Italy’s most beautiful villages

Marotta is a seaside town whose territory is divided into three areas: Fano, Mondolfo and San Costanzo. There are sandy and pebbled beaches, whereas the bottom is evenly sandy.
The beach features a dock that has been carefully recovered and it's become a main tourist attraction. There are modern and well equipped bathing establishments.
It boasts the prestigious Blue Flag, awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education to environmentally well-kept beaches across Europe. The important "eco-label" is given to sites that meet strict criteria including water quality, environmental management, safety and other services.
Mondolfo belongs to the association of The most beautiful villages in Italy: it boasts the monumental Church of St. Augustine with the cloister, the Romanesque church of San Gervasio and the Sanctuary of the Madonna of the Caves, surrounded by pine trees and added an ecological path-cultural called the "Valley of Tufi." Along the fortified walls of the castle of Mondolfo is the "Garden Martiniano", set in the Bastion of St. Anne, a beautiful Italian garden with wonderful views.

Its special care for the environment and, most of all, its policies aiming at its protection and to sustainability, which showed how careful its community is to environmental issues, made Mondolfo get the Spiga Verde (Green Spike) award.

A few miles from the Adriatic beach resorts, Gradara is one of the most popular Marche’s tourist destinations. Gradara boasts the Orange Flag award, it belongs to the Association of The most beautiful villages in Italy and to the National Association of Wine Cities.

The imposing 14th century walls surrounding the town are some of the best preserved in the Marche, with their crenellated battlements and bristling towers. The single main street leads up through the city gates to the fortress at the higher end of the town. The squared fortress, a polygonal tower on the northern side, dominates the town: it was here, according to tradition, that the murder of Francesca da Rimini and her lover Paolo, the lovers immortalized by Dante in his Divina Commedia, took place in 1289. It dates back to the twelfth century, but was changed under the rule of the Malatesta and the Sforza families. Pieces of 15th century furniture, valuable frescoes and altarpieces can be admired inside. Around the castle people can walk along the Lovers’ path, which surrounds the hill. There you can enjoy a nice view of the farming landscape. In the wonderful setting of the Medieval castle there’s also a bird’s park, which is also a falconry centre ( The Teatro dell’aria” or Theatre of the air”). It’s a park of environmental education entirely dedicated to the art of falconry. Here you can enjoy exhibitions of flying birds of prey and intriguing shows with them. Must-see attractions are also the little theatre, which can accommodate 70 people; Rubini Vesin Palace, built by local artists in the second half of the 19^th century and now used for several cultural events: theatre, music and literary conferences.

The most typical dish is the "bigol," a kind of homemade spaghetti seasoned with mushroom or gravy sauce.

The most remarkable events taking place in Gradara during the year are: Gradara d’amare ( Gradara for lovers) in February, Solstice at the castle, Thursdays at the castle ( June/September) and Siege to the castle ( July).

Monte Grimano Terme, formerly called Mons Germanus, is situated on a spur overlooking the Conca valley and, thanks to its 600 m above sea level, it offers pure air, a mild climate and the atmosphere of hill landscapes. The town is a member of the association The most beautiful villages in Italy. As an old medieval castle, it was important in the disputes between the Montefeltro from Urbino, for whom it represented a defensive stronghold, and the Malatesta from Rimini.

Today, it represents a true gateway to the Montefeltro for those coming from Romagna. Immersed in an enchanting natural scenery, the precious healing alkaline, sulphurous and saline-bromic-iodic waters used in the well-equipped hydrotherapy station, flow from the slopes of the near S. Paolo mountain. The proposed natural methods of the thermal station exploit the properties of herbs and mud. The Centre also hosts a modern spa for medical and aesthetic treatments (the spa is temporarily closed). This is an ideal place to regenerate body and spirit, characterized as it is by gardens, woodlands and trails where you can meet squirrels, hares, deer and hawks.

