Two holidays in one.
The green of the hinterland and the blue of the sea.
Here it is Marotta di Mondolfo (PU), a former fishing village between Pesaro and Urbino, today famous for its quiet beaches, well served and uncrowded. A village that is, at the same time, traditions and simplicity and where the “seafaring” past that can still be breathed in every street of the village.
In April, the town also hosts the Sagra dei Garagoi, during which the fishermen, helped by the housewives, cook them according to the ancient tradition and offer them to the inhabitants and tourists.
And if we talk about traditions we cannot fail to mention the Festa della Tratta, the historical re-enactment of hand-drawn fishing (now prohibited) held on the beach between the end of July and the beginning of August.
Historical re-enactment but also party with a riot of typical dishes of the local culinary tradition, such as scottadito sardines.
It tells of the “double nature” of this territory: the sunrise over the sea in Marotta, until sunset on the hills behind the Castle of Mondolfo.
They liked the experience so much that it was decided to mosaic all the walls of the waterfront starting from the nice Marotta pier, making the waterfront one of a kind.
Maybe because here the sea has its own wonderful charm even in the winter months. Or will it be because those shades ranging from gray to green are truly irresistible. In any case, Marotta is a stop not to be missed. In every season of the year.
Walking through the streets of the Mondolfo Castle means rediscovering the history, art and culture of this village perched in the hills of the Marche.
The Belvedere del Castello is an unmissable stop: from here the gaze can sweep in an instant from the green hills to the sea, to Monte Conero. Also not to be missed is the “Agostinelli” municipal Sferisterio where the ball with the bracelet is played, the ancient game of the Renaissance courts of which Mondolfo is among the national capitals.
The Tufi Valley is an oasis of tranquility immersed in the green of the Marche countryside. Traveling it by bike or on horseback, walking alone or with the family is the most relaxing thing that can exist: it means fully experiencing the luxuriant nature of our region, among rows of vines and luxuriant olive groves, passages between jungles and centuries-old woods.
It is one of the most ancient, beautiful and enigmatic churches in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino, which welcomes the visitor on an itinerary of faith, history, archeology and art to be discovered. The 6th century Ravenna sarcophagus is marvelous, the largest in the Marche region kept inside the suggestive crypt.
To visit: the Bavaria building, the Rocca Roveresca (recently restored), the Duke’s palace, the Church of the Cross, the Herculaneum arcades.
Founded in 1234, in an area inhabited since prehistoric times and then by Umbrians, Etruscans, Celts, Romans, Pergola is a city of art. The historic center is rich in architectural testimonies, typical of the Middle Ages, with stone buildings, tower-houses, pointed portals and bas-reliefs, as well as numerous and remarkable religious buildings, confirming the importance that the city has held over time. Absolutely to visit is the “Museum of the Gilded Bronzes and the City of Pergola”.
The Rocca di Mondavio is still today one of the most interesting examples of the design activity of Francesco di Giorgio Martini in the Marche. Now in excellent condition, it was built for Giovanni della Rovere together with that of nearby Mondolfo, unfortunately razed to the ground in the second half of the nineteenth century, and probably dates back to the later phase of the architect’s design activity. Sienese, perhaps in the last decade of the 15th century.
The majestic fortress, imagined in the Treatises of Francesco di Giorgio with an even more elaborate design, today appears as a complex figurative war device, dominated by the presence of the keep with its elusive facades and sharp edges, to which a massive tower and a torricino and, beyond a bridge, the entrance ravelin. The sinuous shapes of the entire fortified complex, with high scarp walls that rise above a large moat, would have increased further if an additional round tower had been built, planned on the western side and not built.
The interiors largely correspond to the original structures. In the keep, the residential spaces were located on the upper level of the building, with the castellan’s quarters and access to the fire vents. Currently these rooms are intended for exhibition spaces and museums, including a valuable collection of armor and tools for military use.
