in Marche, in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Grottamare is a small village overlooking the sea. Or better. There is the upper part that, curled on the edge of a hill, overlooks the marina ("the old man incasato", they call it). And there is the "modern" part, which runs along the sea. Its inhabitants? I am 16.200. But only 180 live in the ancient village.

Grottammare, its history and the ancient village

La Story of Grottammare begins from afar. Already in the VII - VI century BC there was a Picenian necropolis, close to the coast and on the hill. Its territory was the home of the monks of Farfa until, in 1259, King Manfredi sanctioned the end of the autonomy of the village and granted the castle of Grottammare and its port to the municipality of Fermo. Porto, this one, which then assumed a control and function defense from pirates as well as a center for the trade of cereals, oil, wine and timber. However, in 1525, the pirates managed to conquer the town. Later fortified, and at the center of an important expansion, the locality became a privileged holiday resort for nobles and popes. Pope Pius VI and Garibaldi, Vittorio Emanuele II and Franz Liszt (there is even a Festival in his memory, which attracts Lisztian virtuosos and performers every year). As evidence of the fame that Grottammare enjoyed.

Grottammare - Glimpse of the village with a panoramic view (Ra Boe / Wikipedia)
Glimpse of the village with panoramic view - photo by Ra Boe CC BY-SA 3.0

Today, visiting Grottammare means above all visiting his old village. The upper part, with its rustic houses and medieval streets. To reach it, go up a road of orange groves and luxuriant agaves, a prelude to a magical place overlooking the sea. With its palm trees, its wide beaches, the Liberty villas surrounded by gardens. To that cycle and pedestrian path which, running for 8 km close to the beach, connects Grottammare with Cupra Marittima and San Benedetto del Tronto (cycle-pedestrian path of the Riviera delle Palme).

Get inspired

One comes to Grottammare for the sea. But people also come to discover its history, and to see those monuments that stand out against the sky. Starting with the thirteenth-century fortress. Because, this "pearl of the Adriatic" which belongs to the circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy, allows you to walk in the footsteps of Pope Sixtus V and the sculptor Pericle Fazzini. The most beautiful monuments? There church of Sant'Agostino with its sculptural Via Crucis, the Battaglia tower with the two hundred and fifty works by Fazzini, the Church of St. John the Baptist with the Sistine Museum, the church of Santa Lucia, the Orange Theater. Wherever you stop, in Grottamare, you immerse yourself in the past.

Piazza Peretti, high village of Grottammare
Piazza Peretti high village of Grottammare - photo by Luigi936 - Own work - CC BY-SA 4.0

As you descend towards the sea, the Middle Ages give way to Liberty. And you can't help but be conquered by the villas, starting with cottage Matricardi-Cola with the maoliche of Maestro Cesare Bazzani. Inside of of the Kursaal, once a temple of entertainment, now houses the Museum of Contemporary Illustration.

To end the day in Grottammare, then, we sit in one of its taverns. And you can taste the best of the seafaring tradition, with the savory fish of the Adriatic and the vegetables of the first hinterland. And then the timbale, and the mixed fried with Ascolana olives and fried cremini. Even if the protagonist is the fish, always and in any case. Not only what comes from San Benedetto del Tronto, but also and above all the product of small artisanal fishing. A little gem, which is a must to taste.

Source of the photograph in evidence: Grottammare alto - pizzodisevo 1937 - CC BY-SA 2.0

Grottammare, what to see in the "pearl of the Adriatic" last edit: 2021-08-04T15:30:00+02:00 da Laura Alberti

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