Offida, an ancient village enclosed by the castle walls of the fifteenth century, is included among the most beautiful villages in Italy. Situated on a rocky spur, between the Tesino and Tronto valleys, it is known for the laborious and patient art of delicate bobbin lace, an ancient tradition, to which a museum is dedicated. The vast panoramic square at the entrance of the ancient center welcomes the remains of the fifteenth-century fortress, at whose feet there is the Monument to the lacemakers. Bobbin lace is still widely used: it is not rare in fact, walking in the historical center, to see in the half-light of the atriums of the houses ladies intent on working with small wooden bobbins. The museum of bobbin lace (which has a special path for blind people), is located inside the nineteenth-century palace De Castellotti - Pagnanelli that, since 1998, also houses the archaeological museum "G. Allevi", the Popular Traditions and the Municipal Art Gallery and thus constitutes a real cultural center. The heart of the village is Piazza del Popolo, with its unusual triangular shape, overlooked by buildings of different styles and materials. On the main side you can admire the Palazzo Comunale, with an elegant loggia of thirteen columns in travertine and a portico of the fifteenth century formed by brick columns with capitals in travertine. From the portico of the town hall you can access the splendid Teatro del Serpente Aureo, built in the 19th century, rich in stucco and gilded carvings. On the same square there is also the eighteenth-century Church of the Collegiate, which has a facade with a composite style and the Church of Addolorata, where is kept the Coffin of the Dead Christ. Posco distant rises the Church of S. Agostino, with the annexed Chapel of the Eucharistic Miracle. The most important building of worship is located at the edge of the town, on a cliff with steep walls: it is the Church of Santa Maria della Rocca, imposing Romanesque-Gothic architecture in brick, built in 1330 on a pre-existing Lombard church; inside it can be admired the beautiful frescoes of the Master of Offida of the fourteenth century.The ex-monastery of San Francesco, in the historical center of Offida, houses the regional wine shop which offers a complete overview of the wine production of Piceno and Marche. Among the most important events which take place in Offida during the year there are: the Historical Carnival of Offida (January, February), Offida Opera Festival (September) and Di Vino in Vino (September). Local enogastronomical excellences are: chichì ripieno (a focaccia with tuna, anchovies, capers and peppers), to which is dedicated a festival, "funghetti" (anise based sweets) and Terre di Offida DOC and Offida DOCG wines.
