St. peter's abbey
Hotel Monteconero's origins
Since the 10th century the beauty and tranquillity of Monteconero have attracted men inclined towards meditation and reflection. The first records of St. Peter's Abbey date back to 1038 when the church (which probably much resembled the one we see today) was given by the Conti Cortesi of Sirolo to a benedictine monk to enable him to found a monastery. In 1203 the first cloister was added to the church. Such were the numbers of religious men who visited St. Peter's monastery that it grew both in importance and size, housing many monks by the end of the 15th century. Unfortunately the peace and quiet of the area was often broken by fighting between different religious communities. In 1558 a fire, probably started deliberately, destroyed a large part of the church and the monastery. The Camaldolites began the work of restoration and it was in 1561 that they first settled into the refurbished abbey. At the end of the 17th century the complex already had a well defined structure. Encompassed by a wall, it is divided into two distinct areas; the southern part containing the hermits' cells and guest rooms; and the northern part consisting of the Romanesque church of St. Peter and the others monastic buildings. In 1864 the Camaldolites had to abandon the hermitage when it was expropriated by the state. The Commune of Sirolo took over, handing the monastery over, firstly to the Marchetti family and then to the Soderini Caraffa d'Andria. In 1932 the part of the complex still belonging to the Commune was rented to the Melappioni family who opened their restaurant business. In 1958 the Melappioni family bought the entire complex from the Commune and the Caraffa d'Andria family and transformed it into an elegant hotel. For over three generations the family has run the hotel, which, furnished with every comfort, still preserves the allure of the ancient abbey.