MONTE DELL’ASCENSIONE (AP)
Mount Ascension is an isolated mountain that stands out of the hills in the north of Ascoli Piceno. On the mountain top, the panorama is extremely rich: from the Sibillini Mountains, to Gran Sasso Mountain and Majella Mountain, until the Adriatic Sea. Mount Ascension is also a strategic place for tv and radio trasmission lines, with various public and private repeaters positioned in the municipality of Ascoli Piceno. The mountain has a rich vegetation, therefore its surface is divided into two protected areas: -Area floristica monte Ascensione I (11 hectares): it extends within the municipalities of Ascoli Piceno and Rotella; it comprehends the top area of the mountain (excluded the peak) and the Cliff of Santa Polisia. The cliff is on the highest part of the mountain (1098 m.), just below the summit and falls sheer on the underlying woods. The vegetation reflects the typical mountain greenery. -Area floristica monte Ascensione II (28 hectares): it falls under the competence of the municipality of Rotella and includes the northern slope and north-western side (called Costa di San Benedetto) of Mount Ascension. It is characterized by a clay soil, occasionally sandstone and sparsely rocky. The woodland is rich of chestnut trees periodically trimmed, useful to get fruits and wood.
FERMO
Fermo rises on the top (and the slopes) of Sàbulo Hill (from Latin word sàbulum, sand) at the height of 319 meters above sea level). The city is currently divided in two: the historic old town developed around the hill, maintaining its medieval features and a new area. Fermo’s coat of arms is a shield divided in four parts: two containing an eagle, two representing a cross. The most important event in Fermo is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on 15th August, when the palio and a fair take place. A green area is situated on the panoramic top of the hill (Girfalco or Girone), where are the duomo and Villa Vinci (cloyster of Capuchins until 1820). We find another green space, inside Villa Vitali and recently, an equipped area, called Parco della Mentuccia, has been realized. The Roman cisterns of 40 AD (2.000 sqm, 30 adjoining chambers, set out in three parallel rows with ten chambers in each ) can still be visited and show a good conservation status. Piazza del Popolo is the heart of the city, where stands out Palazzo Priori, hosting municipal boardrooms, the art-gallery and the Sala del Mappamondo (the oldest hall of the municipal library).
PORTO SAN GIORGIO (FM)
The originary urban settlement dates back probably to a community of fishermen from Veneto and Dalmatia, who settled, after the descent of the Barbarians and the resulting destruction, on foot of the small mountain overlooking the town, the Mount Cacciù. Portu Sancti Georgeij as it was called in medieval documents, became a fortress in the 11th century under the name of Castel San Giorgio. Lorenzo Tiepolo, Fermo’s podestà and doge-to-be of Venice, built the impressive stronghold Rocca Tiepolo, with the aim of monitoring any possible attack arriving from the sea. From this point forward, the history of Porto San Giorgio can be shortly summarized with the various attempts to regain independece from Fermo. The town developed during the 17th century between the coastline and the Via Lauretana , with the urbanization of the Borgo Marinaro, and became autonomous from Fermo with Napoleon. After Italian unification, Porto San Giorgio defined its boundaries and in 1887, obtained it partially. During XIX century were built the station (1863), the renowned mutual aid Society, the theater, and all that restorations and renovations that led Porto San Giorgio to reach the physiognomy we see today. The coastline does not have a real cycling lane: Porto San Giorgio is the only city of the Piceno area without a precise bicycle paths as expected by the huge project Ciclovia Adriatica, that is meant to connect all the locations of the Adriatic coast.
PORTO SANT’ELPIDIO (FM)
The urban configuration of Porto Sant’Elpidio has developed in parallel with the seaboard, following the national road SS 16 and the Adriatic railway. Chienti river and Tenna river mark its northern and southern boundary lines. In the last years, also the hill area (especially the small hamlets of Corva and Cretarola) is getting populated, as a result of the strong demographic growth registered by the town. Many important archeological finds have been discovered, confirming the presence of Etrurian burial sites. On medieval maps (1500-1600) we see annotations оf а small village оn the coast, called wіth the name of “Porto San Lupidio”. As the years go by, in spite of the continuous immigration frоm southern Italy, it remained a small town until 1952, when іt obtained the independence frоm Sant’Elpidio а Mare, changing іts name frоm ‘Porto di Sant’Elpidio а Mare’ tо ‘Porto Sant’Elpidio’. On the coast of Porto SantElpidio is present a cycling lane (part of the great project Ciclovia Adriatica). Very important the national road and the railway crossing the town. Furthermore, the city has now its own motorway exit and toll-booth and a practical shuttle-bus service to easily reach all the parts of the town.
PEDASO (FM)
Pedaso is a small town close to the sea and the hill with a beautiful beachfront which adheres to the project “The promenade of the singer-song-writers”, calling with the name of famous artists, the underpasses leading to the sea. On the Mount Serrone, every 1st of May, takes place the “outing of the workers” with a feast that inaugurates the beginning of the countryside festivals. Pedaso is the ideal place for long walks, to admire the beautiful landscape, and to collect blackberries during autumn. The archeological finds discovered in the area of Aso river and the sea, as well as the ruins of the close mountain Villa, confirm the presence of Romans, Piceni and Grecians in ancient times. The Barbarian invasions forced the population to seek refuge on the closest hill, called Mount Serrone. Later, Pedaso became a castle of Fermo, with the task of controlling the Adriatic Sea with its tower, used as a lighthouse, since 1877. The hill was prone to landslides and many houses collapsed, inducing the population to settle in the seaside. In the summertime, among the various festivals, we remind St. Peter’s festival. On the occasion, a statue of the Patron Saint of Pedaso is carried on a boat to bless all fishermen, both dead and alive. Also, the Festival of mussels with marinara spaghetti is an event nationally known that takes place during the four days before the 15th ofAugust