The elliptical square
In the valley of the Potenza river, at the foot of the Apennines, San Severino Marche is a small, elegant town of art, founded by the inhabitants of the Roman town of Septempeda, destroyed by the Goths, who took refuge on the nearby hill. Its heart is the Piazza del Popolo, one of the most beautiful and original squares in the Marche: a long elliptical square, almost in the shape of a spindle, surrounded entirely by arcades and elegant palaces, including the town hall and the theatre Feronia, a spacious, harmonious meeting place for the inhabitants, which hosts markets, festivals and the historical Palio dei Castelli in June.
Above the town, on the hill of Castello, the upper part, the oldest, stands the Duomo Vecchio, the old cathedral of Saint Severinus, with a Romanesque façade, a cloister and frescoes, and next to it the tall Torre degli Smeducci, the tower of the family that ruled the town in the Middle Ages, which dominates the valley. San Severino was in the fifteenth century the home of an important school of painting, that of the brothers Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni, masters of International Gothic, whose frescoes, rich in colour and narrative detail, decorate several churches in the town, such as the oratory of San Giovanni Battista in Urbino and the church of San Lorenzo in Doliolo. The Pinacoteca Civica Tacchi Venturi preserves works by the Salimbeni, Vittore Crivelli, Niccolò Alunno and the famous Madonna della Pace by Pinturicchio, with a very fine portrait of the donor.
Tip: have a coffee under the arcades of Piazza del Popolo; climb to the Castello for the view and the old cathedral.
Discover San Severino Marche →
Where it is
More things to see in Marche
Where to stay near San Severino Marche
Tours and activities nearby
Offers from GetYourGuide. Some links are affiliate links: if you book we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.