Villa Vitali

Villa Vitali combines a nineteenth-century residence with an eclectic park in Fermo. The villa was built in 1854; its grounds include an elliptical riding ground, Neo-Gothic arcades, greenhouses and a stretch of ancient Roman wall.

Why it matters

The villa and park preserve the history of the Vitali family's estate while also reflecting its later civic role. The Comune di Fermo acquired the property in 1977. Recent restoration work renewed the park's avenues and historic structures, including the greenhouses.

What to notice

The elliptical riding ground, or galoppatoio, was once bordered by rows of cypresses and decorated with twenty-four terracotta busts; it is now used as an open-air theatre. Neo-Gothic brick arcades beneath a glass roof date to around 1860. The park's Serra Calda contains a cistern uncovered during restoration and reused for rainwater collection; the brick Serra Fredda was also restored. On the hillock known as the montagnola, a stretch of ancient Roman masonry remains visible. Among the park's plantings is a weeping Sophora japonica.

Context and history

Gaetano Manfredi designed the villa, built in 1854. Francesco Vitali commissioned a major renovation in 1885, adding two neoclassical wings, a warehouse, a caretaker's house and a family chapel dedicated to San Francesco da Paola. The park was laid out around 1860 on former agricultural land; its design is also attributed to Manfredi, though the attribution is given as probable in the municipal account. The Comune acquired the estate in January 1977. A major restoration, supervised by the regional heritage authority, returned the park to public use in May 2025.