Cingoli - Sights and History

• Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II: The main square of Cingoli is a charming centre with historical architecture, cafés and restaurants. Here you can enjoy the lively hustle and bustle of the village.
• Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta: The imposing cathedral is an architectural masterpiece from the 15th century. It houses valuable works of art and frescoes and offers an impressive view of the surrounding area from the bell tower.
• Santuario della Madonna di San Paolo: This sanctuary is located just outside Cingoli and is known for its beautiful frescoes and the holy statue of the Madonna. The place exudes a quiet and spiritual atmosphere.
• Museo Archeologico Statale di Cingoli: The Archaeological Museum presents a collection of finds from the region, including Roman artefacts and ancient pottery. It is an interesting place to learn more about the history and culture of Cingoli.

In the 5th to 3rd millennium BC, the oldest evidence of settlement in the area around Cingoli dates back to the Neolithic period. In the 9th century BC, the area was inhabited by Pikemen. According to a legend, the Pician woodpecker landed on the hill of Cingoli after arriving in the Marche region.
The first settlement nucleus of Cingulum emerged in the 3rd century BC in the area of today's Borgo San Lorenzo. In Roman times, the town was mentioned in Julius Caesar's work "De bello civili" and was expanded and fortified by Titus Labienus, an imperial lieutenant born in Cingoli. In the middle of the 1st century BC, during the Augustan period, Cingoli was raised to the status of a municipium (i.e. a town with Roman rights and duties).

The word cingulum in Latin means "something that surrounds". Cingulum was, for example, a leather or cloth belt, knotted or closed with a buckle on the front, worn by Roman officers and soldiers. Cingoli was therefore a fortified complex on a mountain.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Cingoli was ravaged by the Goths and Lombards, and the settlement was moved further west to the top of the hill. From the 4th century there is information about an early diocese of Cingoli, where Saint Esuperanzio (later patron saint) was also a bishop. The diocese disappeared in the 6th century and was absorbed into the diocese of Osimo.

Cingoli became a fief of the Bishop of Osimo in the second half of the 12th century, but developed into a flourishing free community. Cingoli profited from long-distance trade across the Adriatic. There were changing coalitions between the Marche municipalities, with Cingoli closely linked to Osimo. Within the town, however, there were disputes between the local noble families, from which the Guelph Cima family emerged. This family ruled Cingoli until the end of the 15th century.

The document "Descriptio Marchiae Anconitanae" gives an idea of the size of Cingoli. In the first half of the 14th century, Cingoli had about 5000 inhabitants in 1200 households. The town comprised the city centre as well as the Contado with three castles and seven villas.

The Church conferred on the Municipality of Cingoli, from 1370, the power to judge criminal and civil cases, with the exception of certain serious crimes. This right was revoked in 1375 when the cities of the Papal States rebelled against Pope Gregory XI. During the War of the Eight Saints, the Cima family regained its authority. With the support of Florence, Cingoli was taken by the Cima family in 1375. This led to the dominance of the Cima family and the excommunication of some family members. There was a border dispute between Cingoli and Osimo, which led to an alliance with Ancona against Osimo. The rebellion ended in 1377, when Cingoli was reconquered by papal troops and the Peace of Sarzana was concluded. However, a document of 1408 shows that Giovanni di Benutino, with the authorization of Urban VI, forfeited the property of Masio Cima's heirs. Also when the property was divided, all the cousins of Giovanni di Benutino were banished from Cingoli, so that power was concentrated in one branch of the family. Giovanni received the vicariate over Cingoli from the Pope in 1403. The Cima family was able to maintain its power in the city despite the lack of formal recognition by the Pope. In 1422 Giovanni died and, after various events, the rule of the Cima family ended with the extinction of the dynasty. The Cima property was confiscated and leased to the municipality.

In 1429 a conflict arose between the Municipality of Cingoli and the Monastery of Santa Caterina over the ownership of certain lands. This dispute led to Francesco Sforza (army commander and duke) becoming involved in the events. In 1434 he conquered Cingoli to take possession of the Cima family's property. Francesco Sforza was considered the defender of the community, since the Cima had enriched themselves at the expense of the community. In 1439 Francesco Sforza was appointed Marquis of the Marches and Gonfalonier ("standard bearer" was an extremely influential office in northern and central Italy) of the Church. In 1444 Pope Eugene IV confirmed the transfer of the Cima estates to Francesco Sforza.

In the 16th century Cingoli experienced an economic and urbanistic boom. The church of San Domenico, in Piazzale Munizipale, is worth seeing for the altarpiece of the Madonna of the Rosary by Lorenzo Lotto, dated 1539.

In 1725 the ancient bishopric was restored by Pope Benedict XIII and Cingoli was given the status of a town. The burial place of the early bishops was built outside the city walls in what later became the Collegiata di S. Esuperanzio.
In 1829 Francesco Saverio Castiglioni, who came from a noble family in Cingoli, was elected Pope Pius VIII. He had previously been Bishop of Cingoli and was imprisoned in France from 1808 to 1814.

With the Battle of Castelfidardo, Cingoli was annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia and in 1861 became part of the Kingdom of Italy. These events have marked the history of Cingoli in modern times.