Castelplanio is one of the famous castles of Jesi, a series of historic hamlets, surrounded by walls and rich in culture and museums, and which stretch out along the hills of the Vallesina area.
This area is linked to Verdicchio of the Jesi Castles, one of the most important native vines in Italy.
Among the buildings of historical and artistic interest in Castelplanio are the Palazzo Fossa-Mancini, the seat of the municipality, Palazzo Gianfranceschi Zucchi, the Church of Saint Sebastian, and the Abbey of Saint Benedict of the Frondigliosi, founded before the year 1200.
In the picturesque setting and completely immersed in the greenery that connects the hamlet of Macine to the center of the village of Castelplanio, there is the Sentiero del Granchio Nero (The Black Crab Trail), a trail with a difference in height of 200m which can also be traveled on mountain-bikes. The name derives from a Crab with a particular black color present in the ditch that runs along the trail, the presence of which attests to the excellent quality of the water.
For more information, you can visit the site of the Pro Loco di Castelplanio
A few km away from our holiday farm is the Regional Nature Park of the Gola della Rossa and Frasassi, also known as "the green heart of the Marche", a protected area rich in biodiversity within which the series of the Caves of Frasassi is of great importance, a complete underground ecosystem where it is still possible to observe the formation of concretions, the "drops" that dig out in the rocks and build their own architecture and in which life has continued for millions of years.
Throughout the park, there are numerous nature-packed itineraries ranging from healthy and relaxing walks in contact with nature, accessible even to those who are not trained, up to more demanding excursions. You can download the complete hiking map of the park here.
Ancona is about 45 km from Castelplanio, but it can be reached easily via the highway that is about 2 km from the holiday farm.
On particularly clear days you can see the peaks of the Dalmatian mountains from Ancona, and you can enjoy the peculiarity, unique in the Adriatic, of seeing the sun rise and set over the sea.
The regional capital city stands on a promontory in the shape of a bent elbow, which creates a gulf and protects the large natural harbor, one of the largest ports in Italy for international passenger traffic. Near the port you can visit the Lazzaretto, also known as the Mole Vanvitelliana, a building designed by the architect Luigi Vanvitelli, now a venue for numerous cultural and artistic events. In the ancient part of the city, it is pleasant just to get lost among the alleys and walk across Piazza del Plebiscito (also called piazza del papa (square of the Pope) because of the statue of Pope Clement XII, by the sculptor Agostino Cornacchini), continuing on up to the Passetto, one of the most fascinating and distinctive districts of Ancona also due to the presence of the famous First World War Memorial, from which a large staircase leads down to the sea. The Conero Park begins here, an area that extends for about 6000 hectares including countryside and hills, the woods of the mountain, its high rocky coasts and the clayey ones further north, urban areas and wide beaches in the southern part: a marvel that is rich in biodiversity, where you can have unique experiences, between history and nature, between culture and food and wine, between the sea and the land.
About 60 km from our holiday farm lies one of the most important and ancient sites of Marian pilgrimage in the Catholic world: the town of Loreto.
The Basilica houses the famous relic of the "Holy House" of Nazareth where, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary was born and lived and where she received the announcement of the miraculous birth of Jesus. The statue of the Virgin of Loreto is venerated in the niche; it is the work of L Celani and it replaced the original 14th-century one which was destroyed in a fire.
Piazza della Madonna opens up at the end of the main axis of the hamlet as a real monumental space around which stand the greatest architectural masterpieces of Loreto: in addition to the Basilica of the Holy House you can visit the Apostolic Palace, cool off next to the Fontana Maggiore and stop near the monument to Pope Sixtus V, to conclude your visit by walking between the walls and the town gates. For more information, you can visit the Loreto Tourism website.
