Offida and Piceno

Offida (pronounced with an accent on the “i”, on the contrary to what it says here) is a town in the south of the Marche region, in the province of Ascoli Piceno.
At about 290 metres above sea level, “L'ufid” (this is how it is called in local dialect) is located on the ridge of the strip of hills that divide the valley of the river Tronto from the valley of the river Tesino.

Offida e il Piceno

Half way between the Adriatic coast and where the Apennine Mountains start to climb, the hills of Offida have always been cultivated with grapevines. The wine-making tradition of Offida in the Piceno hills has a major role; in fact, the former monastery of San Francesco in the old town centre is home to the Regional Wine Cellar of the Marche. Ever since Roman times, wine production in the Piceno lands was considered to be abundant and of excellent quality. There is much proof from antique historians and from the profiles traced by more modern historians such as Andrea Bacci .PICENO AND WINE

In 2008, Offida became a member of the club of the “most beautiful hamlets of Italy” and its historical town centre is still wonderfully harmonic and rich in architectural and artistic landmarks. Not to be missed is the incredible view of the church of Santa Maria della Rocca, an imposing gothic mass standing out in the air, “precariously” clinging to a spur of rock marked by the deep clefts that give the landscape a hostile and pallor look, in contrast with the sweet slopes cultivated with vines that characterise the surrounding hills” (Stefano Papetti, from the Flash magazine, 203, 1995).

Another must is, the Historical Carnival of Offida, which demonstrates the folklore that still thrives today.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
  • Giuseppe Fillich, Nicola Savini. “Offida. Storia, monumenti, folklore”, Municipality of Offida - Pro Loco, 1987.
  • Giovanna Mascaretti, Cristina Perozzi, “La città di Offida”, Capponi Editore, 2010.
  • Vitale Travaglini, “Il Carnevale Storico della Città di Offida”, Town of Offida, 1997.