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

Finding ourselves at the crossroad between Via Porta Marina and Via Sotto le Mura, we can walk along the descending road that bears the name of Madonna degli Angeli. Having walked only a few short meters, we have another crossroad before us. Let us follow the road on the left and pause for a moment. This road takes its name from the ancient Convent of the Augustinian Monks which was called Madonna degli Angeli (Madonna of the Angels), which dates to 1389. Both the church and the Convent were overtaken and destroyed by a devastating landslide that hit this area on 31 January 1451, forcing the monks to move down to the site in which today’s Church of Sant’Agostino is located.

Continuing along on the left, where the road begins to descend, there are some steps that lead to a square building.
This building is the so-called Guard Tower, one of the first fortifications that protected Grottammare. It is said that one of the annexes of Villa Azzolino was built upon the remains of a similar construction from the other part of the hill and that it dates from the 11th century. Covered as it was by dense vegetation much of the history of the tower has been lost, only during the recent consolidation of the town has it been possible to bring it once again to light and to restore it.
For a more complete understanding, we suggest that you come in, using the stairs at the left that lead directly to the entrance. Once inside, walking up the metal staircase, we arrive at the first floor. Here we see two large tubs that are fed directly from spring water. This allowed the control of various levels of filtration that are in the substratum, and which contributed to the stability problems of the terrain. However, we still see the presence of humidity that rises, through capillary action, up through the walls.
Continuing into the tower we are able to see, behind a gate, access to a subterranean passage. This is one of the many tunnels that run under the town, dug by men who used the natural cavities. It seems that it is from grottoes like this one that the name of the town itself was derived.
Now we can pause for a moment on the external terrace and imagine how the knoll that we are standing upon was in ancient times a cliff over the sea and, to the east of this hill, somewhere between history and legend, the Harbour of Grottammare was located. In the water just below us we see two large masses, which had rolled this far during a landslide. It is not known whether they arrived here during the catastrophe of 1451 or an earlier one. Of the two large masses, one has been named “Piccuto” (Peaked), for it pointed shape, and the other is named San Nicola after the small church that was built above it. It seems that, falling into the sea, the walls, or at least a part of the foundation, remained intact, and this inspired the inhabitants to reopen the church to the faithful. As a matter of fact, in 1603 Domenico Partina decided to underwrite a commitment of 200 fiorini with which his heirs, within five years of his death, would have had to restore the Church of San Nicola, have a painting made and to build a bridge that would connect the landmass to the coast. In 1862, in order to allow the railway line to pass, these masses and the reef were blown up. They were located, due to the withdrawal of the seawaters, 64 metres inland. Despite the destruction, the memory of the San Nicola reef is still alive. For centuries it served as a watch post, a lighthouse for those at sea and a place where the rowboats were set at shore. There are many old stories that rekindle the memory of the landslides that were frequent and serious, which involved both the hill upon which Grottammare rises and the surrounding territory. After winding our way through the tower, we end this walk by exiting in front of the church of Santa Lucia.

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