The urban layout of its old town centre has a spiral shape of typical medieval origin. The fifteenth-century Civic Tower is what remains of the Medieval Palace. In the parish church of San Silvestro, built at the end of the eighteenth century and designed by Cosimo Morelli from Imola in neoclassical style, but altered, there is an organ dating back to the 1700-1800, a musical jewel of a little less than 500 barrels, now inventoried as a cultural asset of the Marche Region. Thanks to the fulfillment of the criteria for admission to the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, Montegrimano Terme came to be part of this exclusive Club that aims at safeguarding, preserving and revitalizing small settlements that, despite their great value, risk to be forgotten.

Macerata Feltria, the Roman Pitinum Pisaurense, is nestled in a green valley on the border among the regions of the Marche, Romagna and Tuscany, in the heart of Montefeltro and it boasts a landscape of great beauty. Its geographical location, a moderate climate, natural and cultural resources and the richness of its thermal springs make it an ideal place for a full recovery of health and a complete relaxation. Not by chance, it belongs to the association of "The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy".

The Village is home to the eighteenth century Palazzo Antimi Clari, the beautiful Theatre "A. Battelli" of 1932 fully restored and operational, the nineteenth-century Parish Church of St. Michael the Archangel in which a precious Crucifix painted on wood by Carlo da Camerino in 1396 is preserved , and the Pitinum Thermae, the thermal First Level Super, where you can practice all types of spa sulfur treatments .

In the basement of the Church of Santa Chiara (thirteenth century) is a Museum of Industrial Archeology, which exposes equipment in perfect working order. 

Along the road leading to the castle you can find the Church of St. Francis, built in the fourteenth century and rebuilt in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with a Gothic portal and frescoes of the fifteenth century and also the remains of its ancient monastery, which now houses the Museum of Vintage Radio, the second public museum of antique radios in Italy. The Palace of the Podestà (twelfth century) houses the Civic Museum of Archaeology and Palaeontology.

Across the river stands the Castle (eleventh and fourtheenth centuries) with a pyramidal shape, placed on a hill and surrounded by walls, on the top of which stands the Torre Civica where palaeontological specimens are displayed. Near the southern entrance of the Castle is located the Arch of the Pelasgians, the mythical "Sea Peoples" of the pre-Hellenic Greece, founders of the town .

Along the road to Carpegna stands the Romanesque church of San Cassiano in Pitino near which you can see the excavations which have brought to light the remains of the Pitinum Pisaurense and in particular of an ancient Roman road. 

Among the most significant events in Macerata Feltria "Preziosi d'Epoca" (exhibition of old jewels and young stylists’ creations) in August and the Christmas event "Il Paese delle Meraviglie" ( Land of wonders).

Frontino is, by population, the smallest Municipality in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino and in the Montefeltro Mountain Community. it belongs to The Borghi più belli d'Italia organization (The  most beautiful villages in Italy ), that promotes Italy's most beautiful villages. Here flies the Orange Flag, that is an award given by Touring Club Italiano to small inland towns across Italy in recognition of the quality of what they offer the tourist while not sacrificing the environment. It is included in the Natural Park of Sasso Simone and Simoncello. You can enjoy breathtaking views, with Mount Carpegna in the backdrop. At the foot of the village lies the valley of the river Mutino, whose stones pave its streets. These stones were used to build beautiful towers, the castle walls and the fountains by Franco Assetto, the great artist from Turin precursor of pop art and promoter of the artistic movement "Baroque Ensembliste", who left most of his works to the city of Frontino. The museum in the old town centre is named after him.

