Marche itineraries

The beauty of Cingoli, the balcony of the Marche

Cingoli    0000-00-00

Going on holiday in the Marche means not only to discover the Adriatic Sea or the biggest cities, but also driving to the hinterland to know the smaller towns – small, but that does not mean less interesting. Just think about Cingoli, a town with a population of about 10.000 in the province of Macerata, lying about 600 metres above sea level. For its panoramic position, it is called the Balcony of the Marches: from there, you can actually enjoy the view of the Adriatic Sea and, looking the other way, the Apennines of Umbria and The Marche.

In the list of itineraries in the Marche to take into consideration while preparing a journey, Cingoli is therefore a destination to mark with a red circle. It must be said that its territory is so vast that it includes something like 30 hamlets, scattered on the surrounding hilltops. The actual city has a population of only 3.000 people: yet, each and every corner offers wonderful landscapes.

The Duomo is undoubtedly the most interesting building, from a historical as well as architectonic point of view: dating back to the 17th century, it was built on the foundations of an older construction, of which only the façade is left.

A visit to Cingoli during a trip in the Marche must also include a stopover at the Palazzo Municipale (town hall), a building that saw the light of day in the 13th century and that, besides the administrative offices, hosts an archaeological museum with a wide array of precious finds and testimonies. Cingoli lies on top of Mount Circe: thanks to this position, from the wide terrace overlooking the medieval castle walls, it offers a view over the beauties of the region’s territory, with Mount Conero on one side and the Adriatic beaches on the other.

Itineraries in the Marches including Cingoli are particularly appreciated by those interested in religious architecture: due to its several hamlets, in fact, there are many churches in the territory. From Church of San Giuseppe to Church of San Nicolò, from the Eremo di San Michele Arcangelo to the Church of San Vitale, from the ruins of the Church of San Bonfilio to the Church of Santi Quattro Coronati, from the Church of Sant'Anastasio to the Sanctuary of Santa Sperandia, without forgetting the Church of Santo Spirito, the Concattedrale of Santa Maria Assunta, the Church if San Francesco and the Chiesa Collegiata of Sant'Esuperanzio: you are simply spoilt for choice!

There are plenty of museums, too: besides the above mentioned archaeological museum, in Cingoli you can visit a gallery named after Donatello Stefanucci; the museum area of the Church of San Domenico, the Sidecar Museum, the Lake Museum and the Antiquarium of Villa Foligno – Della Rovere in San Vittore.

Examples of civil architecture worth a visit include the water well of Sant’ Esuperanzio, Palazzo Cima, the fountain of Maltempo and Palazzo Raffaelli: all interesting places to mark on the map and on everyone’s itinerary.