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    Altidona

    Archaeological finds date the birth of Altidona to 150,000 years ago, with Greek and Roman presences over time.
    The name has uncertain origins: widespread opinion is that it derives from "altum dunum", high mountain, but the village rises on a gentle hill and the expression mixes Latin and French. Another thesis suggests a link with Lapedona, since the two towns rise on important medieval pedestrian paths. That would have originated (il) la Pedona - Lapedona, and Alte(ra Pe)dona ("the other Pedona") - Altidona. Also, a romantic theory gives the town a Latin-medieval etymology from "Alta Domina", tall woman.
    In the early Middle Ages Altidona has been under the dominion of Fermo and the Cassinesi monks, and the castle of San Biagio in Barbolano (now destroyed) was built. After the 12th cent., on the hill, around the parish of St. Mary and St. Ciriaco, a new castle rised, whose walls are restored and can be visited.
    In the medieval town, crossed by suggestive alleys, stands the church of St. Mary and its imposing bell tower: the 18th-cent. rectory houses the Madonna with Saints, a polyptych by Cortese (1390). Must-sees: the Belvedere, a watchtower overlooking the Val d'Aso; the Madonna and Child, saints and donor, panel attributed to Pagani, in the parish church; Villa Montana and Roman Cistern, in the ancient district of Barbolano; the Provincial Historical Photo Library.
    Curiosity: since the Roman Empire Altidona has been a town of kilnsmen. In the 19th cent. this activity spreads consistently, thanks to Raffaele Bagalini, a lime burner who founded one of the first brick industries in Italy (1890). His legacy is collected among others by Antonio Nepi, technological innovator of the Thirties, and from Altidona it spread all over the world in the following thirty years. In honor of these workers, Altidona celebrates a kilnsmen festival (Festa dei Fornaciai) every July.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 936353 valdaso@libero.it
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    Amandola

    The City of Amandola is Orange Flag for its characteristic old town...

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    The City of Amandola is Orange Flag for its characteristic and well-preserved historic center, immersed in a naturalistic context of great value. It is considered Queen of the Sibillini and east gate of access to the National Park of the Sibillini Mountains, with its Landscape Museum it offers the opportunity to know everything that characterizes the environment. Amandola, a place where you can experience nature and culture and recover the rhythm of biological time.
    Events and appointments
    Carnival of Paniccià: the name derives from a medieval epithet addressed to the inhabitants of Amandola who dyed fabrics (panni). The initiatives include the parade of allegorical floats and masked groups through the streets of the city.
    Diamanti a Tavola: truffle festival in three editions during the year.
    Diamanti a Tavola - nero pregiato (mid-March): truffles market directly from the hunters, typical local products, Palatuber with tastings of truffle-based dishes signed by starred chefs.
    Diamanti a Tavola - nero pregiato estivo (last weekend of July).
    Diamanti a Tavola - bianco pregiato (first week of November): event reserved for hunters, with unique tastings based on white truffle from the Sibillini Mountains and typical local products.
    Le Vele di San Ruffino (end of April): Sailing event. The four municipalities that overlook the lake of San Ruffino compete with rowers from all over Italy.
    Festival del Gelato Artigianale (last weekend of July): Craft ice cream festival.
    Rievocazione storica delle Canestrelle (third Sunday in August): Historical re-enactment, center of the patronal feast, Beato Antonio di Amandola, very heartfelt and participatory. The event includes a costumed procession of the peasant civilization recalls the tradition of offering wheat to the Saint. The program is full of shows for tourists.

    Read more Tel: +39 0736 840731 turismo.amandola@gmail.com
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    Campofilone

    Between the hills of S. Benedetto del Tronto and Fermo, the town dominates the lower Val d'Aso in a splendid natural fresco that blends the green countryside and the blue sea.
    The streets and glimpses tell secular stories of a Roman settlement first and domain by the bishops of Fermo then.
    The old town, enclosed by solid walls that protect its integrity and the beauties of the past, is accessed via a short avenue made majestic by its centuries-old pines.
    The village, with a tapered shape, rises along a main street overlooked by the main buildings behind which opens a labyrinth of alleys, sometimes covered by barrel vaults and cross vaults and which, from time to time, allow a glimpse of the beauty of the panorama that surrounds it: the calm Adriatic sea, the gentle hills up to the white peaks of the Sibillini mountains.
    Walking through the streets you can still smell the scent of the ancient culinary tradition: a gastronomic specialty of great value has always been produced, "Maccheroncini di Campofilone", very thin strands of egg pasta without water, known since the 15th century, now appreciated all over the world.

