Sant’Elpidio a Mare is an old medieval town founded in the 11th century.

It is named after the Saint Elpidio who is its Patron Saint.

According to legend, Saint Elpidio saved the town from the Turkish attack.

The town grew a lot over the years. At the beginning of the 14th century, Sant’Elpidio a Mare spread out on three hills, it was surrounded by three kilometres of walls and it had seven main gates.

Nowadays, the remains of the medieval walls with three of the original seven gates surround the residential area. “Porta Romana” (the Roman Gate), “Porta Marina” (The Marina Gate) and “Porta Canale” (the Canal Gate) are the remaining gates.