Grottammare and its medieval village

Grottammare is a small resort on the southern Marche "Riviera delle Palme”; it boasts 5km of fine sandy beach. Along with the many palm trees that line the seafront, bright flower beds and well-kept lawns give the place great charm. Its traffic-free promenade is backed by some splendid examples of seaside Liberty architecture - grand villas dating back to the turn of the last century. The Medieval old village ( borgo) up above the main resort has fine old buildings.

With a pleasant walk you can reach Grottammare Alta, the original medieval village overlooking the sea, with rustic houses and narrow streets, surrounded by the smell of orange groves. Along the road that leads there is the seventeenth-century villa of Cardinal Decio Azzolino, where Christina of Sweden stayed.

Following the conquest of the city in 1525 by the pirate Dulcigno, the town was fortified with walls, gates, and a Tower said "of the battle". Currently it is home to many of the works of the native sculptor of the wind, Pericle Fazzini. In the Church of Sant'Agostino of the sixteenth century is a Madonna della Misericordia by Vincenzo Pagani (1577). In the nearby Piazzetta Peretti you can enjoy an exceptional view from the balconied porch of the building housing the historic Teatro dell'Arancio, near which stands the Clock Tower. Worth a visit to the noble Church of Santa Lucia (1597) built by Camilla Peretti in memory of his brother Felice Peretti became Pope Sixtus V. The same is dedicated to the Museo Sistino set up in the Church of S.Giovanni Battista. On the hill overlooking the village are the remains of a fortress built in the IX-X centuries.