If not featuring in its invention, has certainly helped to make accordions popular worldwide. In the 
very heart of the Marches, the small city of Castelfidardo - a town perhaps better known as the 
site of the last major battle for 's unification in 1861 – has the most reputed manufacturers of
 these instruments which are likely to have been introduced to the area by French troops
 allied to the Papal State . Accordions were soon adapted to suit Italian taste and today there
 are sixty companies in the line of business of accordions that operate throughout today, 
thirty of which are in Castelfidardo. Local l farmer Paolo Soprani captured the mood of the
 time in the early 1860s and, after disassembling his accordion he realized that he could
 easily create similar versions, thus starting a thriving industry that ultimately made local folk 
music more accessible due to the portability of the accordion. Soprani managed to produce a
  staggering 1200 accordions a month. Other skilful artisans from Castelfidardo starting 
moving to other European countries to promote the product and the high quality of the 
accordions made in soon  outclassed competition from , , and .  Over the years this 
instrument has become synonymous with Italian emigrants, whose most immediate
 connection with their homeland was often their trusty accordion. If you are in the
 area don’t miss the International Accordion Museum , housed in a lovely 16th-century
 building, that displays over 350 examples of the instrument, including a replica of the first
 known example from dating back 4,500 years. In October every year the town holds an 
accordion festival attracting artists from all over the globe, their dexterous wizardry
 producing sounds you'd never have believed could come from this fantastic instrument
 whose components range from cashmere, lambskin, rubber, and virgin wax.