HISTORY
The Cesano Valley
The history of Pergola
The history, culture, art and tastes of an ancient town
Pergola lies at the confluence of the Cinisco river with the larger Cesano, which dominates the valley all the way to the sea.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and has been home to Umbrians, Etruscans, Senones and Romans.
The age of the town is a subject of controversy among historians. Some point to 1234 as the known date of construction by the Municipality of Gubbio. Others believe Pergola to be many centuries older.
Made a free state in 1326, the town was later governed by various Signorias, starting with the House of Malatesta in 1385, Montefeltro in 1459 and finally Della Rovere.
With the extinction of the male branch of the House of Della Rovere in 1631, Pergola came under the dominion of the Papal State, being granted the status of town by Pope Benedict XIV in 1752.
The municipality reached the heights of cultural and economic splendour In the 17th and 18th centuries thanks to a flourishing textile, dyeing and tanning industry.
The churches in the historical centre, with their works of art, wooden cornices and Baroque altars, are emblematic of the town’s cultural liveliness in that period.
On September 8th, 1860, Pergola was the first town in the Marche region to rebel against the temporal power of the popes, an action for which it was awarded a gold medal for national resurgence in 1910.
Pergola is listed as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Towns in Italy’ and is internationally famous for the Gilt Bronzes of Cartoceto di Pergola, the only surviving group of Roman gilt bronze statues.