    To visit:
    The heart of the town is piazza Umberto I. In Piazza Roma the abbey of S. Bartolomeo rises, with the archaeological-liturgical museum and its vegetable garden enclosed by medieval walls that allow to admire the surrounding hilly panorama.
    Other churches: St. Maria Assunta (district of Ponte Nina), St. Patrizio and St. Maria d’Intignano (outside the town walls).

    Events:
    17 March - St. Patrick festival (Celtic)
    First weekend of August - "National festival of maccheroncini": the town is filled with stands where you can taste this typicality;
    14-16 August, district of Ponte Nina - “Festa del mare”: food stands with fried food and seafood;
    17-18 August, Orto Abbaziale - "L’Orto Party": beer festival that animates the town;
    Penultimate weekend of August, "Pepper Festival": by the Pro Loco.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 932775 campofilone@ucvaldaso.it
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    Fermo

    (Italiano) Da sempre Fermo è accoglienza e cultura. Il suo impianto rinascimentale, da Piazza del Popolo passa per chiese, palazzi nobiliari, cortili, portali artistici. Offre una ricca Pinacoteca con tavole tardogotiche e l’Adorazione di Rubens; la Biblioteca vanta un pregevole patrimonio librario antico e la Sala del Mappamondo seicentesca. Da visitare anche: Cisterne Romane sotterranee, le più estese in assoluto; Cattedrale e Museo Diocesano con la casula di Becket; Palazzo Priori e museo piceno; Oratorio di Santa Monica con affreschi tardogotici; Palazzo Paccaroni e Musei Scientifici, l’ex Chiesa di San Filippo Neri, ora auditorium e sala mostre. Posto d’eccellenza al Teatro Comunale dell’Aquila, dai preziosi fondali e affreschi. Costruito nel Settecento, da sempre ospita lirica, sinfonia, prosa, richiamando grandi nomi internazionali. D’estate, Teatro all’aperto nell’ottocentesca Villa Vitali, progettato dell’architetto Manfredi. Altro punto di forza di Fermo è il paesaggio. Arroccata sul colle del Girfalco, terrazza panoramica naturale, la Città ha come quinte naturali il Mare Adriatico e i dolci paesaggi collinari, con strutture ricettive e sportive di ogni tipo, fino al Parco Nazionale dei Sibillini, i “monti azzurri” di Leopardi. Da Fermo infine sono possibili raffinati percorsi moda tra grandi outlet e preziose realtà artigiane, dove abbigliamento e accessori fanno tendenza.

    Fermo has always been hospitality and culture.
    Its Renaissance structure, from Piazza del Popolo goes through churches, noble palaces, courtyards, artistic portals. It offers a rich Art gallery with late Gothic tables and Rubens’ Adoration; the Library boasts a valuable ancient book heritage and the seventeenth-century Globe Room.
    Must see: Underground Roman Cisterns, the largest ever; Cathedral and Diocesan Museum with Becket’s chasuble; Palazzo Priori and Piceni museum; Oratory of Saint Monica with late Gothic frescoes; Palazzo Paccaroni and Scientific Museums, the former Church of San Filippo Neri, now auditorium and exhibition hall. Place of excellence: city theatre “dell’Aquila” with precious backdrops and frescoes. Built in the eighteenth century, it has always hosted opera, symphony, prose, recalling big international names. In summer: open-air theater in the nineteenth-century Villa Vitali, designed by architect Manfredi.
    Another strong point of Fermo is the landscape. Perched on the Girfalco hill, natural panoramic terrace, the city has as Adriatic Sea and gentle hilly landscapes as backdrops, with all kinds of accommodation and sports facilities, up to the Sibillini National Park, Leopardi’s “Azure Mountains”.
    Finally, from Fermo refined shopping trips are possible to large outlets and precious artisan realities, where clothing and accessories are trendsetters.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 343434 uff.turismo@comune.fermo.it
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    Lapedona

