Surrounding Villa Bussola

Villa Bussola is situated only a few minutes away from the little village of Monsampolo del Tronto, a few minutes to the other side lies Acquaviva Picena. The sea, the palm beaches and the beach resort San Benedetto del Tronto are reachable within 10 minutes. The fabulous city Ascoli Piceno is only 20 minutes away.

Monsampolo del Tronto
The village, with his old city walls, on top of the hill, offers from the park behind the church, a magnificent view on the Sibylline Mountains and the Apennines. In the village centre you will find a bar, a grocery, a drugstore, a butcher and a post office. Every Tuesday it’s market day. In Monsampolo you can still find the traditional furniture makers and restorers. They make magnificent furniture using old techniques. The culinary speciality of Monsampolo is the fig salami, a sweet and healthy treat that is traditionally prepared in October.


Sightseeing:
The old church of Maria Santissima Assunta, dates back to the 16th century. Inside you will find some famous paintings, first of all "la Deposizione" van A.Vitali and secondly two painting made by P.Gaia (l'Ultima Cena e La Circoncisione).
The former monastery of S. Francesco, with its beautiful columns and a waterhole in the centre made from Travertine, A type of stone used frequently in this part of Le Marche.
At the local town hall a large amount of books from the 16th and 17th century have been preserved, they where part of the Biblioteca Tomistica di Sant'Alessio.
Apart from this, Monsampolo becomes more and more known for its archaeological findings.

Acquaviva Picena

Acquaviva Picena is situated between Villa Bussola and San Benedetto del Tronto on top of a hill and not far from the sea. The mediaeval Fortress and a large portion of the city walls are still intact. The historical centre with its antique houses, the fortress, the narrow steep streets are definitely worth visiting.
The local craftsmen process reed and rush with the typical “pagliarole” following an ancient method.
Acquaviva Picena is well known for its art, history and culture, in the centre you will also find a tourist office.

 

Sightseeing:
The church of San Rocco in the old centre, (Building started in the 14th century and was finished in the 15th century by Baccio Pontelli) is now a arsenal museum. In La Cappellina (little chapel) build by San Michele Arcangelo you will find a sculpture in "terracotta policroma" made by San Michele, dating back to the 18th century.

Events:
May: Festa di Santa Rita.
July: Acquaviva nei fumetti (national gathering regarding comical theatre and comics books)
August: Sponsalia (historical commemoration of the marriage between Forasteria, daughter of duke Rinaldo of Acquaviva and Brunoforte, lord of Sarnano, that took place in 1230
5 December: celebration of San Nicolò

For more information visit: http://www.comuneacquavivapicena.it/

Ascoli Piceno
The beguiling town of Ascoli Piceno is the southern Marche's major centre and, as its tourist brochure says, it is a place you can see in a day yet never forget. Along with its breathtaking main square, it has other outstanding sights that manage to leave their mark on even the most blasé of tourists.

Although it is a fairly large town with a population of some 60,000 people, the historic centre can easily be seen on foot.

Start at the Piazza del Popolo, the traffic-free, travertine-paved main square. This beautifully proportioned outdoor meeting place must be one of the most elegant provincial squares in all Italy. To one side of the square stands the Palazzo del Popolo, a splendid 13thC building guarded over by a monumental statue of Pope Paul III. Look inside to see the arcaded Renaissance courtyard.

Closing off one end of the piazza is the great Gothic church of San Francesco, a sober but pleasing building both inside and out.

The other main square, Piazza Arringo, is almost as impressive as its big sister and is flanked by the Duomo, or cathedral, and the town hall, or palazzo Comunale. Inside here you will find the Pinacoteca Civica, Ascoli's art gallery, a carpet-bag collection of minor works by major artists and major works by minor artists. Best of all is the 13thC cope (piviale) of Pope Nicholas IV, a dazzling piece of embroidery work made in England.

Inside the Duomo look out for the colourful polyptch with the Madonna and Saints by Carlo Crivelli.

Wander round the old quarter of the town that stretches from the banks of the Tronto river to the city's main street, Corso Mazzini - best streets are via Soderini and via di Solestà.

La Quintana, Ascoli's jousting tournament, is one of the most authentic and exciting of these Medieval shows in the Marche and takes place in the main square on the first Sunday of August. The high point of the games is when riders from the city's six districts tilt with lances for the target.

The day also includes a massive procession with around 1,400 town's people dressed in 15thC costume and plenty of side-shows and open-air eating places. Maybe not quite as famous as the Palio at Siena but certainly worth seeing.

The Riviera Picena

Fermo
One of the most alluring of the hilltowns of the southern Marche, Fermo has an ensemble of architectural sights which make it well worth a visit.

