Marche Art and culture

Art and culture in the Marche: a holiday in Fermo

Fermo (FM)    0000-00-00

Fermo sits on the highest part of a hill standing between the valley of the rivers Tenna and Ete Vivo and is the ideal city for those who want to enjoy some valuable and gratifying cultural tourism in the Marche. There are so many interesting places to visit, starting from the Church of San Francesco dei Minori Conventuali, built between the end of the 13th and the beginning of the 14th century. It is the most important sacred building of the whole city, a genuine example of culture in the Marche. Its flanks are characterized by fake buttresses; inside there are, among other things, the remains of frescoes dating back to the 14th and 15th century, as well as Ludovico Euffreducci’s funerary monument, completed by Andrea da Sansovino. Euffreducci is also famous as Machiavelli wrote about his murder.

The Cathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption, also belongs to the heritage of art in the Marche. Built in several phases, it boasts a rounded arch in the middle of its façade; above it, there is a pinnacle with a bronze image of Our Lady of Assumption. Anyhow, there are not only religious buildings: Fermo is a destination of tourism and culture in the Marche because there are several other interesting places, starting from the very heart of the city, Piazza del Popolo, with the two main sides of the square surrounded by a portico style building, built in the 16th century.

Avid culture lovers in the Marche cannot help but to take pictures of the Loggiato di S. Rocco, dating back to the 1520s; Palazzo dei Priori was built just a few decades later, with its bronze statue of Pope Sixtus V standing out on its façade; it is linked by a little hanging loggia with the Palazzo degli Studi. If you want to experience art in the Marche, then Palazzo dei Priori is a building not to be missed, as it also hosts the Pinacoteca Civica, with the outstanding Permanent Archaeological Exhibition and the Globe Room.

Once you exit the building and cross Piazza del Popolo in Fermo, you reach the other side of the Apostolic Palace, former residence of the apostolic delegation and governors. During a walk in the streets of the city, on the hilly road leading to the Cathedral, you can see the Teatro dell’Aqula, built at the end of the 18th century, one of the most prestigious and renown theatres in the whole region: its recent restoration has led to the merit of adding further value to the building, bringing to life all the splendour of its four box tiers on the inner auditorium, but also Cochetti’s tempera paintings of the vault and the gilt Neoclassical decorations.

The main arterial road in Fermo is Corso Cefalonia, with the remarkable Renaissance buildings overlooking it; among them, there is Palazzo Vitali – Rosati and Palazzo Azzolino, both planned by Antonio San Gallo il Giovane.