    Inhabited since ancient times by Picenes and Romans, Lapedona developed in the Lombard period thanks to the Benedictines, especially from the Abbey of Farfa, and the authority of the bishop of Fermo gradually increased. Parishes, courtyards, feudal castles, arise throughout the Marca Fermana, including the castles of St. Martino and Saltareccio, mentioned in the Liber Jurium Episcopatus, or "Code 1030", the oldest code in the Fermo Archive.
    There is no certified date of foundation of the town; the first mention in a written document dates back to 1148 and mentions the castle of Lapedona with the church of St. Quirico (outside the walls); the church of St. Giacomo (now St. Giacomo and Quirico) was built only two centuries later.
    At the beginning of the 13th cent. Lapedona passed from the episcopal dependency to the city of Fermo and followed its ups and downs.

    Churches in the old town:
    - church of St. Giacomo e Quirico: 14th cent., almost completely rebuilt a century ago, with paintings attributed to Pietro Alemanno (15th cent.) and a wooden statuette of the patron saint;
    - church of St. Nicolò: 17th-18th cent., with altarpieces attributed to G. Ghezzi and F. Ricci, organ of the Callidian school, now deconsecrated and used for classical music concerts;
    - church of St. Lorenzo: late 18th cent., with bell tower (1732), uninhabitable crypt, restored organ by Gaetano Callido (1784), wooden crucifix probably of Byzantine origin, baroque altars.

    Churches outside the walls:
    - church of St. Quirico: 12th-14th cent., Romanesque, in Borgo St. Quirico;
    - church of St. Pietro: Romanesque, remodeled in the 19th cent., at the entrance to the Cemetery;
    - church of Madonna Manù: 11th cent., on the SP35 towards the sea;
    - church of Santa Maria degli Angeli or Ad Nivem, 15th cent., in Borgo Castellano.

    Inside the walls: elementary school, early 20th cent.; town hall, late 16th cent.; fountain in piazza Leopardi (1900).

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 93 63 21 lapedona@ucvaldaso.it
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    Monte Urano

    Monte Urano is a pleasant town nestled among the green and restful hills of the Marche region, ten minutes from the Adriatic Sea and a few kilometers from the magical Sibillini Mountains. Monte Urano, after its centenary history, which saw it as a protagonist together and united with the city of Fermo, today is a small town that offers a constantly expanding production reality: there are numerous company shoes outlets. Excellent local gastronomy that retraces the journey of the best Marche cuisine. Not to be forgotten, the characteristic medieval views of the town, typical of every urban agglomeration of the Marche hinterland. Of particular interest is the Church of San Michele Arcangelo (1860 - 1877) designed by the architects Giovan Battista Carducci and Giuseppe Sacconi. Among the cultural and tourist events, the "Market of the Footwear of Monturanese producers" stands out, every Friday in July and the first two Fridays of August in the historic center of the town, the party at the river park on April 25, and the interesting cultural program (cinema, theater, music) of the show season at the Arlecchino municipal cinema theater.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 848723 cultura.monteurano@provincia.fm.it
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    Montefalcone Appennino

    The town is located at 750m above sea level. Its coordinated set of brick and stone buildings overlooks winding, narrow, silent streets that offer an ever-changing wide views of the Sibillini Mountains, the Aso valley, and the Piceno hills. It extends over a rocky ridge on high limestone cliffs, in one of the most courageous positions in the Marche.
    Its high cliff attracts the attention of anyone for its spectacular look and also for the abundance of Pliocene fossils that it contains.
    The entire summit of the mountain (904 m.) is covered in woods, which extend to the river Tenna, following the course of numerous ditches. The territory is extremely rich in walking and mountain-bike routes in the nature. In this area, formerly a Protected Floristic Area of ​​the Marche Region, the European Community has recently established an Area of ​​Community Importance (Natura 2000).
    In the area of "Colle Luccio" brick material and small objects of pagan worship have been found; they are the proof that Montefalcone was inhabited since the Roman period. Later, it was a feudal possession of the Abbey of Farfa and has been a free municipality since 1214.
    Definitely worth visiting is the Municipal Museum of Fossils and Minerals, in Palazzo Felici, which preserves both local and fossil fossils from all over the world and from all eras. In the same museum you can also admire the prestigious polyptych by Pietro Alamanno “Madonna with Child” painted between 1475 and 1480.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 79111 comune@montefalcone.it
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    Monterubbiano

