Fermo

It is located at an altitude of 319 m on a hill between the valleys of the Tenna and Ete Vivo rivers, a few kilometres from the Adriatic Sea (Porto San Giorgio). It is an agricultural and commercial centre (cereals, vines, olive groves, fruits, vegetables, forages; livestock; beekeeping) with food, textile (cotton), engineering and footwear industries.

There are also the holiday resorts of Lido di Fermo and Marina Palmense. The town is dominated by the Romanesque cathedral (1227, rebuilt in the eighteenth century) and by the large panoramic square of the Girfalco (or Girone). The city has the ruins of the Roman theatre, a large purifying pool from the first century and several churches: San Zenone, Romanesque (XII century.), San Francesco and San Domenico (XIII century), Sant’ Agostino (XIII - XIV centuries) with the adjacent chapel of Santa Monica, Santa Maria del Carmine and San Filippo, Baroque.

Also remarkable: the Matteucci Tower(XIV century); the Palace of the City from the Renaissance, with the monumental statue of Sisto V, made by Accursio Baldi (1590); the Baroque Studies Palace (civic Library), adjacent to the San Rocco arcade(1528); the Apostolic Palace, residence of the papal governors of the sixteenth century(Civic Museum); the Azzolino Palace (VI century) and other private buildings. An artistic and Cultural Centre, Fermo boasts several educational establishments and a rich Civic Gallery.