The elliptical layout of Pollenza lies on a ridge bounded Nwards by the river Potenza and Swards by the river Chienti and by the state road 77. It is 344 m. above sea level and has a population of about 6.025 inhabitants. The Sibillini range is to the west: its iridescent colours make it a beautiful sight in all the seasons: the shining white of the snow as well as the bright green in spring give the view its charm. In the east the hills slope down towards the sea in a pleasant landscape now completely shaped by the work of man. The towns of Treia, Macerata, Tolentino and San Severino frame the rivers, green countryside and the human settlements. The Cassero and the Trebbio are on the outskirts, north and south, and they extend the town up to the end of the terrace where Pollenza stands. The surfaces slope down showing a well organized territory full of farms and villages which form the historical evidence of the medieval castles which stood there in ancient times. The geological conformation of the place is of clay and marble in some points, sand and friable soil elsewhere because of the presence of sandstone. This particular conformation has influenced old and modern building and has contributed to its preservation.

The oldest marks left by man in this area go back to the Piceno age and have been discovered on Monte Franco, north of the present town. This is a historical place for the inhabitants of Pollenza. Here is evidence of the passage of old communities: a large necropolis, with tombs from VIII century B. C. In the course of the centuries there has been a recurring enrichment of the site, which has become a sort of "fil rouge" following the cycles of human settlements on this hill in different forms according to the different ages, without any interruption.

In the IV century Strabo and Pliny mentioned Pneuentia as one of the main towns in the Piceno area; it is the republican age, when important centres such as Trea and Ricina do not stand out yet as they will in the following Augustan age; Urbs Salvia, which later on will compete for the territory of Pneuentia and finally will eclipse it, thanks to its population explosion and its political power, is at the moment totally ignored by G. Caesar who happened to pass the nearby. Pollentia or Pneuentia is situated along the Itinerarium Antonini, between Auximum, Septempeda and Firmum. Afterwards, during the imperial age, the town of Urbisaglia rises above it and Pollentia becomes a mere place of transit for the pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Dea Bona, which stands below along the Itinerarium Antonini, in the area which will become the seat of the Abbazia di Rambona. Unlike Urbisaglia, which will spread from the the hill downwards, and become an important town, Pollenza does not extend its territory surrounded as it is, in the north by Monte Francolo, and in the south, by the spreading towns of Tolentino and Urbisaglia. At the end of the first century AD, the town still exists and is autonomous, even if under the influence of Urbisaglia. The name of Pollenza is gradually forgotten or it is used to mean the large estate of the Roman landowner, of Frank origin, Flavio Orso. This is the case when the surname of a large landowner replaces the name of the spot, outliving it. There is many toponymic evidence linked with this name: the most important, Fondo Orsenano, concerns the place where his villa was situated, north-east of the centre of the town, near the church of San Valentino, commanding the valley below. There is a road "Strada Urscilla" which starts from this villa and leads to Recina and from there to the sea where, presumably, Orso owns other lands: for this reason he builds a road which is linked with the present "Strada Regina". Finally a certain Branca Orsina indicates the hill between the river Chienti, the river Fiastra, and the Entogge, along the road from Pollenza to the Abbadia di Fiastra. Pollenza will claim its sovereign rights over this place until the Middle Ages, by virtue of the descendants of Flavio Orso who are the owners of these lands.