    Monterubbiano, a noble land of ancient origins, stands on the top of a singular hill, 463 meters above sea level.
    The origin is lost among the legends of the first inhabitants of the Piceno, documented by the scattered tombs and the small necropolises found, with objects now collected in the Archaeological Civic Museum at the Polo Culturale San Francesco, now also home to the library, auditorium, environmental education center and botanical garden.
    After the fall of the Roman Empire, Monterubbiano was destroyed by the Goths and slowly rose again around the year 1000, thanks to the Benedictines of Montecassiano and then to the Monks of Farfa. In the 15th cent. it fell under the dominion of Francesco Sforza, who enlarged, modified and fortified the walls of 1200, before passing to the Papal State.
    On the town walls both the oldest and the new ones, you can admire the majestic access doors, which seem to enclose, as in a precious casket, the churches of the High and Late Middle Ages: the Collegiata, with works by Vincenzo Pagani, a painter from Monterubbiano; the church of Sant'Agostino, frescoed by the artist Antonio Lanave; the Renaissance monuments, including Palazzo Calzecchi Onesti; the precious 19th-cent. monuments such as the Pagani Theater, the “G. Leopardi ”Public Garden and the Monumental Cemetery.
    In every age, illustrious men grew up in Monterubbiano, thanks to whom his name was repeatedly honored throughout Italy and the world: the companions of San Francesco Matteo, Lucido and Giacomo, Vincenzo Pagani, famous painter, Benedetto Mircoli, doctor and rector of the University of Camerino, Luca Galli, architect; Temistocle Clazecchi Onesti, scientist, Rosa Calzecchi Onesti, great translator of Homer and Virgil, who gave life to the new Homeric translation canons.
    Important for Monterubbiano is the historical re-enactment of “Sciò la Pica”, which evokes the Piceno coming to the Marche region, and is traditionally placed on Pentecost Sunday.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 259980 monterubbiano@pec.ucvaldaso.it
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    Moresco

    Little is known about the origins of Moresco: it certainly was the territory of Roman settlements; in the Lombard period, fortified monastic and feudal centers arose here, one of which later expanded.
    Even the name has an uncertain genesis: perhaps it derives from the proper name Morico or from a certain Mori family, or from "morro" or "morracine" (stony place). Finally, from the term mori, to indicate a Berber settlement or, vice versa, a fortress to repel the assaults of the Saracens.
    The first news of the castle dates back to 1083 and documents dating back to the 12th century testify to the regency of Tebaldo, count of Moresco.
    In the thirteenth century, after ups and downs, the castle definitively passed under the dominion of Fermo, and remained there until the unification of Italy.
    Free from feudal ties, Moresco becomes a municipality and remains so, except from 1868 to 1910 in which it becomes a hamlet of Monterubbiano.

    Monuments:
    The characteristic Ghibelline heptagonal tower (12th century), 25 meters high, dominates the Aso valley from above. Born as a watchtower and defense, it has undergone profound changes over time. Inside there is now a staircase to reach the top, from which to enjoy the wonderful landscape of hills, valleys and the villages of Fermo.
    The Clock Tower (14th century) overlooks the gateway to the town.
    In the sixteenth century, at its peak, Moresco was enriched with churches, especially suburban ones, and works of art. To see: the parish church of San Lorenzo with 17th and 18th century paintings, the church of the Madonna dell'Olmo, with a large fresco by Vincenzo Pagani, the former church of Santa Sofia and the church of the Madonna della Salute.
    the old town with an ellipsoidal structure, with its narrow streets, the triangular square with the portico, the frescoes. In the Town Hall there is a large altarpiece, also a work by Pagani.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 259983 moresco@ucvaldaso.it
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    Petritoli

    Petritoli was founded by Farfensi monks in the 10th century with the name of Castel Rodolfo. Passed under Transaric baron of Saltareccia, it was given to the bishop of Fermo in 1055. Since 1198, it had its own government until Frederick II conquested it in 1250, and then ceded it to Fermo again, an imperial ally. After various events, which saw sieges and destruction, alternated periods of relative autonomy with periods of submission to Fermo. At Napoleon times, Petritoli got the title of Canton, actively participating in the subsequent uprisings of Risorgimento.
    The name Petritoli would derive from the merger of the three castles of Petrosa, Petrania, and Petrollavia, but the etymology is controversial, as these names refer to three villages, and related streets, built outside the castle walls.