The pride of the town is the thirteenth century convent of Montefiorentino. According to tradition, it was founded by St. Francis in 1213 and it is one of the largest monasteries in the Marche. The monastery includes a small cloister and boasts the Renaissance Chapel of the Oliva Counts, built in 1484 and a masterpiece of Renaissance art, attributed to Francesco De Simone Ferrucci da Fiesole, holding important works of art, such as the beautiful altarpiece by Giovanni Santi, Raffaello's father, and a fresco attributed to Evangelista da Piandimeleto.The fourteenth century water mill known as "di Ponte Vecchio", which supplied flour and bread to the castle, has a guard and a defense tower and it now houses the "Museo del Pane" (Museum of Bread).The monastery of San Girolamo, surrounded by oak trees, has recently been restored and it is now used as a service residence. It includes a church, a convent and a service dependence. The back wall of the dining hall is adorned with a Last Supper. The upper floor houses the old monks' cells.The most important local products are:  the black truffle and the bean, to which some events are dedicated; the so-called "bostreng" is a delicious local cake, made with eggs and milk. The National Literary Prize "Frontino Montefeltro" has been taking place in Frontino for over thirty years. 

Corinaldo is a village belonging to the Association "The most beautiful villages in Italy"; it boasts the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag), that is a recognition of quality awarded by the Touring Club Italiano to small towns (population 15,000 or less) in Italy for excellency in tourism, hospitality and the environment. It is also included in the National Association of olive oil , Honey Cities and European Destinations of Excellence. It is a remarkably pretty fortified hill town, that boasts the best-preserved 15th century defensive walls in the Marche, surrounded by towers, gates and polygonal ramparts. Walking along long stretches of the battlements you can admire sweeping views. In its medieval centre stands one of the most typical sites, the so called “Piaggia”, the one hundred Steps, leading upward to Piazza del Terreno.  It's worth wondering up and down the narrow stepped streets and visiting the Civic art gallery dedicated to Claudio Ridolfi, the Mannerist painter from Verona who spent much of his life in Corinaldo, and the shrine dedicated to St Maria Goretti, the town's own 20th century saint, murdered in 1902 at the age of 12 by a would-be rapist whom she resisted. Corinaldo belongs to the Archaelogical Park of Suasa ( 3^rd century b. C) located in Pian Volpello. In the Costume and popular traditional museum you can see the costumes made for the historical re-enactment called “ Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta, which means Contest of the Polenta (cornmeal mush) Well”, the oldest one in the province of Ancona. It takes place in the third week end of July and it brings back to life the victory of people from Corinaldo in 1517 over the army of the Duke of Urbino who besieged the town for 20 days. Other important events taking place in Corinaldo are: Corinaldo Jazz in summer and Halloween Festival at the end of October. In Corinaldo you can taste top quality cured meats, like cured meats from Frattula, the “pecorelle”, a typical cake and an excellent olive oil. The town is in Verdicchio wine country and the local co-operative winery, Val di Nevola, produces some excellent value bottles.

Mondavio is a beautifully preserved, red-brick medieval hill town. It belongs to the association of  The most beautiful villages in Italy and boasts the Orange and Green Flag. 
The imposing fortress that stands out from afar was built by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, one of Italy's most celebrated Renaissance military architects; it now houses an entertaining 'living museum' portraying life when the fortress was built at the close of the 15th century for Giovanni della Rovere, son-in-law of Duke Federico da Montefeltro. 
The most remarkable monuments in the historic centre are: Palazzo dei Malatesta, the church of San Francesco, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Paterniano and Eleuterio, the fourteenth-century Palazzo della Comunanza and the Teatro Apollo, built in the mid-eighteenth century on the ruins of a fifteenth century church.
Every year in mid-August you can't miss the "Caccia al Cinghiale" (Hunt to the Wild Boar); the festival commemorates the arrival of Giovanni della Rovere in Mondavio for taking possession of the Vicariate, a gift from Pope Sixtus IV on the occasion of his marriage to Giovanna, Federico da Montefeltro's daughter. It was an important event, which influenced the entire Cesano Valley in terms of economy, culture, social organization. The re-enactment begins on 13th August with a sumptuous banquet and end on 15th August with parades, games, Renaissance life experiences and fireworks from the Roveresca Fortress. 

