From Portonovo to San Benedetto del Tronto

Il viaggio proseguirà percorrendo una bella strada con tante curve sul Monte Conero until you reach Sirolo, almost all of its territory is part of the Conero Regional Park; the “Beach of the Two Sisters” it is the most representative beach of the Riviera with its stacks which are the symbol of Sirolo. It consists of gravel, white pebbles and rocky spurs that set it in the cliff. To visit the theater “At the Quarries” which takes its name from its history: it was in fact obtained in a disused Conero stone quarry. A characteristic open-air theater has been built for some years, natural stage, that animates the Sirolese nights. Its main feature is the acoustics, which makes it unique and exceptional for opera and all kinds of music. Near Sirolo we find Numana, fishing village, today considered "the Lady of the Conero", set between the green of the park and the blue of the sea, is one of the four blue flags of Ancona, where you can enjoy other wonderful views

We arrive at Castelfidardo, city ​​of the accordion and of the unification of Italy. Here we find the Museum of the Risorgimento, an exhibition space, dedicated to the Risorgimento, with particular attention to the battle of Castelfidardo, which resulted in the annexation of the Marches and Umbria to the Kingdom of Sardinia. Set up in 1994 inside Palazzo Mordini, documents are exhibited in memory of the famous battle of 18 September 1860, fought and won in Castelfidardo by the Sardinian Army over the Army of the Papal State. The production of accordions is still current, the oldest factory of these, Paolo Soprani, was founded in 1863.

Il viaggio prosegue percorrendo una piacevole strada fra verdi colline passando per delle belle strade arrivando a Recanati, Sambucheto, Montecassiano, Appignano, Passo Treia then Tolentino where you can visit the Basilica of S. Nicola, originally dedicated to San Giorgio, which was built between the thirteenth century and the fourteenth century to then be completed and enriched in the following centuries. In 1476 it was dedicated to San Nicola da Tolentino who had been housed for about thirty years in the adjoining convent, dying there in 1305. The Cathedral of San Catervo is the cathedral of Tolentino, and co-cathedral of the diocese of Macerata-Tolentino-Recanati-Cingoli-Treia. In January of the 1961 Pope John XXIII raised it to the dignity of a minor basilica. In the Rancia district, on the plain located to the left of the Chienti river, the Rancia Castle, one of the symbols of the city. It looks like a quadrangular building consisting of a crenellated wall reinforced by three corner towers. Between 1353 and the 1357 it was transformed into the present castle at the behest of the Lords of Camerino. In those neighborhoods it was fought therea battle of Tolentino (2-3 May 1815) che fu l’episodio decisivo della guerra austro-napoletana. Combattuta dal re di Napoli Gioacchino Murat contro gli austriaci guidati dal generale Federico Bianchi allo scopo di difendere il proprio regno dopo la precedente sconfitta di Occhiobello e la conseguente ritirata attraverso Faenza, Forlì e Pesaro, the battle saw the final Austrian victory, con il conseguente ritorno dei Borbone sul trono napoletano. Viene considerata talvolta la prima battaglia del Risorgimento italiano.

In piazza della Libertà in Tolentino, on the right with respect to the Town Hall, the bell tower of the Church of San Francesco rises, per la presenza di un singular watch, è divenuto ormai il simbolo della Città. L’ orologio ha una macchina collegata a quattro quadranti che indicano, the lunar phases, the italic hours, the astronomical time and the days of the week and month. E’ opera di Antonio Podrini di Sant’Angelo in Vado che lo costruì nel 1822.

Once you have visited Tolentino, you will arrive at the Borgiano lake, also called lake of Caccamo, an artificial lake, which takes its waters from the Chienti river. It is located in the municipality of Serrapetrona, in the province of Macerata, in the hamlet of Caccamo sul Lago. The main activity that takes place there is fishing; the basin due to its length is also suitable for rowing and for this reason numerous competitions are held there. The village of Pievefavera overlooking the lake is worth seeing

Dal Lago di Borgiano ci spostiamo percorrendo una strada molto divertente per il motociclista fino a giungere al Lago di Fiastra, an artificial lake built for the purpose of supplying electricity in the Fiastrone Valley. Its surface is of 2 km and is located within the Sibillini Mountains National Park, fed by the waters of the Fiastrone river and small minor tributaries that create suggestive corners,

Along the lake of Fiastra towards Monastery e Pian and furnace, we come to Sarnano, città termale e turistica. The town is part of the club of the most beautiful villages in Italy and has been awarded the Orange Flag by the Italian Touring Club. Recently, some tourist walking routes have been enhanced to visit the Cascatelle, Formed by a suggestive jump of the Tennacola river, one of the two tributaries of the Tenna that surround the town, the cascades of the Romans in Sarnano are a small oasis of water, immersed in a shady wood. Very close to the town and easy to reach in any season, the Cascatelle are one of the most visited naturalistic sites, especially in summer, when they offer a cool refuge from the heat.