    Monuments:
    Through three pointed arches from the nineteenth-century, and two fifteenth-century towers, you enter the ancient town.
    The former convent of the Poor Clares, now Palazzo Comunale, preserves a seventeenth-century wooden choir in an interior room.
    The Civic Tower was built in the nineteenth century by superimposing three different plans: a square ashlar base, an octagonal body above and a round terminal crowned by a small dome, both in brick masonry. In the main street is the twentieth-century Palazzo Vitali, in Venetian-Gothic style. Next door is the Teatro dell’Iride (1873–77), built to a design by Giuseppe Sabbatini.
    Outside the old town, there is the former convent of the Minori Osservanti, now used as a clinic, the adjoining church, with an eighteenth-century ceiling with octagonal coffered decorated with egg yolk tempera, preserves an organ by Callido inside. < br> The hamlet of Moregnano, a Municipality until 1869, is structured as a fortified settlement; while the Valmir hamlet is located along the Val d’Aso state road 433.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 658141 sindaco@petritoli.net
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    Porto San Giorgio

    Porto San Giorgio, in Marche Region, is situated on the Adriatic coast. Its economy is based on seaside tourism, maritime and commercial activities. Its centre is typified by the Liberty Villas. The tourist fishing port is one of the largest in the Adriatic sea. The city had several national awards for its familiar tourism, such as the Blue Flags, the Green Flag and the “Vele” of Legambiente and Italian Touring Club. Events and appointments:
    Proloco in festa (first weekend of July): Summer event in Porto San Giorgio, promotes traditional food and wine of the territory, through the stands of Pro Loco organization, from Marche Region, the other Italian regions and foreign delegations, that show their knowledge and food through their stands.
    Magica notte (August): It’s one of the few summer events entirely dedicated to children: two nights of shows and workshops in the main streets and squares of the town.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 680256 ufficioturismo@comune-psg.org
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    Porto Sant’Elpidio

    Porto Sant’Elpidio, rising between undulating hills and the sea, is the second biggest centre in Fermo province. Archaeological evidences suggest that the site was inhabited by Piceni population. In 1250 Porto Sant’Elpidio obtained the permission to own a harbour; the increase in the commercial costal traffics thrived the city’s expansion. In 1952, the costal stretch of Sant’Elpidio gained its independence: the city become an autonomous city and took its actual name. Porto Sant’Elpidio is a family-friendly and sustainable tourist destination, and it is also renowned for the artisanal shoes production and footwear’s factory stores. The top places to visit are Villa Baruchello, listed among the most beautiful green parks in Italy, and the shrine to Santa Maria Addolorata, a miracle sacred site.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 908263 pseturismo@elpinet.it
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    Sant’Elpidio a Mare

    The medieval village of Sant'Elpidio a Mare rises a few kilometers from the sea, and it encloses small treasures among its red bricks: churches, palaces, and the Civic Art Gallery which houses the Coronation of the Virgin by Vittore Crivelli. The municipal territory then extends between urban areas, footwear industries and prestigious outlets, gentle countryside where it is possible to visit the Imperial Basilica of Santa Croce al Chienti and the Astronomical Observatory.

    Events and appointments
    "A magic of colors, a living tradition, a unique suggestion." (Touring Club Italia).
    The Contesa del Secchio is one of the longest-lived re-enactments in Italy, first in the Marche region, and is held in Sant'Elpidio a Mare on the second Sunday of August every year since 1953. the medieval tournament of the town, in which the districts challenged each other with a ball to hit the only city well in order to have priority access for a year. Today the procession has over a thousand characters in splendid costumes minutely inspired by the paintings of the Crivelli and other masters. It has performed thousands of replicas in Italy, over thirty in the world. The Contesa is anticipated by Medieval City , which since 1992 has been held in Sant’Elpidio a Mare on the third weekend of July. From sunset, the entire historic center becomes a stage for dozens of shows, appearing in costumes of the time and medieval taverns.

    Read more Tel: +39 0734 819 6407 ufficio.turistico@santelpidioamare.it