Around the year 1201 Pollenza is an independent commu-ne. A document makes reference to an alliance with Treia and Tolentino which was signed that year. It has changed its name into Monte Milone (probably from around AD 879) after the name of the Frank who rebuilds it after the barbarian invasions and receives it as a fief from the Pope and Charles III, for his services. The Pope often calls for help from Charles the Fat to stop the advance of the Saracens and to defend himself against the attacks of Guido da Spoleto: it is likely that the Frank (or Longobard) Milone was among the emperor's suite and afterwards stopped in the area of Ancona. This thesis can be supported by the fact that Milone is married to Berta, Charlemagne's sister, whose name marks the small village north to the abbey of Rambona, along the road to Septempeda. In 1248 the political status of Pollenza is completely reversed: Monte Milone is part of a confederation, together with Cingoli, Tolentino, Matelica, Camerino, San Ginesio and Montecchio and exerts its control over the neighbouring towns, including Urbisaglia which is subject to Tolentino and Monte Milone. The important centre in the imperial age, because of civil wars, is now a small village which has become subject to Tolentino between the end of XIII and the beginning of XIV century; Pollenza, which was not able to spread out during the imperial age, from the top of its hill, keeps its identity and becomes a commune. The townplanning is typically medieval, with a radiocentrical design which follows the shapes of the levels. In the north, the areas of Maria and San Salvatore develop, in the south those of S. Andrea and S. Bartolomeo, following the direction of the present Via Roma; it goes beyond the town walls and reaches the Cassero or Borgo Piazza Vecchia which is often identified as the main defensive part of the castle. San Bartolomeo is close to the present Porta del Colle, S. Andrea on the site of the present Piazza Ricci and Santa Maria where the church hospice under the rule of the Abbazia di Rambona stood: here in AD 996 the Abbot S. Amico died: he was the most remarkable figure inside the monastic community of Rambona. In 1258 the monks give the church of Santa Maria to the Franciscan Order who build the monastery, which in 1496, is dedicated also to S. Antonio for the "help" the saint gave during the plague. By now, the territory of Monte Milone is roughly the same of the modern town. Around the fortified centre, called Castrum Montis Milonis, stand four other castles: the Cassero, Castel Gualdo, Gagliano and Castel Franco. It seems that the later was the residence of the noble Frank Milone, S. Amico's father. The castle of Monte Milone strives to survive during the hard times of the middle ages, while below, the abbey of Rambona grows in importance becoming a busy commercial centre, with a very famous trade fair which attracts merchants even from the far east. The byzantine influence in this place is evident from the decoration of the crypt, from the recurrent theme of the greek cross, from the presence of San Flaviano, an oriental saint, and from the images of the Virgin in the attitude of a byzantine empress in the famous ivory diptych found in the abbey and dated around the IX century. These wooden slabs give important information about Rambona and, indirectly about Pollenza: they have been the subject of much research and confirm the Roman origin of the town, the presence of the oriental element through the mention of San Flaviano, the date of foundation of the abbey and so on. It is worth mentioning in passing, that the diptych has been the subject of numerous descriptive and interpretative publications. The Castle of Milone, initially roughly protected by fences and towers, has its core in the highest point, where the the present square is now; here stands a square based tower near the house of the feudal lord who lived in primitive conditions. To secure the population against the regular attacks, the wall is extended up to the present Porta del Colle and Porta Santa Croce. According to custom, Castel Gualdo, Castel Gagliano, Castel Franco and the Cassero are gradually "incorporated" to the main castrum, maybe against their will, as happens in Macerata, or maybe of their own accord, on account of the mutual advantage in resisting attacks from the outside. It is of no use to try to find traces of this original castle, due to the constant stratification of the present centre of the town. We know, however that the tower near the squire's house, remains until the eighteen century when old age and the damage caused by an earthquake, destroys it completely. The foundation of the neighbouring castles is presumably contemporary to that of Monte Milone: among these, Castel Franco is the most important and the first to disappear. It stood on the hill of the same name, and was inhabited by Longobard or Frank "milites" (soldiers) the feudal aristocracy of the time; perhaps it was connected to the hill below, by a drawbridge and by fences which were soon demolished by the Commune of Monte Milone, either for fear of dangerous competition with the main town, or "as the first step to climb the Castle of Monte Milone from the north". We do not know the exact date of its disappearance, but it is certain that in the fifteenth century it exists no longer, otherwise it would have been mentioned in the battles between Zerpellone and Piccinino, which take place on its slopes and involve the two towers on the Potenza river. The Cassero stands vertical on the Monte della Croce. Founded around the X, XI century, it is soon assimilated by Monte Milone. Castel Gualdo, whose Frank or Teutonic origin is in the German word "wald " meaning wood or forest, is connected to the Trebbio, where today stands the monastery of the Frati Minori. The small church of Santa Lucia in Silvis was close to Villa Lauri, which later on gives its name to the whole district; like Milone, Gualdo is perhaps a Longobard leader who receives it as a fief for his military services. He controls an area up to the Strada Romana, in"the triangle Monte Milone-Tolentino-Urbisaglia, district in the middle of the rich valley of the river Chienti". Pietro Manzi reports that the importance of this area is so remarkable in every age, that the General Council of Monte Milone decides to build here an inn called "Osteria" "to accommodate the soldiers on guard and to let two rooms twice a year to official authorities". We do not know how and when the castle ceased to exist, but the historians think that it was incorporated into the Castrum Montis Milonis, when this became important, and "invited" the country people to submit to the central authority. The placing of the Castello di Gagliano is uncertain. According to tradition and the toponomy, it is identified with the area between the main road Macerata-Pollenza( Murat-Bivio Rotelli) and the State Road 77, in the area today called Vaglie; more precisely along the ditch of the same name which was once called Gagliano and went along the whole fief. Gagliano was the feudatory's name as well. He was certainly persuaded to join the castle, in fact his name can be found in the city registry office until the fifteenth century. The joining of all the small estates under a central authority raise the Castrum Montis Milonis to the role of castle and it is famous for being one of the most warlike and rebellious, for this it is punished and damaged over and over again. It opposes the Dukes of Varano, the emperor, and the Church, and thus, is humiliated, sacked and subjected to violence by the king Enzo, in 1239; in 1290 Pope Niccolò IV deprives it of the power to exercise the law. Macerata, Treia, Tolentino and San Severino obtain the right to elect their own magistrates, whereas Monte Milone is deliberately excluded from these rights and, thus penalized.

