Roman cisterns, Archaeological site and historical museum in Fermo, Italy.

The Roman Cisterns are an underground complex beneath Fermo's center consisting of multiple interconnected chambers that once stored water for the ancient city. The structure demonstrates Roman engineering methods used to collect and preserve water in a single unified system.

The cisterns are conventionally dated to around 40 AD, based on a roof-tile fragment on one wall bearing the stamp of a builder active in those years (CLODI AMBROSI); some scholars place them at the end of the 1st century BC. The underground complex covers about 2,200 square metres in thirty chambers on three parallel rows, collecting rainwater for city distribution. Six rooms still gathered water for Fermo's supply until 1980, fed by springs of the Sibillini mountains.

The name "Cisterne Romane" is how locals refer to the site, entered today through the Museo Civico Archeologico in the former Dominican convent. Six of the thirty chambers still collected water from the Sibillini springs until 1980, and the rest were cleared of centuries of debris around 1960. A smaller twin, the Piccole Cisterne, lies under part of the Palazzo Comunale at Piazza del Popolo.

The cisterns are located underground and can only be visited on guided tours that depart from a nearby museum. Visitors should be prepared for uneven ground and damp conditions in the subterranean chambers.

Six of the thirty chambers still collected water for Fermo's supply until 1980, fed by springs in the Sibillini mountains. The rest were cleared of centuries of debris around 1960, exposing a structure largely intact after two thousand years. Fifteen inspection and ventilation shafts remain visible in the ceilings.