The quadrilateral walls of Servigliano: the plan of the ideal city of the XVIIIth Century

The history of Servigliano is very ancient and dates back to the Middle Age, when - around the year 1000-the town was built on the ruins of a Roman villa. However it was only in the XVIIIth century that Servigliano became the town known still today with the city center built in the neoclassic style. It was in this period that the village changed its name in Castel Clementino for more than two centuries. Part of the municipality of Fermo, nowadays Servigliano, still has its beautiful palaces, churches, gateways and overall its iconic walls which gave to the town the nickname of ideal square city. Let's find out together the plan of Servigliano and its famous urban quadrilateral implant.

The Servigliano city center has a unique feature that immediately catches the eye and these are the perfect squared walls which enclose the center along with the most important buildings. The reason that led the Papal State to rebuild an entire village from scratch dates back to the XVIIIth century. In fact, the original Servigliano was located close to the current location (4 kilometers far from the modern village) but in the XVIIIth century the town collapsed and it was rebuilt in a flat territory close to the original position.

The new village and in particular the new city center were projected by the architect Virginio Bracci, who was inspired by the neoclassic style and followed the rationalistic rules of the ideal city like Pienza, the ideal city of the Tuscan Renaissance. To thank the Papal State and the Pope Clement XIV who invested in the new location, Servigliano turned its name in Castel Clementino (literally the castle of Clement) for more than 200 years.

The city center of Servigliano, built in the XVIIIth century, has a quadrilateral shape, indeed it is completely closed by its walls in an almost perfect square (137 x 144 meters). The quadrilateral walls, better known as Quadrilatero cittadino (urban quadrilateral), surrounds the perimeter of the village and the access is guaranteed by the three monumental gateways of the XVIIIth century: Porta Clementina or Porta Marina located to the north, Porta Pia or Porta Navarra to the south and Porta Santo Spirito or Porta Amandola located to the south-west. Inside the urban quadrilateral, Servigliano looks like an ancient Roman city with the main street - the decumanus – crossing the town until the main square Piazza Roma, where it lies the town hall, the church of Saint Mark, and Palazzo Vecchiotti, the most beautiful palace of Servigliano.

The shape of the Servigliano walls catches the eyes immediately with its perfect squared shape and the best way to visit the quadrilateral walls of Servigliano is from above which makes where possible to admire the perfect shape as well as the lines of this square. Although it is not easy to find a panoramic place from which to admire the urban quadrilateral in its entirety, the bell tower of Saint Mark church can be useful to this end. Alternatively, our suggestion is to go to the height where it was located the ancient town, from which you will have a good prospective to see the squared walls for which Servigliano is famous as the ideal city.