It was a Roman settlement: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, once the forum of Roman Cingulum, is still the heart of this stone-built town. Its historic centre features warm colored palaces with Renaissance portals and a large number of churches: the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, the Church of S. Filippo Neri, the church of St. Nicholas and the Church of San Domenico, boasting the large canvas of the splendid Madonna of the Rosary by Lorenzo Lotto. Now the canvas by Lotto can be admired in the Town Council.

Further tourist attractions are: the 16th century Town Hall, Palazzo Conti, Palazzo Puccetti and Palazzo Castiglioni, where Pope Pius VIII was born. Worth seeing are also the Archaeological Museum, with interesting Bronze Age finds, and the town’s art gallery.

Near Cingoli you can enjoy hiking tours among woods in the area of Monte San Vicino and Lake Castreccioni, where an adventure park is available.

Typical dishes are the tagliatelle with wild boar ragu, gnocchi (potato paste) with duck sauce. 

The most important events taking place in Cingoli during the year are: Folklore Festival (July), Thursdays in Art (July / August) and the historical re-enactment "Cingoli 1848" (July).



The historic center, the monuments and the museums of the town are partially accessible.

It's a pretty hill town, just north of Macerata; it  belongs to the association of “The most beautiful villages in Italy” and boasts “the Orange Flag”,
and the Green Spike label, thanks to a goog recycling activities and great attention given to, educational activities on environmental issues.
It is surrounded by medieval walls and has a particularly attractive small piazza; overlooking it, the solid 15th century Palazzo Comunale, built over a shady portico, has three beautiful bottle-glazed windows. Steps lead through an archway to one side, up to the parish church, topped by a stubby spire. Inside the sober Gothic brick interior, there is refreshingly un-restored terracotta altarpiece by Mattia Della Robbia (1527), a lesser-known member of the famous Florentine artistic family.
The Compagnucci Palace houses the town picture gallery where works by Girolamo Buratti, an important canvas “Madonna enthroned with Child between Saints Andrew and Helen and musician angels” by the Spanish painter Ioannes Hispanus and the painting representing St. John the Baptist in prison by an unknown painter are preserved. In the Romanesque church of St. Nicolò there’s the oldest bell of the Marche as well as frescoes dating back to the 16th century The church of Saints Philip and James houses a canvas attributed to Pagani; the wooden altar of the church of Santa Croce is unique. The Church of St. John the Baptist houses the museum of sacred art and furnishings; the 19^th century Theatre Delle Logge is embellished by painting decorations and stuccowork. The Collegiate church of St. Lorenzo was largely renovated in 1723; it houses a large crucifix with a triumphant Christ . Worth visiting are the recently restored historic courtyards: the Augustinian cloister, the Garden of San Giacomo and the courtyard of the Monastery of the Poor Clares. The most typical specialty is "sughitti", a kind of pudding made with must, sweet corn flour and walnuts.The most important events are: the historical re-enactment "Palio dei Terzieri" (in July) and the festival of "Sughitti" (in October).

Nestling between Macerata and the coast, it preserves its original layout: its well-preserved walls retain the earliest four doorways and the roads feature the ancient stone paving. Montelupone, where the Orange flag flies, also belongs to the association of The most beautiful villages in Italy. The central Piazza del Comune is overshadowed by the tall tower of the Palazzo del Podestà with its striking battlements. Next to it is the nineteenth-century town hall, with its neo-classical portico, housing the historical Theatre Nicola Degli Angeli.
Not far for the centre, near the river Potenza, a must-see attraction is the Benedictine abbey of San Firmano. Montelupone boasts a long-standing agricultural tradition; the most typical farm produce is the artichoke. Sagra del carciofo, the festival centred around the local artichoke, take places in early May.

