FAMOUS HISTORICAL
PERSONALITIES
In the history of Senigallia an outstanding famous
character is without a doubt
Giovanni Della Rovere
, named lord of Senigallia by his uncle Pope Sixtus IV.
Giovanni married Giovanna da Montefeltro,
Federico da
Montefeltro’s
daughter, and personally took hold of the
town in December 1474. The Della Rovere dominion influenced the
townspeople with its novelty and a lasting impression that can be
witnessed still today in some of the most beautiful and significant
monuments.
Giovanni had the possibility to use the skills of Federico da
Montefeltro’s architects: Luciano Laurana, conceived the central
structure of the fortress (La Rocca), Baccio Pontelli designed the
four massive towers that fortify the residential area.
Baccio Pontelli was also commissioned to design the Convent and the
Church, Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Among Senigallia’s citizens there was even a Pope: Giovanni Mastai
Ferretti, who became Pope on 16th June 1846 as
Pope Pius
IX
.
The local Pope was famous for two reasons: the longest reigning
Pope, (32 years from 1846 to 1878) and he was the last Papal King
in history.
Today the Papal residence, within the Mastai Ferretti building, is
a museum, and you can admire art works, relics, documents and
records relating to the life and Papacy of Pope Pius IX.
MODERN DAY
CELEBRETIES
In the sporting world, Senigallia features an enviable gallery of
celebrities. In 1906, in Castellaro a village near Montignano,
Renato Cesarini
was born, a true football
champion: the player famous for his last minute goals. In Italian
football jargon “zona Cesarini” refers to last minute goals.
Cesarini won five championships as a Juventus player and one as
team coach, and two more with River Plate.
Great local sporting tradition continues with
Massimo
Costantini
, of pure Senigallia descent , who has been the
greatest Italian table tennis player of all time. He achieved
several records in his career, playing for 22 years, in particular
representing Italy a total of 452 times more than any other Italian
athlete.
In show business, Senigallia also has some well known
personalities. For example
Carlo Cesarini
from
Senigallia, famous for his television set designs, working for 20
years with Antonello Falqui on popular TV programmes like
Canzonissima (1969) and Giardino d’inverno. These variety shows
were identified by Cesarini’s artistic use of white and the blank
space which replaced simple theatrical imitations.
One of the most successful Italian rappers is from Senigallia:
Fabrizio Tarducci, known as Fabri Fibra. Born in 1976
Fabri
Fibra
released his first album as a solo artist in 2002,
but it was in 2006 that he topped the charts with his album
Tradimento (Betrayal) and his first single Applausi per Fibra
(Cheers for Fibra) which was an enormous success.
Senigallia is also the native town of
Mario
Giacomelli
, considered by many critics as the greatest
Italian photographer of the second half of the last century. His
works can be found in museums all over the world.
He was born in Senigallia in 1925, and suffered the premature death
of his father at the age of nine, which affected the rest of his
childhood.
After a series of experiences with painting and poetry, he entered
the world of photography and two years later the local association
“Misa”.
In 1963 one of his photos, from a series called Scanno, was
selected for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, so rewarding the
break away from traditional forms which Giacomelli had started just
after the war.
From then on there have been countless exhibitions and shows
dedicated to Mario Giacomelli all over the world.
He died in Senigallia on the 25th November 2000.
Approfondimenti