Going up for approx 12 km on a road full of bends and curves with breathtaking views, sulla quale viene disutato da oltre 50 years a speed championship for historic and modern cars, we come to Sassotetto. località attrezzata per gli sport invernali. Il comprensorio sciistico è uno dei migliori e più apprezzati dell’Appennino Umbro Marchigiano. The snow-capped peaks of Sassotetto, della Maddalena and Piani di Ragnolo offer snow lovers environments suitable for cross-country skiing, the ski-excursionist, ski mountaineering, le ciaspolate e lo snowkite.

We recommend that you stay the night here and taste the local specialties in one of the many restaurants, which the “Tagliatelle with wild boar” and the “Ciauscolo”, un un salume tipico della tradizione contadina.

Leaving Sarnano towards Amandola, we come to Montefortino a town in the province of Fermo. Located on the slopes of the Sibillini Mountains, there are two sites to pay attention to: passing through Rubbiano you go to Gorges of infernaccio natural gorges carved by the Tenna river between Monte Priora and Monte Sibilla, on the Sibillini Mountains, the territory includes the municipality of Montefortino (FM), in the Sibillini Mountains National Park. Le Gole dell’ Infernaccio sono tra le gole più suggestive dell’Appennino umbro-marchigiano, they are a very popular destination for excursions and tourist walks thanks to a relatively simple access route that is almost within everyone's reach, but at the same time rich in elements of high naturalistic interest. Nearby we find the’Hermitage of San Leonardo that stands on a vast plateau a 1.128 mt. above sea level surrounded by dense vegetation of badgers, maple and beech trees between Monte Sibilla and Monte Priora, whose name derives from Prior, one who, inside the monastery, he was the guide and had the task of directing it and administering its assets. From documents of the time here, since the first centuries of the Middle Ages, there was a fortified settlement and, in 1066, following a clash with Visso, the inhabitants of Montefortino built the Hermitage of San Leonardo, which took the name of Castrum de Volubrio, on the remains of what was an ancient monastery founded by the followers of San Benedetto.

Instead, directly from Montefortino you go towards the Sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Ambro which takes its name from the nearby Ambro stream and is one of the oldest and most visited sanctuaries in the Marche region; also called the little Lourdes of the Sibillini Mountains, is located at 658 m of altitude, nestled between Monte Priora and Monte Castel Manardo.

Moving a little further south we arrive at Arquata del Tronto, a town in the province of Ascoli Piceno. It belongs to the mountain community of Tronto and is the only municipality in Europe enclosed within two protected natural areas: the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park to the south, and the Monti Sibillini National Park to the north. It is known for the presence of the historic medieval fortress that overlooks the town.
Unfortunately the earthquake of 2016 caused severe damage to Arquata, causing half of the town to sink into the valley. The village of Pescara del Tronto was completely razed to the ground, con solo poche case rimaste in piedi. The 30 October the strongest quake in magnitude 6.5 a Norcia ha raso al suolo quasi tutta Arquata, with the collapse of the houses, churches and the partial landslide of the downstream part of the bastion. Only the fortress remained standing, although it was also damaged.

We conclude with an excursion to San Benedetto del Tronto. Overlooking the Adriatic Sea, the quiet town of the Marches has become a real tourist pole that attracts many visitors every year thanks to the mild climate, genuine hospitality, good food and many historical and artistic beauties scattered throughout the area. San Benedetto del Tronto is also the true soul of Riviera della Palme, between the avenues and gardens of the city, the city waterfront is a true oasis of tranquility and well-being, then the beach, very long, blue flag continuously since 1999, the most important fishing port in the Adriatic and the seafaring culinary tradition that is enhanced with the famous brodetto alla sambenedettese, as well as being a great container of history, culture and traditions, a place to visit, enjoy and keep in the heart, where to spend the last evening and dine in a typical restaurant and taste local products.

Here you can visit the Maritime Museum of the Marche, which is located in the complex of the Sanbenedetta Fish Market and joins the existing Fish Museum and the Amphora Museum, giving life to the "Polo Museale del Mare". The last section of the museum complex is the Antiquarium Tifernum which collects numerous archaeological finds recovered over the years by the local Archeoclub, and ancient documents that tell the story of San Benedetto del Tronto and the neighboring municipalities from the Neolithic to the fourteenth century. One hundred and fifty steps and we arrived on the Terrace of the Lighthouse, a "climb" that is worth doing; from above you can admire the whole city and the surrounding landscape. This lighthouse is the most important and the most powerful of the stretch of coast that goes from Ancona to Ortona, it dominates everything from the top of its own 31 meters: a cylindrical tower that stands out towards the sky and projects rays of white light up to 32 nautical miles