GROTTAMMARE is a seaside resort of the Palm Tree Riviera, boasting a remarkable cultural and historical heritage and 5km of fine sandy beaches. It has been awarded the Blue Flag by the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe), three “ Vele Blu “ by Legambiente and is included in the list of “The most beautiful villages in Italy”.
Its pretty traffic-free promenade is backed by some splendid examples of seaside Liberty architecture - grand villas that date back to the turn of the last century. Along with the many palm trees that line the seafront, bright flower beds and well-kept lawns give the place great charm.
The so called Pineta dei Bersaglieri is an area where children can play and have fun. If you wish to relax, you can enjoy sitting on a bench  in Piazza Kursaal, covering an area of about 5000 square meters, paved with travertine stone and decorated with a ground-level fountain, pine and palm trees.
The Medieval historic borgo up above the main resort has fine old buildings and great views out to sea. The most remarkable monuments are: the Church of Sant’Agostino and the attractive Church of Santa Lucia, built in 1597 in memory of the town's most famous son, Pope Sixtus V. In Piazza Peretti stand Teatro dell'Arancio and the Church of San Giovanni Battista, home to the Sistine Museum. Since 2004 the 16th century Tower of the Battle has been converted into a museum, housing an impressive collection of sculptures by Pericles Fazzini, who made the well- known “Resurrection” in Vaticano’s Sala Nervi.

The renovated museum dedicated to Giacomo Pomili houses the artist’s earliest works and further paintings depicting legends , female characters , landscapes, etc. In summer you can stroll along Corso Mazzini, full of street markets, listen to music in Piazza Fazzini or enjoy the big Cabaret at Parco delle Rimembranze. For those who love romantic atmosphere, you can listen to classical music and learn about poetry in the old medieval village. Cinema, art and theater are other forms of entertainment for all seasons.

The most remarkable events taking place in Grottammare are : Cabaret amoremio! - International Humor Festival (August), Liszt Festival (July / August), Juttenizie - gastronomic walk (August / September) and the Living Nativity (December 26 / January 1 and 6). 

Grottammare has also been awarded the Spiga Verde of the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe), thanks to the policies adopted for environmental sustainability and for involving citizens in the protection of the environment.

San Ginesio, where the Orange Flag flies, is a delightful small town with a strong medieval stamp and breathtaking views of the mountains; it retains its original medieval plan, surrounded by walls with sentry’s walkways, embrasures and towers. The village belongs to the association The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and is included in the National Park of the Sibillini Mountains. Its historic centre boasts the splendid Collegiate Church , whose crypt houses delightful early frescoes decorated by Lorenzo Salimbeni; the 13thC Romanesque church of San Francesco and the town's civic museum, housing many works by Marche painters of the 15th and 16th centuries and a modern section collecting contemporary works, musical instruments and holy objects.
The most typical dish in town is "polenta", obtained with a variety of local corn and a sauce made of different types of meat. The most important events taking place in San Ginesio during the year are: the International Folklore Festival "The Balcony of the Sibillini" (July / August) and the historical re-enactment "Medievalia, Palio of San Ginesio and the Battle of the Fornarina" (August).

Sarnano, where  the Orange Flag flies,  is situated in the middle of a beautiful valley at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains. It also belongs to the association The most beautiful villages in Italy. Its historic centre retains the medieval origin; the beguiling little square, Piazza Alta, is flanked by the church of Santa Maria Assunta and the town's medieval municipal buildings : Palazzo del Popolo with its finely decorated gothic-romanesque portal, the Palazzo dei Priori and the Palazzetto del Podestà. The former Monastery of Santa Chiara now houses the town’s civic musem and art gallery. Sarnano is a spa town: its waters are claimed to be beneficial for a whole gamut of complaints, including gout, arthritis and liver complaints. For ski lovers the nearby Sassotetto, one of the Marche's ski resorts, offers reasonably well equipped ski lifts and accommodation.
The historic center, the monuments and the museums of the town are partially accessible. For information please write to numeroverde.turismo@regione.marche.it or contact the phone numbers listed below.

