These are hard times for travel lovers. The health emergency from Covid-19 is not only changing our way of living everyday lifestyle but also revolutionizing our travel patterns. In the past months the interest in local tourism has grown, leading to the discovery of places close to one’s home.
In this regard, Le Marche region is the ideal solution for local tourism giving you the chance to visit wonderful villages, take long walks, hike in nature or discover cultural and historical sites. This beautiful region, which has been included by Lonely Planet in the best destinations to visit in 2020, is characterized by gentle hills, amazing landscapes, wooded mountains and beautiful seaside resorts on the Adriatic coast. Here you can find exactly 28 of the 308 best Italian villages, admitted by the Association I Borghi più Belli d’Italia, an association of small Italian towns of historical interest, aimed at preserving villages of quality heritage.
That’s why we would like to show you a selection of villages in the Marche region, which are worth seeing.
Grottammare
Grottammare is one of the three best villages in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in addition to Offida and Montefiore dell’Aso. The old village, known as Grottammare Alta because of its top position over the sea, is a real Pearl of the Adriatic being nestled in the unique scenario of the Riviera delle Palme.
The village has a millennial history, as attested by its town walls and its Torrione della Battaglia. It is characterized by narrow streets with suggestive views and a wonderful square, Piazza Peretti, dedicated to Pope Sisto, who was born in Grottammare. In your “must see” list during your visit don’t forget Palazzo Priorale and Teatro dell’Arancio with its panoramic loggia.
Torre di Palme
Torre di Palme is in the Municipality of Fermo just 4 km from Porto San Giorgio and is a real panoramic balcony over the hills, once part of the Castles of Fermo. The old town centre counts only 1.000 inhabitants and is characterized by magical narrow streets with breathtaking views over the blue sea and the green hills. The houses of Torre di Palme are in brick and stone and finely rebuilt and decorated with colourful flowers. The cobbled roads are made to be walked while enjoying a magical medieval atmosphere.
The village still maintains the typical original urban structure, being surrounded by the city walls, inside which you can find countless palaces and churches of the eleventh and twelfth century. Torre di Palme with its Boschetto del Cugnolo and Grotta degli Amanti is also the ideal solution for hikers. It is in fact located in a natural context of unique beauty in a Protected Floristic Area, characterized by dense vegetation with typical well-preserved Mediterranean scrub species, such as centuries-old oaks, pines and junipers.
Montecassiano
The province of Macerata counts 9 of the best Italian villages, which are Cingoli, Esanatoglia, Montecassiano, Montecosaro, Montelupone, San Ginesio, Sarnano, Treia and Visso.
Montecassiano is a typical medieval village of the fifteenth century lying on a hill whose geomorphology has determined the typical agglomeration of concentric circles. The old town centre is surrounded by well-preserved walls and has three access gates: Porta di San Giovanni, Porta Diaz with a beautiful embattled tower and Porta Cesare Battisti. The heart of the village is the wonderful Piazza Unità d'Italia, dominated by architectural and religious sites such as Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo Compagnucci, the center of Pinacoteca, and the monumental complex of the former Convento degli Agostiniani, which is today the town hall.
Palazzo dei Priori with its beautiful embattled walls is one of the best examples of Gothic civil architecture in Le Marche region besides being a suggestive setting to many historical re-enactments which take place in Montecassiano, one among all the Palio dei Terzieri.
Chiara Sandroni
