Frontale: Medieval Traces, Sant’Anna and Museo Musi Tinti

Frontale: medieval traces and paths through history

Frontale takes you into a local history in which medieval buildings, the Church of Sant’Anna, a historic Sacramentary and routes to Museo Musi Tinti offer different points of access. The bell tower of the former Church of Sant’Anna is one of the medieval buildings dating from the 13th or 14th century. Of Frontale’s medieval castle, the base of a tower remains, incorporated into the bell tower. The Castello di Frontale also forms part of this historical setting: it dates from the early years of the 11th century, and remains of its originally heavily fortified surrounding walls can still be seen today among beech and holm oak forests.

Sant’Anna and sacred history

The more recent development of the village is also connected with Sant’Anna. The Church of Sant’Anna was built between 1960 and 1965 in the newer part of Frontale, after the old village had been destroyed by an earthquake. Its façade features a majolica depicting Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary and an angel. Since 1776, the Parish Church of Sant’Anna has preserved the mortal remains of San Domenico Loricato. Thus, medieval architectural remains, a 20th-century church building and sacred art come together here in a context spanning a broad period of time.

Beyond the history of the churches and castles, attention also turns to the Sacramentary of Frontale. It dates from the period between 950 and 1000 and has a gilded silver cover with ivory inlays. The Sacramentary was made in Ravenna. San Pier Damiani donated it to San Domenico Loricato on the occasion of his investiture as prior in 1049, at the Benedictine hermitage dedicated to the Most Holy Trinity in the present-day hamlet of Frontale, in the municipality of Apiro.

Routes and Museo Musi Tinti

Two different route connections are relevant for finding your way around paths and excursion destinations. Route 175 begins a few hundred metres beyond Frontale and leads to Pian dell’Elmo. The route “Dal Lago di Castreccioni alle vette del San Vicino” leads to Museo Musi Tinti as its second stage. Museo Musi Tinti is an ecomuseum dedicated to the traditional craft of charcoal burning. For those interested in culture, the museum complements the history of the churches and castles with the old craft of charcoal burning. Its collection includes original objects as well as a reconstruction of a charcoal kiln.

Practical information before your stay

At Museo Musi Tinti, the entrance also provides access for wheelchair users. Devices for assisted listening are also available for some museum content. You can take these specific features into account when planning your visit if accessibility or hearing assistance is important for your stay.

Other places for orientation: Sefro, Borgiano, Penna San Giovanni, San Severino Marche, Visso, Sant'egidio, Torrone and Croce.

For the broader travel overview: Macerata.