Mercatello sul Metauro, where flies the Bandiera Arancione (Orange Flag), that is a recognition of quality awarded by the Touring Club Italiano to small towns (population 15,000 or less) in Italy for excellency in tourism, hospitality and the environment, retains medieval plan ; its walls are protected by the groove of two rivers. In Piazza Garibaldi stands the Collegiate Church, which still preserves the walls of the earliest Romanesque site, and the Romanesque-Gothic church of San Francesco, housing a fourteenth-century crucifix by Giovanni da Rimini and the tomb of Bartolomeo Brancaleoni, who was lord of Mercatello in the first half of the fifteenth century. Must-see attractions are also the birthplace of Saint Veronica Giuliani,  the Romanesque bridge over the Metauro river, the small collection of Contemporary Art housed in Palazzo Gasparini, the Palazzaccio, the "Monte di Pietà", founded in 1516. The area of Mercatello sul Metauro is well known for its truffles, both black and white. The most remarkable events taking place in  Mercatello sul Metauro are: the Fair of St. Veronica (the first week of July) and the Palio of the Donkey (early July), the tournament between the four districts of the country including games, food tasting and a special festival dedicated to the much appreciated "tagliatella" (noodle).

The glorious past of Pergola is reflected  in the famous Gilded Bronzes of the Julian-Claudian age, which were discovered in 1946 in Cartoceto di Pergola and  are housed at the homonymous Museum  dei Bronzi Dorati di Pergola.  It’s one of the very few equestrian statues in gilded bronze which has survived to the present day. Pergola is also known as the town of the one hundred churches, rich in works of art. They’re a mirror of the important economic, political and religious power of the town during the centuries. The most important churches are: the Medieval Gothic church of San Giacomo and that of San Francesco. The town's other attraction is a heavily perfumed purple wine made with local red grapes and sold as Vernaccia di Pergola.If you have a sweet tooth you might be tempted to try the lip-smacking local liqueur called visner or vino di visciole. This heavenly digestivo is made by macerating crushed sour cherries in red wine with sugar, lemon peel and either cinnamon or cloves. Some also fortify the mix with rum. Another important precious product of Pergola is truffle, to which, in autumn, a National Fair of white truffle is dedicated.  

Parts of the collegiate church of Santa Lucia, in Piazza della Repubblica date back to the Romanesque period. The town also has a remarkable series of six painted panels by Carlo Crivelli. The finest of these, depicting Saint Mary Magdalene, is reckoned to be among the artist's most beautiful figures. You'll find them in the Polo Museale beside the Church of San Francesco.

The charming center of Torre di Palme is a fantastic panoramic balcony on top of a hill dominating the coast and the Adriatic Sea.

Torre di Palme is characterized by the preservation of its environment and the stylistic uniformity of the medieval and Renaissance buildings, elements that make it, despite its small size, one of the most interesting historical centers of the region.

The visit of the town can start from the little Church of San Giovanni dating from 1000, in ashlars of stone and hanging arches, in which there are frescoes of the fifteenth century, followed by the Palazzo Priorale with a round arch walled in the frontage and a small bell gable and the Gothic Church of Sant'Agostino (formerly of the Hermits) with the adjacent convent, with its typical red brick, whose façade is ennobled by a beautiful Gothic portal and a rose window: not to be missed, inside , a panel of Vincenzo Pagani (1578) and an impressive altarpiece by Vittore Crivelli, ennobled by the original frame in carved wood and characterized by bright enamelled colors , made even more intense by the gold of the background. Continuing along the course leads to the Church of Santa Maria a Mare, built in the twelfth century and later amended, in ashlars of stone and terracotta, whose bell tower is decorated with interlaced arches and majolica basins: the interesting interior has three naves with raised presbytery and Byzantine frescoes of the fourteenth century. On the left of the church, in a small garden, there is a well-curb, once used as a baptistery.

Torre di Palme is surrounded by the lush vegetation of the protected area called "Bosco del Cugnolo", where typical plants of the Mediterranean Sea can be found. It's very appreciated by hikers and it also features the Lovers' Cave, which is the place of the tragic love between Antonio and Laurina.