Stands on a hilltop, a short distance away from the right bank of the Lower Metauro Valley, some 9 km from Fossombrone, in the midst of lush green countryside of fields and vineyards, dotted with trees.
Founded by the people of Fossombrone between the 6^th and 7^th centuries, it takes its name from an ancient 5^th-6^th century basilica which stood on the Flaminian Way and was dedicated to Saints Hippolytus and Lawrence. Over the centuries the town remained faithful to Fossombrone, whose fortunes it followed. It became known for its engravers and marble workers who began in the 14^th Century (and perhaps as far back as Roman times) to quarry the local stone and marble, supplying materials and skilled labour for the many building works carried in the area and further afield. Today, this local art has made Sant'Ippolito into a small open air museum in which almost every house is decorated with niches, stone entranceways, corbels, window frames, and a variety of other decorations. The church of Sant' Antonio, which stands inside the town wall, has five marble altar-pieces built by local craftsmen, while the church of Sant'Ippolito has another fine altar-piece. The Torre dell'Orologio (bell tower) is also worthy of note, with its elegant belfry, topped by an onion-shaped cupola (18^th Century). The castle, which Federico da Montefeltro commissioned Francesco di Giorgio Martini to build in order to defend the border between his lands and the territory of Fano, unfortunately has not survived.
The ancient fortified villages of Reforzate (324 m) and Sorbolongo (359 m), which once belonged to the city of Fano, now lie in the district of Sant' Ippolito. Each of them still retain their escarpment walls.