Trecastelli is a municipality with 7, 605 inhabitants and it’s in central Marche, in the province of Ancona.
It’s been created by the unification of three municipalities: Ripe, Castel Colonna and Monterado.
Castel Colonna (Italian Green Flag for the safeguard of environment and landscape, promotion of local produce and better living conditions for farmers and local inhabitants ) is on a rocky spur and it’s partly surrounded by defensive walls . From the town bastions you can enjoy a nice view over the surrounding fertile land, which has been shaped depending on human needs: old castles are at the top of the hills whereas cultivated land is dotted with white farms.
The medieval centre is perfectly preserved and characterized by narrow streets, small squares and picturesque alleys. The old walkways around the battlement of the castle can still be used and part of the town walls, which are strangely in the shape of a ship, are well preserved.
Monterado is a hilly town and it was founded in the Middle Ages in a place which had already been inhabited, probably by Lombards as the name of the town itself suggests ( Rado is a Lombard name). Only few monuments are left of the past, among which the imposing 17th century mansion within which a 15th century castle is enclosed.
Ripe is a hilly town which was founded in the Middle Ages and previously inhabited in ancient times. It’s well- known for manual iron moulding and for the thriving network of small and medium companies. Of great interest is the lordly mansion belonging to the Counts Castracani-Antelminelli-Augusti, inside of which frescoes in Pompeian Style and a joining gallery in antique French style can be seen. In Ripe there are both old and new jobs and this is why a local association has been founded in order to promote and protect local enterprises of artistic craftsmanship. In the town centre there’s the “Bottega dei Mestieri”, a room where you can see a permanent exhibition of some artworks by artisans belonging to the association.