Ex Convento di San Francesco ( Enoteca Regionale)

The monastery of St. Francesco was built in the 13^th century on the structure of an ancient medieval castle which comprised a small church devoted to St. Martin. Its construction was required by the Clare nuns who devoted it to St. Francesco and settled there till 1515. In the same year Pope Leon X entrusted his legate in the Marche region with the task of carrying out a survey on the alleged misbehaviour of the nuns. Investigations resulted in the suppression of the community  while the monastery and church were given to the Franciscans. Between the 16^th and 17^th centuries, the structure underwent modification. At the end of 1800 it was used as a district prison and in 1900 as a furnace and mill. In 1870, after long and tiring negotiations, the whole structure was given to the Town Council. The present building, completely different compared to the original both from the architectural point of view and for the use it has been devoted to, allows the detection of some details characteristic of the monastery. The interior still keeps a cloister in the middle of which stood the well, while the walls display some canvasses depicting holy images. The ground floor consists of a wide room traditionally divided into three naves and two rows of  square columns. The ceiling displays wooden trusses. The door to the upper floor still shows traces of the rose, which is completely visible on the outer brick wall. Since 1999 the structure has hosted the regional collection of vintage wines.