The village of the Challenge of the Bracelet, with its ancient and precious treasures

TREIA is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, with a very well-preserved old town and suggestive, narrow, short streets. The old town stands on a crest of sandstone banks, surrounded by medieval walls, tower and ancient gates, 

At the center of the town there is Piazza della Repubblica, framed by precious buildings, and with one side open on the landscape decorated by a late 18th-century balustrade. Here can be found the Town Hall, the result of a perfect renovation that took place in the Renaissance period with the merger of the ancient palace of the Community and the palace of the Abundance. In the Sala del Consiglio, in the Sala degli Stemmi and in other rooms on the noble floor, the town hall houses the Pinacoteca. The exhibition offers a series of 18th- and 19th-century portraits of the most prominent exponents of the Treia nobility, as well as paintings by illustrious painters of the Roman and Venetian schools, such as Pietro Tedeschi, Antonio Balestra and Agostino Bonisoli.

The small but interesting building of the Georgian Academy is not far away. It is a work of composed and refined elegance, created by Giuseppe Valadier in the 18th century. Inside the building can be seen the 1196 parchments of the municipal historical archive, the library filled with over 15,000 volumes and the documentation of the activities of the Academy, founded in the 1400s as the Accademia dei Sollevati.

A little further on, the Church of San Filippo Neri, whose temple dating back to 1766-1773 was built following the design of Lombard architect Carlo Augustoni. It houses a Crucifix probably dating back to the 13th century.

The Cathedral of Treia is instead dedicated to the SS. Annunziata. Considered one of the largest temples in the Marche region for its breadth, majesty and purity of lines, the 19th-century building was designed by the Roman architect Andrea Vici, a disciple of Vanvitelli. Its sacristy is a true treasure trove of art. It preserves the “Deposition of Christ in the sepulcher” lunette by Vincenzo Pagani and a panel by Giacomo da Recanati in which the Madonna appears to the Blessed Corrado from Offida, in the convent of Forano. In addition, in the chapel of the Madonna della Misericordia can be seen the bust of Pope Sixtus V, the work of Bastiano Torrigiani. One of his works is displayed in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

In the convent of the Church of San Francesco, built in the 13th century close to the city walls, is located the Archaeological Civic Museum. Inside the museum are preserved several sculptural fragments, architectural elements and inscriptions, which testify the different evolutionary phases of the Roman Treia and the town’s close link with the East.

A walk along the city walls allows you to discover gems such as the Vallesacco Gate, one of the eight ancient entrances to the city, and the Torre dell’Onglavina, built on a high sandstone spur, which contemplates a view that stretches from the Sibillini Mountains to the Majella massif and to the Gran Sasso, to Mount Conero and the Adriatic Sea.

On the other hand, just outside the center there is the Sanctuary of the Santissimo Crocifisso, built by Cesare Bazzani in the early 1900s on the site of an ancient parish church. Here there is a 16th-century Umbrian school fresco depicting St. Sebastian and, above the main altar, a 16th-century crucifix of local artistry.

Also, not to be missed are two buildings with a contrasting style: the Church of San Michele, Romanesque with some hints of Gothic, and the Church of Santa Chiara, purely Baroque, which preserves the cedar wood statue of the Madonna of Loreto. Tradition says it was sculpted by San Luca.

Treia also boasts the presence of the historic Municipal Theater, inaugurated in 1821 and decorated with stuccoes and wooden paintings.

Inside the theater, you can admire the magnificent historical curtain painted by Silverio Copparroni, depicting the most important military event that took place in Treia: the “Battle of Vallesacco” in 1263, but you can also observe the “Siege of Montecchio” by Corrado di Antioch.

Moreover, over the past few years the Municipal Theater has become the seat of the Studies Center dedicated to Dolores Prato, one of the greatest “pens of the 20th century”. She composed an evocative portrait of the city of Treia in her autobiographical novel “There is no one in the square”.

In the village, the Challenge of the Bracelet has been held since 1978. It consists in a tournament that involves teams from the four city districts in the conquest of a palio and a trophy to be kept throughout the year.

From ten days proir to the event, which is held on the first Sunday of August, the village dresses up with taverns offering typical dishes, artisan shops selling their products, painting and sculpture workshops and travelling shows.