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

It is said that on dark, moonless nights, in ancient times, pirates came to shore to pillage and plunder. Their bloody raids ended with the taking of captives, usually women and children, who were spirited away to sold in the oriental harems or as slaves. One of these incursions in particular has left its mark on the region.

In 1525, the pirates of Dulcigno, a small town located in today’s Montenegro, were able to penetrate the city walls and succeeded in capturing Esmeralda, the blond daughter of the bell-ringer. After becoming the bride of the Sultan, she converted him to Christianity and then managed to return to Grottammare. Part legend and part history, episodes like these continued from the Nineteenth century. The regular arrival of the enemy from the sea was one of the reasons that provoked the fortification of Grottammare.
The ancient town was built on the hill to take advantage of the defensive position: homes and streets follow the pattern of the terrain and the point of maximum resistance is reserved for the summit. The imposing mass of the Castle, still visible to this day, dominated the houses built against the hill and extending to the sea.
Our walk will depart from this small plaza, with its irregularly shaped cobblestone pavement, which turns out to be the easiest place to reach should one arrive by car or on foot. The plaza, acting as a balcony, offers a privileged point of view from where we may note, looking towards the south, the profile of the harbour of San Benedetto del Tronto. From here, one’s gaze is free to roam far and wide, to lose itself in the horizon where the sea and the sky mix with one another, to then return to rest upon the nearby buildings. Beyond the city walls that define the spacious garden at the right, we see the compact and harmonious outline of the seventeenth century Ottaviani Palazzetto and in front of us, the sixteenth century Church of Sant’Agostino. The story goes that Martin Luther, still belonging to the Catholic Church, was a guest at  the adjacent Convent when he was on his way to Rome. Directly resulting from his excommunication, the Convent was punished with an order to cut short the church tower.
Proceeding towards the town, we may stop at Largo Palmaroli which is lined with buildings dating from the late 18th to 20th centuries. On the right we can see a building that is distinguished by a coat of arms inserted within the balustrade of the balcony at the corner, while on the left-hand side we see the façade of two mansions. The first, in an elegant Neoclassical form, belonged to the noble Paccaroni family of Fermo, a city which is historically linked to Grottammare.
Largo Palmaroli is a space designed to welcome the visitors and to this day it maintains its original fuction beautifully. Here rose the Porta Maggiore Gateway, and despite its destruction at the start of the 20th century, it remains the primary access to the town. Looking behind us, towards the street we have followed, we will notice the large Hospital building, currently in disuse, but active until the 1970s. Still remaining, above the door of the antique pharmacy, is the sign of the caduceus, the symbol of  the Greek god of  medicine. Further on, there is a tree-lined street with villas, called La Cagliata, that reaches to the Cuprense provincial road, on the way to Ripatransone. But leaving behind the enchanting panorama, let’s return to the entrance of the town. Via San Giovanni, which opens up before us, is defined by the outlines of buildings and, just at the beginning, on the left, there is a lovely gothic arch with the lintel in decorated terracotta, dated to the late 1300s. It virtually takes up the entire right-hand side of the Via of the Conti Palmaroli Palazzo, a family with origins from Fermo, and it is distinguished by a large portal in travertine. The road ends with the Church of San Giovanni, the façade of which constitutes one side of Piazza Peretti, the heart of the ancient town.

Users' Comments (0) Comment language: English (0), Italian (0)

Add your comment