In the XIV century the pope entrusted cardinal Albornoz with reordering and governing the Papal State and he found a very unstable political situation: at the end of the XIII until the beginning of the XIV centuries in fact, communes and landlords fight, sometimes supported by unscrupulous mercenaries. The urge to restore order causes pressing for the promulgation of the Costitutiones Aegidianae which contain a micro-code concerning public administration, penal laws, police and ecclesiastical procedures and catalogues all the castles, the towns, the fortresses, the incomes, the nobles and their estates. The lands of the Marches are divided into five categories: Civitates Maiores, Civitates Magnae, Terrae Mediocres, Terrae Parvae, Terrae Minores. Monte Milone is included among the mediocres (medium sized) and in 1366 it is forced, like all the others, to fortify the town wall, where necessary, even through the demoli-tion of houses, villages and villas, in order to build shelter for people, animals and harvest, in case of attack. The Cassero remains outside the wall because it is considered hard to defend. In the following period it was subjected to various landlords:the Buonaccorsi, the Lazzarini, (XIV cent), the Varano and the Malatesta until it loses its autonomy completely, with the arrival of Francesco Sforza in the Marches. He was on the point of conquering all the region caused all the towns and villages willing to defend themselves, to fortify the town walls. Around the middle of the century, workers from Lombardy are called in: they set up shops, teach local craftsmen motivating active reconstruction. In 1443 Zerpellone, captain of Francesco Sforza, quartered just in Monte Milone, (for the favourable position between two valleys), comes to know that the town supports the Papal State: he immediately decides to punish it, and to lay waste the country. In 1447 the dominion of Francesco Sforza comes to an end leaving scars in the territory and on the people. Monte Milone comes back to the papal authority which slowly reorganize the territory, also rebuilding the walls. The big bases are built with twelve towers and two front doors.

