Piazza del Popolo

Centro della città è l'attuale PIAZZA DEL POPOLO , che ebbe inizio , a spese del comune ,nel 1438 ,denominata Piazza San. Martino ,da una Chiesa dello stesso titolo, già esistente in vicinanza dell'ex Palazzo dei Priori,ceduta poi al Comune nel 1602.      La  Piazza fu costruita e livellata durante la dominazione sforzasca .Ha una estensione molto più vasta di quella del Foro antico; essa fu ridotta alla forma presente fra il 1438-1442 ,per ordine di Alessandro Sforza ,onde accogliere degnamente la Duchessa Bianca Visconti , sposa del fratello .......

The wonderful Piazza del Popolo, already San Martino Square (so called because of a church existing there) was built at first by Alessandro Sforza, on the occasion of Bianca Visconti coming (1442), bride of his brother Francesco, who, in Fermo, gave birth to Galeazzo Maria, future Duke of Milan.
The square became smaller after a municipal deliberation of 8-IX-1463. It represents in any case one of the most suggestive places of Fermo. It is precise and linear in its structures, it offers to the tourist a sight of rare beauty and architectural rigours, where some works between the most significative of the town history become part of this square perfectly: the Priori Palace, ex Town Hall, now Picture Gallery dating back to 1296, the Palazzo Apostolico begun in 1502 by Oliverotto Euffreducci and finished in 1532 ordered by Pope Clemente VII, the San Rocco open gallery, built in 1528 having a little church of San Martino (today deconsecrated) built in 1505 such as vow of the town against the pestilence.
135 m. long and 34 m. large, the square was set up in its actual shape in 1659.