Municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, which extends along the Adriatic coast and is protected by a series of hills, located behind the town. The urban layout features a typical Roman structure and extends from the mouth of the river Tesino towards inland. The territories of the municipality, in addition to the main centre, includes the district of Ischia, which today forms a single center with the nearby town of San Benedetto del Tronto. The mild climate throughout the year makes it a very popular touristic destination.
Traces of a settlement evidence that the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic times: the Piceni settled here between the VII and the V centuries B.C. Around the III century B.C. the town was colonized by the Romans. The first documents that report the presences of Grottammare date back to the X-XI centuries and during the Middle Ages, it belonged to the Abbey of Farfa and then to the town of Fermo, that recognizing the importance of its strategic location, was forced to defend it from the mire of the competing city of Ascoli. To strengthen its defense, the village was surrounded by fortified walls, of which parts are still visible today. In a treaty, stipulated here October 1860, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was offered to Vittorio Emanuele II.
Attractions:
- the XVI century Church of St. Augustine, which features a brick façade of great simplicity, with engraved stones, recovered from the ruins of other buildings and incorporated into the structure. The ceiling of the nave features wooden beams, the apse is decorated by embattlements, the Bell Tower is partially incorporated into the main structure and is flanked on one side by a cloister. The church houses a fresco of the artist Pagani and several other valuable artworks;
- the XVII century Church of Saint Lucia, which was designed by Fontana and whose final structure is much different than expected. It features a Greek cross plan and the main altar is embellished with precious paintings. The brick façade is divided by decorative elements and an extremely elegant portal. The entire structure is dominated by a belfry and within preserves an XVIII century organ;
- the Church of San Martino, probably built on the ruins of a temple dedicated to the goddess Cupra, features a Romanesque-Gothic style and inside preserves a XII century fresco and a superb XVII century crucifix;
- the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti, originally part of a monastery built in the early XVII century;
- the Tower Museum, built inside the XVII century Torrione della Battaglia;
- the remains of the fortified walls and the Torrione della Battaglia;
- the Clock Tower;
- the Theatre of the Orange;
- the Palazzo dei Priori.
- the medieval centre;
- the Belvedere with its superb panorama over the surrounding area.