Offida

Offida is a town of ancient origin . E ‘ was founded by the Pelasgians , was first inhabited by Picene , then by the Romans and later by the Lombards. Experienced its heyday in the Middle Ages and became a free municipality in sec. XIII. Even today, the structure of Offida is typically medieval . Established in the stone age theory endorsed by numerous archaeological remains found in the area . In a most recent period , the origins of Offida would be attributed to piceni who founded it , which stemmed from a group of young Sabines .

On the origin of its name, there have been several hypotheses proposed by scholars during el time :

OPPIDA ( fortified town )
OPHYS (a Greek word mean snake )
OPHIDA ( hill opulent )

And ‘ considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy . Its museums , its rue and the town hall with porch and fifteenth-century paintings by Pietro Alemanno ( 1490) Simone de Magistris (1590 ) give an appealing charm that takes visitors on a journey back in time in which to enjoy even craft traditions such as full lace-pillow . Featuring a spectacular charm is also the Teatro Golden Snake baroque style with elegant balconies embellished with gilt decoration , 50 stages spread over 3 orders and an entrance adorned by four statues of four muses. Built on a rocky outcrop , stands the charming church of Santa Maria della Rocca Romanesque- Gothic structure with three polygonal apses and three fifteenth-century frescoes . Paintings, reliquaries, crosses and other valuable items are kept in the church of St. Augustine, in that of St. Benedict and St. Mark’s Square and the new while the collegiate church of Our renaissance has a porch and a terracotta cornice , decorated with friezes of the fifteenth century.

The old town is enclosed within the walls Castellane (XII – XVI). The former civil hospital opens the tourist route that continues for Course Golden Snake up in Piazza del Popolo dominated by the Town Hall , dating from the eleventh and twelfth centuries .

Among the pearls of Offida remember also the Church of St. Augustine (sec. XIV – XVIII) with the adjoining chapel of the Eucharistic Miracle , the Church of the Addolorata (XV ) which houses the coffin of the dead Christ , the Collegiate Church (XVIII century) which houses the relics the patron saint of the town , the Museum of Offida and the Convent of the Benedictine Nuns with the Church of San Marco. The former convent of San Francesco there is also the Enoteca Regionale which is worth a visit.