This Medieval hamlet of Grottammare overlooks the sea from the edge of a hill, home to rustic houses and winding streets, where the air is heavy with the perfume of orange groves. Along the road winding towards the hamlet is the 17th-century villa of Cardinal Decio Azzolino, where Christina, Queen of Sweden, once stayed.
After the sack of the town in 1525 by pirates from Dulcigno, it was fortified with walls, gates and the Torrione della battaglia. This is now home to a number of works by the local ‘sculptor of the wind’ and one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Pericle Fazzini.
The 16th-century Church of St. Augustine is home to a Madonna of Mercy by Vincenzo Pagani (1577). The nearby Piazzetta Peretti affords an exceptional view from the covered walkway of the building that houses the old Teatro dell’Arancio, near the Clock Tower. The noble Church of St. Lucia (1597) was built by Camilla Peretti in memory of her brother, Felice Peretti who became Pope Sixtus V, and is definitely worth a visit. Also dedicated to him is the Sistine Museum in the Church of St. John the Baptist. The hill overlooking the town conserves the remains of a fortress built over the 9th and 10th centuries.
Marche Film Commission — Fondazione Marche Cultura
Piazza Cavour 23 — 60121 Ancona
Phone: +39 071 9951 623/624/625
Email: silvia.pincini@fondazionemarchecultura.it
