Giovan Francesco. He studied in Perugia where he obtained a diploma in “utroque iure”. In 1611 in this city he published the treatise Problemata cum method. He moved to Rome where he was teaching law at the University. In 1910 he was summoned to work as an undersecretary in Sacra Congregazione del Concilio, afterwards as a secretary replacing his uncle. In 1632 he went blind. He did really his best to rise Sant`Angelo in Vado to the rank of the city with a bishop`s see, he filled many positions in the Roman Curia` society. His most famous work is Commentarium ad libros Decretalium; at the request of Gregorio XV he wrote the bull Aeterni patris Filius which was published in 1621 and referred to legal system at papal elections. It was in force till 1904.

The painter Francesco Mancini (1679-1758). An apprentice of Cignani in Romagna. He decorated the library Classiense in Ravenna and the house of Albacini in Forlì with canvas and fresco; frescoed the Cathedral of Foligno. In 1725 he was enrolled in the Academy of San Luca in Rome, significantly reformed by his countryman Federico Zuccari at the end of the sixteenth century; frescoed Kafee Haus of Palazzo Colonna. He worked also in the church of San Gregorio al Celio, of Santa Maria Maggiore, in San Pietro etc. Several of his works are a part of private collections and can be found in the Marches region where he worked in Macerata, in his home town and in Fano.

The musician Agostino Mercuri (1839-1892). He graduated from the Collegio Musicale San Pietro Mariani in Maiella, Napoli in piano, composition and direction of orchestra. Therefore he was nominated as the Maestro di Capppella del duomo vadese. In 1873 he became a conductor of performances in the town theatre of Bologna. He has composed more than 100 pieces of religious genre among which there are such pieces as Pietro il Muratore, Adello (presented in 1860 in Rimini), Il violino del diavolo; he composed the hymn of Raffaello and was conducting it in Urbino 1871. In Perugia he founded the musical institute “F.Morlacchi”; he contributed to festivities of Pesaro in honour of Gioacchino Rossini and played an active role in the foundation of Liceo Musicale which was named after him.

Vincenzo Lanciarini (1849-1917). His father Gaetano who was a goldsmith was involved in this especially productive activity of craftsmanship in the small town. Vincenzo Lanciarini studied in the vadese seminary “Barberini” completing superiori studies [course of studies following middle school or junior high school and proceeding university] in Urbino. In 1873 he obtained a diploma in jurisprudence in Rome practicing for a decade in his home town. In 1885 he moved with his family to Rome and worked in the Cassation` court and Court of Auditors. He dedicated himself to historical studies collaborating with several local journals (“Rivista urbinate di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti", Nuova Rivista Misena) publishing articles about vadesi artists (the Zuccari and Nardini brothers). He published poetry and the monumental work Tiphernum Mataurense.

[^TOP]

TO VISIT

	Palazzo Fagnani, XVII century, from 1838 it is the residency of the municipality – you can find many paintings among which a big canvas of Federico Zuccari there. Historical archive.
	Palazzo Mercuri, XIX century – the central hall with paintings on canvas at the walls from the eighteenth century, ascribed to Ragazzini, the ceiling in the liberty-floral style, a work of Cherubini. Recently in the basements it has been opened a museum of vadesi “antic crafts”. It is opened to the public every day from 9 am till 12 am and from 3 pm till 7 pm.
	Palazzo Grifoni (Nardini-Ridarelli), XV-XVI century – it was ordered to be built by vadese Matteo Grifoni, a captain at arms of the Republic of Florence and of the Republic of Venice; the facade is made by Marino di Marco Cedrini, a sculptor and architect from Venice (private property).
	Palazzo della Ragione, XIII century, formerly the residence of the municipality (till 1838), now the office of the association Pro Loco – here we can find the paintings by an unknown person, a fresco, a fireplace from XVI century. The Torre Civica with a bell is from 1580, by vadesi the building is called “el Campanon”.
	Palazzo Clavari, XV-XVI century (in private property).
	Palazzo dei Conti Santinelli, XVI century (in private property).
	The birthplace of Federico and Taddeo Zuccari (1529-1566) (in private property).
	Porta Albani (called "Porta Nova"), XIX century.
	City library and epistolary – a newspapers library „VINCENZO LANCIARINI” – also a youth information office.
	Monument to the pope Clemente XIV, XVIII century (Gianvincenzo Ganganelli), vadese citizen.
	Theatre “ZUCCARI”, XVII century, transformed in the thirties and restored recently.
	"Palazzetto" SANTINELLI, an aristocratic residence of countryside, XVI century, ascribed to Gerolamo Genga (in private property).
	The city museum with a collection of Roman archaeological finds of the antique Tiphernum Mataurense.
	The church of Santa Maria dei Servi (extra muros), XIV century – inside you can find paintings of vadese Francesco Macini (1679-1758), Raffaelin del Colle (1480-1566) and other artists from XVI century. Besides you can see Madonna in bronze from Lorenzo Ghiberti there, a cantoria in polychrome stucco painted by August Albrecht Wallenstein, the eighteenth century organ, a wooden chancel in excellent technique (vadese craftsmanship XVII-XVIII century).
	Basilica Cattedrale - Duomo (church of the San Michele Arcangelo, the patron of the city). With ancient origins, was transformed in XVI and XVII century. You can find paintings of Francesco Mancini and Schiroli there, paintings ascribed to Gentile da Fabriano (XV century), Claudio Ridolfi (1570?-1644) and Guido Rani (1575-1642); in the chapel of “Madonna del Pianto” (1855) you can see works of the vadese artistic craftsmanship: a wooden chancel (Benedetto Boccioni) and a gate from wrought iron (Gaspare Dindi).
	The church of San Filippo, XVI century – an octagonal layout, with paintings of Gian Giacomo Pandolfi, Raffaelin del Colle, August Albrecht Wallenstein and altars of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Giovanpietro Zuccari (a vadese craftsman).
	The Church of Santa Caterina d`Alessandria (called "delle bastarde [of bastards]"), XV century – an altar piece ascribed to Raffaello Schiaminossi (1526-1575 or 1622), a valuable stucco, a chancel made of the walnut, an organ of 1776.
	The church of San Francesco, XVI century (inside part of XVII century) – a gothic portal, paintings of vedesi painters Nardini (1512) and Gian Francesco Guerrieri from Fossombrone, an organ of 1802, a work of Bazzani, apprentice of Callido.
	The church of San Bernardino, XVI century – a canvas made by Gian Giacomo Pandolfi, an organ from seventeenth century.
	The church of Santa Chiara, renovated in XVIII century – a painting from Gian Giacomo Pandolfi (1570-1640), robbiane earthenware.
	The church of Santa Caterina, renovated in XVIII century – a Renaissence portal.

[^TOP]