The sixteenth century is an age of relative prosperity, during which the town and economic activities have a new impulse. The ceramics industry flourishes in Pollenza and for four centuries it will be considered as one of the most important in the Marches. The oldest references date back to 1509: a certain Gerolamo of An-cona, potter, requests the licence to open a shop and a loan from the Town Council. Other potters settle there, thanks to the incentives of the local authority who want to encourage the growth of this craft. Some of the most beautiful buildings in Pollenza are built in this period: palazzo Scolastici-Narducci and that of the cardinal Cento. The first is in Via Roma,between the Porta del Colle and Piazza Ricci and it is due to the munificence of Mr.Giovanni Greco who gives his house and property to the nuns on condition that they do not receive foreign nuns and dedicate the church to Saint Joseph. The nuns, who used to live in a small house near the church of Saint Blaise, from August 30th 1556, can enjoy a new monastery. The church of Saint Joseph is enriched by a beautiful stone portal with stylized flowers and triglyphs, surmounted by a plain frame. Inside there is the mystical "Sposalizio of Santa Caterina" (the marriage of S. Catherine) and three sumptuous gilded altarpieces dating from the end of the seventeenth century. Afew steps ahead stands the stately palazzo of the cardinal Cento. Next to the square we can find another magnificent building from the sixteenth century, the palazzo Scolastici-Narducci, which catches the eye, with its fine stone portal with diamond shaped ashlars.

In the seventeenth century the Town Council allows the building upon the city walls, next to them, and between them; some towers become private houses, but the town keeps unchanged its overall medieval structure: the streets are narrow and winding, bordered by rows of small two or three storey houses. In the eighteenth century the building renewal starts involving the whole city centre and principally the main square: on the area of the Palazzo dei Priori, the town hall (1775) and the town tower (1785) are built by the architect Alessandro Rossi from Osimo. The ceramics craft improves progressively and reaches its peak in 1787, when F. Verdinelli becomes the most famous potter among the nobles due to the beautiful design of his pottery and the refinement of the glaze. He works in via Vaseria, near the Porta del Colle and his job is so esteemed that he is granted the "privativa ponti-ficia", a sort of exclusive right to produce fine white or coloured pottery in a range of twenty-five miles and for a period of ten years. The century is coming to an end,with the troubled events of the Napoleonic wars after a time of relative peace guaranteed by the dominion of the Camera Apostolica (the papal administration). Between 1797 and 1799 Pollenza is occupied by Napoleon and becomes the head-quarters and capital of the district. Between 1799 and 1807 it comes back to papal authority and is later included in the Italian Kingdom (1807 1813). From 1814 to 1815 it is part of the Kingdom of Naples. These events end on May 2nd and 3rd 1815 with the epic Battle of Cantagallo, the withdrawal of G. Murat and the final return to the papacy. They are crucial moments for the history of Pollenza which will be dealt with in the following pages.

Revolutionary ferment is by then in the air, the desire for renewal is shown by the image of the town: the fortified walls are lightened by the demolition of the towers, the ancient Porta del Colle and Porta della Croce are restored to better condition, and the Porta Nuova is built to connect the square to the ring around the city walls.The square is modified according to rational criteria of Enlightment, and gains its well known rectangular shape. They build the church of the Immacolata (1821) lining it up with the front of the town hall, and demolish the church of San Giovanni (1827) of the Convento degli Agostiniani, where the hospital had moved, after the State confiscation of the ecclesiastical properties, in 1809. In 1837 the project for the City Theatre is commissioned to Ireneo Alandri. The architect, from San Severino is known for other important theatres such as the theatre of Ascoli, Spoleto and the Sferisterio of Macerata. He does not finish the work in Pollenza because he refuses to agree to the proposal of the mayor to increase the number of boxes, and is replaced by the architect Virgilio Vespignani. Also the Collegiata di San Biagio is restored. In 1834, from a design of De Mattia from Treia, they start the building of the neo-classical temple which still today closes the perspective of via Roma. In 1862 Monte Milone is called Pollenza again.

In the twentieth century the restoration of the monuments of the town continues: in 1907 the church of S. Andrea in Piazza Ricci is demolished and the Piazza della Libertà takes its definitive shape with the the building of the portico of Palazzo Scolastici, symmetrical to that of the theatre. Finally, in 1931 the front of the church of the SS. Francesco e Antonio is built, from a design by the architect Cesare Bazzani.