Fermo sits on a hill above the Adriatic, and its theatre is the jewel inside the town. The Teatro dell'Aquila was built in the late eighteenth century, designed by the architect Cosimo Morelli, and it is one of the largest and finest historic theatres in the Marche, a region that has an extraordinary number of them, almost every town having its own little opera house. Inside, tiers of gilded boxes rise in a horseshoe around the stalls, and the painted ceiling glows above. If you can catch a performance, or join a guided visit, do so.
The town itself rewards a slow walk. The Piazza del Popolo, long and arcaded, is one of the most elegant squares in the region, and the cathedral sits on top of the hill, at the Girfalco, with a view stretching from the Adriatic to the Sibillini mountains. Under the town lie the Roman cisterns, a vast system of interconnected chambers built to collect and purify water, which can be visited and are cool and atmospheric on a hot day.
For riding, the Marche is underrated. The hills between the coast and the Apennines are crossed by a dense network of quiet roads, linking hilltop towns and villages, with endless bends, short climbs and wide views over fields of sunflowers, wheat and vines. The roads are generally good, though the smaller ones can be rough and narrow. Inland, the Sibillini mountains offer more dramatic riding, with high passes, plateaus and the great Piano Grande near Castelluccio, famous for its flowering lentil fields in early summer, although the area is still recovering from the earthquakes of 2016.
Fermo, a town of about eighteen thousand people, has fuel, shops and plenty of restaurants. The coast, at Porto San Giorgio and Lido di Fermo, is only a short ride away, with beaches and seafood. The local cuisine includes vincisgrassi, a rich baked pasta dish similar to lasagne, and the famous olive all'ascolana, stuffed and fried olives from nearby Ascoli Piceno. Summer can be hot on the coast, but the hills are cooler, and the evenings are perfect for a ride with the sun setting over the mountains.