Also spelt ‘lesi’, it was a famous Swabian stronghold of the Middle Ages, commanding the Ancona coast. Frederick II, called ‘Stupor Mundi’ for his accomplishments, was born here in 1194.

Jesi still preserves its medieval fortifications. There are typical Venetian-school paintings in the Palazzo della Signoria. The town was also the birth-place of the composer Pergolesi (1710-1736).