Folio. Manuscript, on paper, pp. 200, [1], last with hand-coloured plan of the Terra di Belvedere. In black-brown ink, Italian cursive. Uniform light age yellowing, oil splash to upper blank margin of three leaves. A very good copy in contemporary half vellum over marbled boards, spine gilt, gilt-lettered morocco labels, boards a bit scuffed, spine dusty. c.1900 bookplate of Thomas Ashby to front pastedown.

From the library of the British archaeologist Thomas Ashby (1874-1931), the first student at the British School in Rome and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

An apparently unpublished manuscript account of the history of Belvedere Ostrense, in the Italian region of the Marche. This copy, written in calligraphic cursive and most probably intended for presentation. We have only traced one other copy of this manuscript, preserved in the Marche. The obscure author, Antonio Mei, was a local historian, and probably also a priest. His ‘Memorie’ start from the ancient site of Ostra, its decadence and the subsequent origins of the Terra di Belvedere. The greatest part of the text is occupied by a description of urban architecture, divided by building; for each Mei provides salient historical facts or mentions of documents. Among these locations are the Palazzo Pubblico, ancient gate, Monastery of the Crociferi, Teatro Pubblico, Monte di Pietà, and Public Archive. Further room is devoted to the climate and territory, followed by extracts from orations delivered in front of the Council. Interesting is a section on confraternities and congregations, urban and rural churches, with a brief account on a miraculous cross worshipped at Santa Croce. A few pages are devoted to local intellectuals, their biography, and published or unpublished works, and to holy figures, with short biographies of local saints.