The Area

The Village - Monte Vidon Corrado

Monte Vidon Corrado is a small hilltop village, with a population of 800 at an altitude of 425m.  Like many of the villages hereabouts it consists of a beautiful, old centre ( centro storico ) at the  top of the hill, surrounded by the newer part of the village lower down.

The church is in a prominent position at the very top of the old part with a number of little lanes and alleys opening onto a  miniature piazza in front of the church . A tree- lined walkway encircles it giving stunning views over the surrounding countryside to the spectacular Sibillini Mountains. Here you can sit outside the Bar Zega and take a glass of wine or a cappuccino and enjoy the view.

The lower , more modern, part of the village is a clean and pleasant place. Here you will find  a small supermarket , bakery, post office, pharmacy, butcher, a small petrol station and a posh clothes shop ! Also the old Bar Centrale has recently been converted to the Ristorante Pizzeria ‘Angelli Ribelli ‘.  As well as serving pizzas made in a wood oven it offers a reasonably priced full menu , and you  can even get pizzas to take-away.

A mile or so away on the road to Falerone there is the Bella Vista restaurant , Slightly more up-market than the Angelli Ribelli, but nevertheless still quite inexpensive. Within a 10 minute drive in each direction there are 3 other hilltop villages – Montegiorgio, Falerone and Monteppone. They are all  bigger than Monte Vidon Corrado providing a fuller range of services – banks , more restaurants, a market and so on.   We will be happy to advise you on places to visit, and recommended restaurants.

The Coast 

The coast of Le Marche is 180 km long, with miles and miles of long sandy beaches and numerous resorts , much favoured by Italians for their holidays. The stretch of coast  most easily accessible from La Mimosa is known as the ‘ Green Picena Riviera’ and includes the small resorts of Porto San Giorgio, Porto San Elpidio and Pedaso. Further south, bounded by  Grottamare and San Benedetto del Trento, is the ‘Palm Riviera’,with a number of other beach resorts. 

Porto San Giorgio is the nearest beach resort to La Mimosa, being about a 30  minute drive away. It has a long, clean, sandy beach , lined with beach concessions where you can hire sunbeds, sun umbrellas, and use the showers and toilets, for a small price. Each concession usually has either a bar or small restaurant as well. The sea front is lined with fish restaurants, small hotels and a number of 19th century villas. The town has many tree-lined walkways and small parks as well as a good selection of shops, bars and restaurants. 

The Hilltowns

The whole province is dotted with numerous beautifully preserved hilltop towns. These are the real gems of this area, and one of the things we love the most. They probably don’t get any mention in guide books, there are rarely any famous sights to see . But they are the most charming places to spend a morning exploring, with their little lanes and alleyways, medieval  piazzas and often rather grand churches. Some of our favourites , near to La Mimosa, are Penna San Giovanni, Loro Piceno, Falerone, San Ginesio – but there are many more for you to discover. Almost without exception they all provide stunning views of the surrounding countryside, and distant views of the mountains.

The Mountains

The Sibillini Mountains are part of the Appenine Range running down the centre of Italy. There are 20 peaks over 2000 metres, the highest point being Mt Vettore, which reaches a height of 2476 metres. The Sibillini National Park was founded in 1993 and covers an area of 70,000 hectares.

The home of wolves, eagles and wildcats the mountains are heavily wooded on their lower slopes, with bare , open tops higher up, and are riven by many spectacular gorges, including the Gola dell’Infernaccio ( the Gorge of Hell ! ) . This wonderful area provides numerous recreational opportunities for the visitor – walking of all grades , mountain biking, hang-gliding and, in winter, ski-ing.  The nearest point of access to the Park is only about a half hours drive away from La Mimosa.

Robert is a keen walker and is happy to give advice and information on the walking opportunities both in the National Park  and the more immediate area round La Mimosa . We are also able to offer a number of Guided Walks, either in the countryside around La Mimosa or in the National Park – please contact us for further information.

The Towns

Macerata
Macerata , ( pop 42,000 ) has been described as ‘one of Italy’s better kept secrets – as impressive as many Umbrian and Tuscan hill towns but without hordes of tourists’ (Italy - Lonely Planet ).  Within its 14th-century walls are many fine piazzas including the Piazza della Liberta with its splendid 16th century Loggia dei Mercati . There are several museums and galleries containing many Renaissance, Baroque and 17th century art works. Each year the 19th century neo-classical open-air arena , the Sferisterio , hosts one of Italy’s best known opera events , the Stagione Lirica.  

Ascoli Piceno
In view of the Appenine mountains this ancient city ( pop 55,000) has an extensive old centre with the magnificent Piazza del Popola at its heart. The Pinancoteca art gallery contains paintings by Van Dyck, Titian, Carlo Crivelli and a Rembrandt etching. Several medieval churches, a cathedral and the towns old  medieval quarter are all well worth visiting. Much of the city centre is closed to traffic making it  a pleasure to walk around .

Fermo
Smaller but every bit as enticing is Fermo ( pop. 24,000 ), less than  30 minutes drive from La Mimosa. Its sights include a handsome town square , the Piazza del Popolo, a Romanesque cathedral ( which contains the chasuble of St Thomas A’Becket ), underground Roman piscine, medieval walls and gateways and the Palazzo Communale ,  an art gallery containing, amongst other works of art, a Rubens painting of the Nativity. It hosts a summer music festival and frequent outdoor markets.