Visit Fermo
Fermo is a hill town to the east of the Marche region of Italy, near the Adriatic coast, well known for the very impressive views in all directions across the surrounding region.
A visit to Fermo can start from Piazza del Popolo where the Palazzo dei Priori is located - it was started in 1296 and completed around 1590. Inside there are the Art Gallery and Archaeological Museum of Picenum. In the Art Gallery there are works ranging from the Medieval Ages to the 19th century. Among the works of art preserved in the Pinacoteca note especially those by Jacobello di Bonomo (active from 1375 to 1385) and Jacobello del Fiore (1370 ca.-1439), and several paintings by Vincenzo Pagani (1490 ca.-1568); an Altarpiece by Andrea da Bologna (active in the XV century); "The Adoration of the Shepherds", by Flemish painter Paul Rubens (1577-1640); "Pentecost" by Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647), and other works by local artists, including Francescuccio Cecco Ghissi (1359-1385) and Vittore Crivelli (1440 ca.-1502 ca.). The Archaeological Museum exhibits some pre-Roman artefacts discovered in Fermo and its surroundings, such as belts, jewellery and urns.
Near the Palazzo dei Priori is the Town Library, the richest to be found in the Marches. Dating back to 1511, the Library contains over one hundred 'codes', and about six hundred 'incunabula'. Going down the Via degli Aceti ('Street of Vinegar') we can visit the famous Roman Cistern, also called the "pools of depuration", located under the buildings that occupy the east side of Piazza del Popolo. Perhaps built by Augustus in the first century AD, they testify to the construction skills of Romans. In fact, the need for an adequate water supply necessitated building an ingenious system of collection and distribution of water in the city. The Cisterns, thus played an important role as a reservoir of drinking water. The structure consists of thirty rooms, occupying a total area of about 2000 square meters.
Along the Corso we can enjoy some of the most important monuments, like the Church of Carmine, the Vitali-Rosati Palace, the medieval Matteucci Tower, Paccaroni Palace and the Church of St. Philip. The Carmine Church was erected at the beginning of the 14th century; the facade is brick, with pilasters of travertine while the interior has a basilica, with three naves, divided by columns and arches, and in the apse there is an altarpiece, "The Nativity" by Giambattista Gaulli, called the “Baciccio” (1639-1709). The Church of St. Philip was probably designed by Giovanni Antonio Dosio (1533-1609). The façade, unfinished, is decorated with an elegant Doric portal in Istrian stone and the interior is in the form of a Latin cross with a transept nave, flanked by six chapels on pillars having the shape of a cross. The altar, of classical Corinthian order, is of Istrian stone and polychrome marble.
Among the sacred buildings the Cathedral of Fermo stands out. It was built in 1227 on the site of an early Christian church, called 'Santa Maria in Castello', dating back to the 5th century. Burned in 1176 by Frederick Barbarossa, it was reconstructed with a composite style, Romanesque and Gothic. The façade has three buttresses, with edges of spiral columns. At the center of façade there is the portal, with round-headed arches, resting on pillars and columns, which frame the doors of bronze by the sculptor Aldo Sergiacomi (1912-1994). The bell tower dates back to 1425 with mullioned windows and polychrome pottery, and is decorated with a double row of arches. The interior has three naves, divided by massive circular columns.
Continuing along the Largo Fogliani, we come to Fogliani Palace with its elegant Venetian Gothic windows with trefoil lancet windows and ornate patterned brick, reminding us of the trade and political relations that Fermo had with Venice. The façade is complete with a Renaissance portal, of Tuscan style, with festoons of leaves on the doorposts and lintels. Nearby, there is the medieval Church of San Zenone, the oldest church of Fermo, built in 1171 and consecrated in 1186. In Romanesque style, the lower part is in stone and the upper part in brick. The bell tower (13th century) has large arches and mullioned windows above. The interior dates from the late eighteenth century and is by Pietro Augustoni (1741-1815).
Coming further along Largo Alvaro Valentini we find the Oratory of St. Monica. Inside you can see some valuable frescoes, as an example of the late Gothic style of Fermo. The Oratory of Santa Monica was built in 1425 as a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist and it presents a façade which has the shape of a cabin, while the interior has a nave, with vaulted ceilings.
In Via XXI September there are some important palaces of various periods. Note especially Paccarone Palace, with its facade of brick and incorporating an existing tower - note particularly the wood of the portal which mimics masonry.
Leaving the city by Porta Santa Caterina, in addition to an attractive landscape, tourists can admire the Church of St. Augustine, dating back to the mid-13th century. It is of Romanesque and Gothic style, and underwent several renovations in the mid-fourteenth century and later. It has a façade preceded by a staircase, while in the hall there are two 14th century frescoes, "The Nativity" and a "Madonna and Child with Saints." Inside (XVIII c.), it has a nave, a Latin cross form, and many frescoes dating back to the 13th and 15th centuries.
Fermo is undoubtedly an important art city, but today it has also developed, thanks to its proximity to the sea, a tourist industry linked to the beauty of the town and region, and the strong local traditions. These include culinary traditions offering typical products such as olives, the“maccheroncini di Campofilone” ('Campofilone little-macaroni'), “vincisgrassi", excellent "ciauscolo"; and also cheese, honey and traditional desserts such as so-called “Cicerchiata”.
See also history of Fermo