Cingoli

Cingoli is a town and comune of the Marches, Italy, in the province of Macerata, about 27 kilometres (17 mi) by road from the town of Macerata. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius VIII. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").^[3]

Cingoli
Comune
Comune di Cingoli
Palazzo Comunale (Townhall)
Coat of arms
Cingoli within the province of Macerata
Location of Cingoli
Cingoli Location of Cingoli in Italy Show map of Italy Cingoli Cingoli (Marche) Show map of Marche
Coordinates: 43°22′N 13°13′E
Country	Italy
Region	Marche
Province	Macerata (MC)
Frazioni	Avenale, Botontano, Capo di Rio, Carciole, Castel Sant'Angelo, Castreccioni, Cervidone I, Cervidone II, Civitello, Colcerasa, Grottaccia, Lago Castreccioni, Marcucci,Moscosi, Mummuiola; Pian della Pieve, Piancavallino, Pozzo, Saltregna, San Faustino, San Flaviano, San Venanzo, San Vittore, Santa Maria del Rango, Santo Stefano, Strada, Torre, Torrone, Troviggiano, Valcarecce
Government
• Mayor	Michele Vittori
Area [1]
• Total	147 km2 (57 sq mi)
Elevation	631 m (2,070 ft)
Population  (31 December 2006)[2]
• Total	10,540
• Density	72/km2 (190/sq mi)
Demonym	Cingolani
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	62011
Dialing code	0733
Patron saint	St. Esuperanzio
Saint day	January 24th
Website	Official website

History

The town occupies the site of the ancient Cingulum, a town of Picenum, founded and strongly fortified by Julius Caesar's lieutenant Titus Labienus (probably on the site of an earlier village) in 63 BCE at his own expense. Its lofty position at an elevation of about 650 metres (2,130 ft) made it of some importance in the civil wars, but otherwise little is heard of it. Under the Roman Empire it was a municipium.^[4]

Main sights

Cingoli is also known as the "Balcony of Marche" ("Il Balcone delle Marche")^[5] because of its belvedere (viewpoint) from which, on a clear day, the sight may encompass all of the Marche and further across the Adriatic Sea to the Croatian mountain tops.

View of the Marche landscape from the Balcone delle Marche viewpoint

Religious buildings

• Cingoli Cathedral (Concattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta)
• Collegiate church of Sant'Esuperanzio, Cingoli (Collegiata di Sant'Esuperanzio): Gothic church
• Santuario di Santa Sperandia
• San Benedetto
• San Francesco
• San Filippo Neri
• San Giacomo
• San Girolamo
• San Nicolò
• Santo Spirito
• Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
• San Domenico

Secular buildings

• Palazzo municipale
• Biblioteca Comunale ″Ascariana″ ^[6]

Museums

• Pinacoteca comunale "D. Stefanucci" named after Donatello Stefanucci
• Museo archeologico statale di Cingoli
• Museo del Lago
• Museo del Sidecar

Sport

Cingoli has been host to the Italian Sidecarcross Grand Prix a number times^[7] and have hosted on 16th May 2010.^[8]

Twin towns — sister cities

Cingoli is twinned with:

• Aprilia, Lazio, Italy (2004)