Travelcast Piceno - Audio & Video Guide per la Provincia di Ascoli Piceno

On the lateral wall of the Church of San Giovanni, along the street of the same name, one can clearly see a brick that carries the incision of the date 1802. Indeed, the building of the Church dates to that period and there are those who claim that 1792 was the date construction was initiated while others say it was 1798. The project, in the sphere of a general urban renewal program of the entire plaza in the final decade of the 18th century, was entrusted to Pietro Maggi, an architect originating from  Switzerland, who worked especially in the territories of Ascoli and Fermo.

We now find ourselves in Piazza Peretti, which gets its name from Felice Peretti, Pope Sixtus V, who was born in Grottammare in 1521. It could be because of its dimensions or the design of the brick buildings, with their delicate and natural colouration, that this plaza seems to be particularly welcoming. It is a closed, protected space,  but it is also a strategic vantage point and an important urban junction.

The view that stretches out from the portico is deep and wide. It loses itself in the horizon, but also allows the observation of the “Marina”, that part of the town that had developed since the 18th century because of the great quantity of land that became available after the retreat of the waters, and the worsening state of the geological conditions of the town.

From the central plaza, we continue, passing under an antique arch that has an interesting decoration in the shape of wolf’s fangs, with bricks placed in the form of a triangle and, through the brief and steep Vicolo Torrione, we reach a plaza that opens up towards the landscape. The irregular space we see here is contemporary to the buildings that surround it, the houses and the upper part of the Torrione della Battaglia, on the right. But, upon careful observation, we may notice that in the paving there are two distinct parts, arising from different periods.