The Republic of San Marino is a small state located within the Italian Republic, between the regions of Emilia-Romagna to the north-east and south-east (province of Rimini), and Marche, to the west and south-west (province of Pesaro and Urbino).
San Marino is the oldest republic in the world: it became a Republic in 1600, while the San Marino community is even older, apparently dating back to 301 AD. The Republic has a State Museum which exhibits valuable and famous works, first of all the “Polyptych of San Marino” by the Renaissance painter of the Forlì school Francesco Menzocchi, already kept in the ancient parish church of San Marino. Works by Guercino, Pompeo Batoni, Elisabetta Sirani, Stefano Galletti, Michele Giambono, Baccio Bandinelli, Tiburzio Passerotti and Bernardo Strozzi are also exhibited. The three famous fortresses that rise on the highest points of Mount Titano are also of historical interest.
Distance from Marotta: 75 km
The complex of the Frasassi Caves, within the Marche Apennines, is one of the most magnificent and fascinating underground routes in the world.
An uncontaminated, hidden and beautiful environment, made up of suggestive spaces and transparent concretions similar to crystal arabesques that are reflected on fairy-tale lakes.
A magical place where life has continued undisturbed for millions of years thanks to the slow and constant work of the drops that continue to dig and build their beautiful architecture.
The overall length of the Frasassi Caves has been estimated at 30 km and its largest environment, the Ancona Abyss, has a volume of approximately 1,000,000 cubic meters, with a height of 240 meters, so much so that it could accommodate even the Duomo of Milan.
The dimensions of the concretions are no less: just mention the Giants, the gigantic 20 m high stalagmites of the Ancona Abyss, or the huge 15 m stalagmite that stands in the center of the Obelisk Room. The fantastic world of the Caves also fascinates with the spectacle of the organ pipes in the Canyon, with the magical scenery of the candles that are reflected on a lake of crystal clear water and with many rooms that are offered to our gaze along the suggestive path.
The only mountain (572 meters) overlooking the sea from Trieste to the Gargano, Monte Conero is the heart of the homonymous Regional Park. Its beauties go hand in hand with the cities of Ancona and Camerano and with the seaside tourist centers of Sirolo and Numana.
The Park, established in 1987, but managed only since 1991, is an environmental oasis that extends for 5,800 hectares of protected area, with places of great suggestion: the Bay of Portonovo, the Due Sorelle beach, the north Belvedere, Pian Grande, Pian dei Raggetti… 18 hiking trails that wind through strawberry trees, brooms, holm oaks, pines, in the magic of the Mediterranean scrub.
Numerous species of birds present, some of which are rare, together with a rich faunal presence. The many plants that make up the Mediterranean scrub are protected here and represent a third of the entire floristic heritage of the Marche. There are numerous works of art: Santa Maria di Portonovo, San Pietro al Conero, the Antiquarium on the Piceno civilization in Numana, along with specific geological itineraries of singular interest.
Distance from Marotta: 45 km
Located on the southwestern border of the Municipality of Fossombrone is the Furlo massif, halfway between the sea and the Apennine chain.
It is precisely the Gola del Furlo, a deep and narrow split that separates Monte Paganuccio (976 m) from Monte Pietralata (888 m), characterized by almost vertical walls carved into the massive limestone, on the bottom of which flows the Candigliano, a tributary of the Metauro; it determines the administrative boundary between four Municipalities of the Province of Pesaro Urbino.
The Candigliano swirls into the gorge and in the narrowest point of the bottleneck it overcomes a sharp drop of about 10 m with a waterfall, where a dam was built perfectly visible from the road that runs alongside it, the famous Via Flaminia.
These particular characteristics of the morphology of the place have made the gorge difficult to use and constitute a dividing element in an obligatory passage point between the Metauro valley and the innermost one of Burano, which leads to the favorable Scheggia pass and the Tiber valley. .
For some years this area has been declared a State Nature Reserve for a total area of 3,627 hectares and the managing body that deals with it is the Provincial Administration of Pesaro and Urbino – Environment Service.
