Piceno is a treasure trove of artistic heritage with many caskets of gems, scattered all around the territory.
It is almost impossible to travel around Piceno without bumping into something of interest every few kilometres. Historical evidence of the Picenes and the Romans, or the Middle Ages; a romantic landscape, a country church, a hilltop village or an attractive, magical view; a great museum that tells the story of an ancient town and its traditions, its art production; a craft shop that overflows timeless atmospheres.
Be guided by curiosity and the spirit of discovery. There is no better way to be entranced by this archipelago of small islands of tradition, culture and real life.
Along the nature and landscape itinerary, Piceno’s inherent charm emerges and a beauty of immediate impact will capture the gaze. This is a land of quaint medieval villages, quiet hills and legendary mountains, an area that offers different environmental contexts and numerous possibilities to be enjoyed and experienced.
Piceno is first of all a land of ancient villages, most of which have kept intact their medieval appearance, the warm colour of traditional brick, towers, urban walls, ancient gates, fortresses.
The most evocative villages include Carassai and Acquaviva Picena with their magnificent castles, but also the fortress of Montecalvo in Acquasanta Terme and the small village of Cossignano, whose old centre is the size of a football pitch!
Moreover, two municipalities – Montefiore dell’Aso and Offida – are part of the Borghi più Belli d’Italia organizationt of the most beautiful villages of Italy, while three others – Acquaviva Picena, Monterubbiano and Ripatransone – have been awarded the Italian Touring Club’s Orange Flag for tourism and environmental quality.
Piceno also offers many tempting opportunities to wander in the silence of the green hills, rich in unique natural resources with wonderful scenarios that start with the belvederes of Ripatransone, Montalto delle Marche and Montefiore dell’Aso, offering a global view spanning from the sea to the Sibillini mountains, mapping out and revealing the history of the area through the outlines of the farming landscape and the farmhouses dotted around it.
Piceno has breath-taking surprises hidden along mountain paths, each to be travelled in nature trekking, sports that can be enjoyed in direct contact with nature (biking, hiking, climbing, skiing, flying), but also exploring rural chapels with their precious and unexpected frescoes, or ancient stories that typify every village, often rooted in legend.
The perfect places to discover the Piceno mountains are Montemonaco and Montegallo, for reaching Lake Pilato, Mount Sibilla, and the rural churches of San Giorgio all’Isola e Santa Maria in Pantano, but also the village of Rotella, a starting point for excursions to Mount Ascensione.
There are also five very active environmental education centres in the territory (“Giano” at Monterubbiano and Offida; “Montegallo” at Montegallo; “Sibilla” at Montemonaco; “Asaspeoclub” at Acquasanta Terme), each specific in its own way to preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of Piceno and its biodiversity.
