Montone, hamlet of the town of Mosciano Sant’Angelo, has distant origins, with a history dating back to 900 b. C. The town is an ancient borough, feifdom and University. The University of Montone was so called because of the aggregation of little surrounding villages, which then disappeared. Its name can be attributed to different origins: according to some authorities it may derive from “Big Mountain”, because of the marvellous view over the chain of Gran Sasso, a second hypothesis states that the town’s original name was Montorio, but then it was changed because of the presence of another Medieval town with the same name. The town was surrounded by little but important churches: the church of San Nicolo’, Santa Susanna, and the church of San Pietro, between Montone and the fortified town of Bellante. Very important is the church of Santa Maria Fontem Vezzanum, now called church of Sant’Anna: inside the church there was a small fountain (now there is a lake as a remain of it): this small church is about one kilometre far from the centre of the town, in the countryside. Local farmers say that its history is linked to the life of Santa Maria from Vezzano and date back to distant centuries the remains found there and in the surrounding areas of Vezzano and Contrada Maggi. During the excavations in this area after the Second World War (1952) lots of remains were unearthed, such as skeletons, decorated bricks, daily and working tools, lamps, smoking pipes, and so on.

The small town of Montone lost its independence as a free University in 1390 together with Montecchio, Petecciano and Convento Santissimi Sette Fratelli: all these towns were joined to Mosciano, the main fiefdom of the Acquaviva Family, by the Duke of Acquaviva himself, Antonio Matteo. According to some authorities dating back to the 18th century, the church of Sant’Antonio Abate in Montone was the original site of the Convent of the Celestini.