Villa Vitali

Villa Vitali in Fermo is a residence that belonged to the Counts Vitali, modified in 1854. Built on a site where an ancient sacred temple once stood, Count Barnaba Vitali built a small chapel dedicated to Saint Francis of Paola, which served as a reference point for the surrounding homes for many years. Since 2008, the gardens of Villa Vitali have hosted an open-air theater and a naturalistic walk with plants and flowers from various parts of the world.

The history of Villa Vitali

In the early nineteenth century, the area where the Villa stands was also home to the Minim Friars of St. Francis of Paola, as confirmed by an inscription in the chapel that was later decorated by the painter Giuseppe Felici from Grotte di Castro, between 1907 and 1908.
As early as 1815, the pontifical cadastre mentions the presence of a farmhouse that twelve years later transformed into the primary structure of the future villa, belonging to four members of the Vitali family: Francesco, Barnaba, Luigi, and Giuseppe.
In 1854, the Villa was rebuilt based on a project by architect Gaetano Manfredi, in a classical style with essential lines, right near the site where the church of San Francesco di Paola stood, demolished around 1812.
The Villa Vitali is rectangular, elongated in the east-west direction, with windows located on the northern façade separated by vertical pilasters that end with faux capitals at the foot of a horizontal entablature that runs along the entire length of the building, highlighting its elongated layout. The street front is distinguished from the southern façade by the presence of rustication at the ground floor. In the early 1900s, two parches were added to the southern façade, surrounding a courtyard with four flower beds that opened to the underlying garden.
The property was purchased in 1977 by the Municipality of Fermo.

The Gardens and Portico of Villa Vitali

The gardens of the villa are remarkable, created in 1860 probably based on a design by Manfredi, and still house a large number of interesting plant specimens. The neo-Gothic brick portico, which includes a basin and a statue of Madonna with child, dates back to 1860 and served as a pergola for walks in the pleasant season. Villa Vitali today
The most significant renovation of the building took place in 1885 at the request of Francesco Vitali, the new heir of the villa, who made significant changes: two wings were added to the building, a storage area to the left of the villa, a small building in the racecourse, which has been documented since 1876, the caretaker’s house, and a family chapel dedicated to St. Francis of Paola.
The villa was already documented in early 1900s sources as being the site of many valuable artistic collections.
The elliptical lawn in front of the villa was a wonderful area enriched by twenty-four terracotta busts depicting Greek and Roman figures.

Theater Arena Villa Vitali Fermo

In the last decade of the 20th century, the Municipality of Fermo has managed to restore this space to the community by converting it into an outdoor arena that hosts the summer theater and music season with the Villa InVita Fermo Festival, which has given the city an important theater space, aimed at further strengthening the prestigious cultural and musical tradition of Fermo in the regional landscape.
The festival, born in 2016, has brought to Fermo numerous internationally renowned artists such as Fiorella Mannoia, Francesco Gabbani, Giovanni Allevi, Elio, Panariello, Antonella Ruggero, Tullio De Piscopo, Arisa, Antonella Ruggero, Giovanni Allevi, Peppe Servillo, Nicola Piovani, Ascanio Celestini who have performed on the stage of Villa Vitali during the various editions of the festival.