Regional Museum: The Hat Museum
Montappone (Province of Fermo)
Click here for directions from Montefiore dell'Aso to the Hat Museum - 39.8 km - 25 mi (52 min)
Montappone, nowadays a 2000 inhabitants town, was one of the castles under the jurisdiction of Fermo and run in the 12th Century by the Nobili-Brunforte family. Looking back at its history, it was not always a quiet place to live. Destroyed in 1355 by turbulent adventurer Gentile da Mogliano, its reconstruction in 1371 was rather controversial, and was allowed by cardinal Gil Àlvarez Carrillo de Albornoz (Egidio Albornoz, for the Italians), provided that it remain under the power of Fermo. At the time, popes resided in Avignon, and Albornoz was in charge of restoring papal authority in Italy, before the end of their exile.
Modern Montappone has developed outside of the old town, leaving it almost empty, and has a tradition of making hats, becoming one of the most important centres of production in Italy, together with the nearby towns of Massa Fermana and Monte Vidon Corrado. Straw hats were the main product in past centuries, whereas the focus is now on the production of all kinds of fashion hats. In town you can also visit the unique hat museum, named “Il cappellaio pazzo” (The Mad Hatter) which pays homage to Lewis Carroll’s famous novel.
Click here to see some extraordinary hats from the museum
Click here for a video of the Feast of the Hat
Address
Piazza Roma, 5, 63835 Montappone FM, Italy, Province of Fermo
Tel: +39 0734 760134
Opening hours
By appointment and needs to be book one day ahead.
Admission
