The origins of Corinaldo

From medieval incastellamento to the first village

In the early 17th century, Vincenzo Maria Cimarelli, a Dominican friar and distinguished historian, hypothesised that Corinaldo’s origins might date back to the flight of the inhabitants of Suasa to the hills following the passage of Alaric’s Visigoths in 409 AD. In all likelihood, however, Corinaldo was founded at the beginning of the second millennium, as part of the widespread phenomenon of incastellamento (the building of fortified hilltop settlements). Perched between the Cesano and Misa rivers, between the Marca of Ancona and the State of Urbino, it became a coveted outpost, contested — because of its strategic position — by the Guelph and Ghibelline factions vying for power during the crisis of the feudal system and the rise of the seigniories. The very name of the village is a matter of conjecture: one theory has it deriving from Curia di Rinaldo, a Lombard name of the early Middle Ages; according to another, at the end of the 12th century the place name Colli in alto (“hills on high”) gradually evolved into Corinaldo.

Sieges, destruction and the rebuilding of 1367

Guelph until the early 14th century, Corinaldo suffered under the tyranny of the Ghibelline nobleman Nicolò Boscareto, imperial vicar appointed by Louis the Bavarian, on whose account it was attacked by the papal army of Innocent VI under the command of Galeotto Malatesta. On 18 August 1360, after bitter fighting, the town was set ablaze and completely destroyed. Rebuilt from scratch in 1367 following authorisation from Pope Urban V, it was provided with a wall to protect the entire village — a superbly crafted structure with remarkable fortification elements. The sieges continued: in 1416 the one led by Braccio da Montone, and in 1432 the one led by Sante Garelli, both repelled by the resistance of the inhabitants and the town’s mighty walls.

The walls of Corinaldo

The contribution of Francesco di Giorgio Martini

In 1432 Captain Antonello Accattabriga took office and had the Cassero (keep) built on the summit of the hill, turning Piazza il Terreno into his parade ground. After years of abuse, the people of Corinaldo drove out the tyrant in 1447 and razed the fortress to the ground. Between 1480 and 1490 the perimeter of the walls was enlarged and equipped with new military structures, becoming even more impregnable. A contribution to this expansion has also been attributed to the famous Sienese military architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, in the so-called Sperone. The strength of the walls proved decisive once again in 1517, when the Duke of Urbino Francesco Maria attempted to retake Corinaldo: after twenty-three days of siege he was forced to retreat, and in recognition of the loyalty shown, Pope Leo X elevated Corinaldo to the status of a city — a distinction confirmed in 1786 by Pope Pius VI.

The 17th and 18th centuries

The age of greatest splendour

During the 17th century Corinaldo grew more refined in its architectural forms and its customs, enriched by the work of remarkable artists. The noble families built new and elegant residences, a sign of growing prosperity. Monumental civil and religious buildings also gradually came into being, still perfectly preserved today: the Church of the Suffragio with its distinctive octagonal plan, the Church of the Addolorata, the Church of Sant’Anna and the sanctuary dedicated to Santa Maria Goretti. Among the leading figures of this artistic season were the painter Claudio Ridolfi, who lived in Corinaldo until his death, and the organist Gaetano Callido, who left two instruments of exceptional craftsmanship in the town. The brick-red colour took hold in the urban landscape as an unmistakable mark of identity.

Corinaldo today

A historical legacy of architecture, art and devotion

The vestiges of this fruitful past remain fundamental elements of the urban landscape to this day: the roughly one-kilometre wall circuit with its bastioned gates, towers and turrets, churches and sanctuaries, public and private buildings, and the historic theatre, whose original construction dates back to the mid-18th century. To all this is added a vocation for devotion: Corinaldo is a place of pilgrimage linked to the martyr Maria Goretti, whose cult has grown in recent years, drawing visitors from all over the world.