Sant'Elpidio a Mare


Sant'Elpidio a Mare is a town and comune in the province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy.

Geography

Sant'Elpidio a Mare is located on a ridge of Marche Apennine, elevation above sea level, between the lower river valleys of the river Tenna and Ete Morto, from the Adriatic Sea.

Toponym

The historical name of locality is documented by an 11th century parchment as "Sancto Elpidio Majore" to distinguish it from other places in Sant'Elpidio Morico Brand Fermana. The abbreviation of "majore" was later changed to "mare".

History

The town occupies the site of the ancient Roman city of Cluana, destroyed by the Visigoths in the early 5th century. In 887 here a large Benedictine Abbey was founded in 887; the medieval borough rose around it as Castello di Sant'Elpidio, starting from the 11th century.

Main sights