The fortress which once topped the town was destroyed in 1445 in a popular rebellion against the ruling Sforza family and is now the site of municipal gardens which afford fine views over the marchigiano countryside (and a spacious car park). The nearby 13thC Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (below), with its richly decorated interior and fine rose window, now stands in splendid isolation. For British visitors, perhaps the most interesting of the cathedral's treasures is the chasuble of St Thomas a' Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury (1118-1170), which is on display in the sacristy.
The main town stands on the level just below the cathedral. Built around the magnificent large square, the Piazza del Popolo, are the main municipal buildings. Sansovino's grand statue (1590) of the Bishop of Fermo who was to become Pope Sixtus V tops the main entrance of the Palazzo Comunale which contains the town's art collection, in which the most notable work is an early Rubens painting of the Nativity (1608). During the summer period the piazza plays host to Fermo's music festival featuring some of the world's finest performers, as well as outdoor markets. Also worthy of note are the underground piscine romane (roman pools) which comprise thirty magnificently preserved underground chambers built between 41 & 60 BC to conserve and purify the town's water supply, and regarded as the finest example of their kind in Italy.

Porto San Giorgio
What was once the ancient port for the inland city of Fermo is now a pleasant seaside resort with a small working port.
It's streets sandwiched between the main SS16 road and the sea offer plenty of chances for window shopping and in high summer the place has a lively air and plenty of concerts and the like to keep you entertained.
It owes some of its charm to a few fine examples of the Liberty Style architecture that was much in vogue in the smarter seaside resorts across Italy at the turn of the 19thC.
It's 13thC fortress, built by Lorenzo Tiepolo, later Doge of Venice, stands close by the town's central square, and has fine towers and high keep.
But the town's main attractions are its fish and its attractive beaches. There are plenty of moderately priced restaurants serving brodetto (the Marche fish stew) to choose from.

To the south of Porto San Giorgio is Pedaso, the Marche's "mussel beach" - these delectable molluscs are cultivated on concrete pillars that lie just off its short, gravely beach. Apart from being a popular place for skin-diving, it is also conveniently close to the motorway exit. In summer there is also a Sagra delle Cozze, or mussel feast.

Sant’Elpidio
To the north of Porto San Giorgio is the narrow beach of Porto Sant'Elpidio. This resort's main attractions are its pine woods at the northern end and plenty of enormous shoe shops on the main SS16 (here we're in the heartland of the Marche's shoe industry).

 

Grottammare
This smaller resort on the southern Marche "Palm Riviera" boasts 5km of fine sandy beaches. Its pretty traffic-free promenade is backed by some splendid examples of seaside Liberty architecture - grand villas that date back to the turn of the last century. Along with the many palm trees that line the seafront, bright flower beds and well-kept lawns give the place great charm. The Medieval historic borgo up above the main resort has fine old buildings and great views out to sea. The attractive church of Santa Lucia was built in 1597 in memory of the town's most famous son, Pope Sixtus V. Above it all stands the ruins of the old Castle. In high summer the town organises guided tours of the place's highlights, including a visit to a gallery dedicated to the works of the 20thC sculptor, Pericle Fazzini who was born here.
This is one of the main holiday resorts of the southern Marche and, with over 7,000 palm trees on its wide promenade, it has a touch of tropical charm. But it's also a thriving town that doubles as one of the most important fishing ports on Italy's Adriatic coast.

San Benedetto del Tronto


In summer this is a popular resort, but with 8km of wide sandy beach with palms trees actually growing in the sand there is plenty of space for everyone. And although it has a great deal of old-world elegance, it's also a lively place with a fun nightlife that's great if you're younger.

The most pleasant stretch of beach - and the highest concentration of good hotels - runs from the centre of town southwards. The beach to the north of the large port area is less inviting although it offers many more stretches of free, public beach.

The older part of the town sits above the main resort, on the far side of Corso Mazzini, with its castle and narrow streets of brick houses.

As well as catching them, its inhabitants also taking the eating of fish seriously and there are plenty of moderately priced restaurants to satisfy their demanding tastes. This is one of the best places to try the Marche version of fish stew - brodetto - which must be made with 13 species of fish, no more, no less.

Cities and villages to visit

San Benedetto del Tronto, Famous beach resort with long rows of palm trees along the beautiful beach
Ascoli Piceno, The beguiling town of Ascoli Piceno is the southern Marche's major centre and, as its tourist brochure says, it is a place you can see in a day yet never forget.
Jesi, Beautiful village on top of a hill, centre of the verdichio region called castelli di Jesi .
Ancona is the capitol of Le Marche, well known for its white cliff “Monte Connero” that towers high above its beaches.
Loreto, famous for its ancient place of pilgrimage.
Macerata, well known for its open air opera performances.
Urbino, World-famous renaissance town .
Rome, Reachable within two hours, definitely worth a visit.