Monsampietro Morico

A brief history

According to tradition, the castles of Monsampietro Morico and Sant’Elpidio Morico as well as the castle of Monte Rinaldo were probably founded by Malugero Melo, son of Drogone of Altavilla, a Norman count from Puglia.

After his father’s death in 1051, Malugero Melo ran away to Fermo with his mother Porzia where he married a certain Morica who gave birth to three children: Pietro, Elpidio and Rinaldo.

Owing to his great love for her, he gave his sons the surname Morico and, around 1061, three castles named Monsampietro Morico, Sant’Elpidio Morico and Monte Rinaldo were built for them.

The first official documents about the history of these castles date back to 1316 when the castle of Sant’Elpidio Morico passed under Fermo’s authority followed by the castle of Monsampietro Morico one year later. From that time on the two castles followed the destiny of Fermo until the Napoleonic age when Sant’Elpidio Morico was joined to Monteleone di Fermo losing for the first time its independence which was regained only after the Congress of Vienna in 1815.

After the Italian unity Sant’Elpidio lost its self-government and after a short annexation to Monteleone di Fermo in 1899 it was finally joined to the commune of Monsampietro Morico starting off an age-old association.

Our route starts from piazza Malugero Melo, called after the presumed founder of the castles of Monsampietro Morico (1061) and Monte Rinaldo.

In the upper side of the square, the 17th century parish church of San Pietro e Sant’Antonio abate (previously devoted to Saint Peter and St Paul) stands out. Inside there are marvellous shrines, paintings, precious sculptures and a valuable organ.

In the lower part of the square you can admire the whole building dating back to different ages (the substructure might date back to early Middle ages) with genuine Renaissance parts. Outside you can see the well, while inside the rooms are well preserved.

Walking along the main street, lined with 18th century buildings, you can reach the church of San Francesco, once flanked with the juvenile monastery of which there are still some remains. The church is very rich in paintings of the 16th century and on, and features a fresco above the central altar, showing Our Lady of Mercy, a work by an unknown skilful painter of the 1400’s.

Another painting showing Our Lady of Mercy was probably removed from there in the 1800’s and transferred to the church of Carmine, where it is still venerated. In the same church a recently restored 15th century fine fresco is preserved.

In the building area of this church probably a little temple or a Roman funeral building existed in the past. In fact several tombs dating back to the 2nd century B.C. were found nearby. The rich tomb funeral outfit (probably belonging to a Celtic warrior) is kept in the archaeological museum of Ascoli Piceno.

Along the road to Sant’Elpidio Morico, on the height next to the church of Madonna del Carmine, inside the town cemetery, the lovely and interesting little Romanesque church of San Paolo (11th – 12th century) stands out, probably built on the basement of a Roman temple. Before reaching the old centre of Sant’Elpidio Morico, on the left side you can notice the neo-classical cemetery, rebuilt in the 1800’s close to the old one which can be seen on the top of the nearby hill (the so-called Monte de lu Micu). Sant’Elpidio Morico immediately draws our attention to the monumental church of San Michele Arcangelo with its two typical towers, accomplished in 1699 on a project by a Roman architect fulfilling the desire of the canon Michele Caucci.

The church is situated out of the ancient village, surrounded by almost untouched walls with four entrance gates: two of them can still be seen clearly. In front of the church of San Michele Arcangelo, facing the war memorial, the ancient Palazzo del Commune of Sant’Elpidio Morico stands out. This commune was self-governing until 1868. Inside the building you can see the ancient armorial bearings showing Sant’Elpidio as an abbot-warrior.

Inside the old walls, close to the western gate, you can see the church of Sant’Elpidio abate, endowed with a yard and a well used as a tank for the whole village. It was made in 1460 as is shown in a beautiful tombstone placed on the northern side. Inside the church of Sant’Elpidio abate the triptych with lunette by Vittore Crivelli (1496) was once preserved before being moved to the church of San Michele Arcangelo; four images were added in the 1600’s.

A wonderful alabaster of our lady with her child also comes from this church, once painted, attributed to the Pisano school. A stone carved lion, probably a funeral monument of Roman art, also comes from the church of Sant’Elpidio abate; unfortunately the column and stele completing it were lost.

Exhibitions and Folk Festivals

• 1st May, 16th July – annual fairs
• 29th June – Festival of the Patron (St Peter Apostle) and Festival of polenta with sausages
• 2nd Sunday of July – festival of tagliatelle with goose
• Last Sunday of August – festival of kebabs (Sant’Elpidio Morico)
• Last Sunday of September – festival of polyphonic choirs (Sant’Elpidio Morico)
• 24th December-6th of January – exhibitions and contests of holy cribs

Nature Routes


Walking along 500 metres dividing the church of San Francesco from the one of Madonna del Carmine you can admire an extremely provocative mid-hilly landscape of environmental value. In the background you can see the Sibillini Mountains, the gently–shelving heights with white roads and overhanging villages on top. In the foreground you can see the valley of Lubrico, spots of land under cultivation with vineyards, olive-groves, orchards and various lands fit for seed, without forgetting some bee-keeping structures placed in the sunniest spots.

Along the road leading Monsampietro Morico to Sant’Elpidio Morico, on the right side you can visit the ancient fountain named Perita (apparently re-perita, i.e. re-traced), which once supplied drinking water to the whole village. At the south-east side of the old centre, on the watershed between the valley of Indaco (affluent of the Aso) and the valley of Lubrico (affluent of the Ete), rises the ancient fountain of Sant’Emidio. A church devoted to the same saint stands nearby next to some remains of Mediterranean areas and river vegetation, among age-old oaks and poplars. The fountain was recently restored, and the legend of Sant’Emidio can be found in a mediaeval expanded edition of the Passio Sancti Emigdii.