Piazza del Popolo

Piazza del Popolo

Piazza del Popolo is the heart of the city of Fermo. Accurate and linear in form, it is bordered to the north and south by two imposing sixteenth-century brick arcades and hosts the oldest public buildings, each with its architectural features that, nonetheless, respect the rigor and uniformity of the square.

One of the most elegant and representative historical squares of the Marche.

The origins of the square

The square was initially redefined under Alessandro Sforza due to the arrival in Fermo of Bianca Maria Visconti, wife of his brother Francesco. From this union, Galeazzo Maria, future duke of Milan, was born in 1444.

Before adopting its current name, Piazza del Popolo was also known as Piazza Vittorio Emanuele and even earlier as Piazza San Martino.

It was resized on November 8, 1463 and finally, in the course of 1659, assumed the shape that characterizes it today due to a restructuring intervention.

Current dimensions: 135 meters long and 34 meters wide.

The buildings of the Square

Its history is inextricably linked to that of the surrounding buildings. Piazza del Popolo exhibits a clear 15th-century style, with linear and harmonious buildings in every detail.

Walking along its pavement or beneath its beautiful porticos, one can still breathe a bit of that same air that blew when its construction site was still in progress.

The square presents itself to its visitors bordered by two long rows of loggias with terracotta porticos and closed at the shorter sides by significant historical buildings:

• Palazzo dei Priori, built in 1296 and now home to the Civic Art Gallery of Fermo.
• Apostolic Palace, constructed in the early decades of the 16th century.
• Loggiato di San Rocco, built in 1528.
• Church of San Martino, erected in 1505 in response to the great plague that struck Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries.

The Loggetta of Piazza del Popolo

The overhanging loggia connecting Palazzo dei Priori to the Palazzo degli Studi was built in 1581 and features stunning frescoed ceilings.

It is one of the most interesting views in the historic center, from which one can admire Piazza del Popolo on one side and Corso Cefalonia on the other.

Access is possible through the Civic Library.

Visiting the overhanging loggia is particularly evocative during the evenings of the Antique and Craft Fair and on Thursdays in July and August: a privileged vantage point, even at night, overlooking the bustling square.

Not to be missed: the view from the Loggetta Pensile during summer events and evenings in the historic center.