I've spent decades attempting to trace genealogy in Italy (my Father is 100% Italian) and many of my family tree have run into a dead end being told my Great-grandfather was adopted (where I believe my Great-grandfather was raised by his mother but with a different Father & step-siblings).
If/when my wife and I do make our way to Italy, do you have any sites that you would suggest as memorable places to visit in the Fabriano/Ancona area?
Fabriano was and is a center of paper making and has a Museum of Paper (Musee della Carta) which is really interesting. The Cathedral is historic and there are volunteers to show you around if you wish. The town itself is handsome with lively piazzas and classic buildings. About 30 minutes away is the Monastery of Fonte Avellana from the 10th century, mentioned in Dante's Inferno and a center of manuscript illumination in the middle ages. Also nearby are the Frasassi Caves - one of Europe's largest and most spectacular underground karst cave systems.
For a broader view of the region, Wandering Italy Le Marche
Thankyou, Mike, for those details. I am going to be in the Le Marche region next year for a pastel painting 1-week plein air workshop class. I am starting to look at details for cities to see there before heading to Rome or Milan to fly back home afterwards. Ascoli Piceno is appealing. I wish I could get to Urbino, also, but I won’t have a car.
I only stopped briefly in Fabriano. I loved Ascoli Piceno. We also enjoyed Senigallia and Fano. The Frassasi cave was great. We also stayed in pretty little Sassoferrato. A gorgeous area overall!
Marche is gorgeous all over. I spent some time this year and in 2024, basing in Grottammare (San Benedetto del Tronto), Numana.
They are both on the coast, but good for visiting the interior too. But over my lifetime I've visited many places in the region. I also did my military basic training in Ancona, but that was decades ago.
Ascoli Piceno is beautiful, but more to the south compared to Ancona.
Best Small Villages
Official Tourism Website of the Marche Region
If you have a car, between Ancona and Fabriano, stop in Jesi, a delightful place which is pratically without tourists (mid-September)
The historical centre has plenty to offer, especially Palazzo Pianetti which houses three museums. The ground floor hosts the archeological museum, the first floor the Galleria degli Stucchi and the Pinacoteca with paintings by Lorenzo Lotto.
Also near Ancona: Offagna, Osimo
Going inland from Senigallia, Corinaldo is small but a gem
But our favourite place in the area was probably Mondavio for the castle and the tiny but perfect theatre and the fact that when you turn up off the main road you are in another world.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-day-trip-to-mondolfo-corinaldo-and.html
