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An on-the-road journey into the heart of Val Mivola, winding through hills and fortified villages to discover "forgotten flavors" that have been restored to gastronomic excellence here.
The starting point is the ancient Roccacontrada. Park your camper (parking area at the Sports Field) and immerse yourself in the art of the Collegiate Church of San Medardo, which houses masterpieces by Luca Signorelli and the Della Robbia family.
To Taste: The Mais Ottofile (Ottofile Corn), an ancient recovered variety that creates flavorful polenta and unique galettes. If you have time, stop by the castle of Piticchio.
Drive down toward this medieval village with its intact walls. Here, history is told in the evocative Museum of Monastic Arts, but taste is the true protagonist.
To Taste: The Cicerchia (grass pea), a humble legume that has become a presidium of biodiversity (celebrated in the festival of the same name in late November), and the sweet Lonzino di Fico (fig salami). For coffee lovers, look for the local artisan micro-roastery.
Camper stop in the Via Enrico Mattei area.
A few kilometers away lies Barbara, a "jewel" set among the Verdicchio vineyards. This is the relaxation stop: enjoy the panorama from the walkways and visit the church of Santa Maria Assunta to admire the painting by Pomarancio. Perfect for a quiet stroll before hitting the road again.
A stop for ancient history lovers. Visit the Suasa Archaeological Park to see the splendid Domus dei Coiedii with its mosaics and the massive Roman amphitheater.
To Taste: The sweet Suasa Red Onion, which is also perfect for making jams.
Camper stop in Via Circonvallazione.
End your trip in style in one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in Italy." Walk along the Piaggia (the famous staircase) up to the celebrated Polenta Well and walk the Renaissance walls, which stretch for nearly 1 km.
Fun Fact: Besides being known as the "Village of Madmen," it is famous for its Halloween festival and the historical reenactment of the "Contesa del Pozzo."
Equipped camper stop in Via Pecciameglio.
This Granturismo Itinerary is an invitation to let yourself be surprised by the hidden beauty behind every curve of Val Mivola.
Arcevia is a museum spread across medieval walls and Renaissance masterpieces. Once you cross the threshold of the village you go to discover a surprising artistic heritage.
The collegiate church of San Medardo is a must-see for art lovers: inside, Giovanni della Robbia's Madonna dei Miracoli and Luca Signorelli's refined Baptism of Christ stand out, with iconographic details unique in the Renaissance panorama.
Alongside this, the intense Pietà by contemporary Giuseppe Gigli tells another story: that of the community that wanted it so strongly that they purchased it collectively.
Signorelli's large 1507 polyptych dominates the apse, while works by Ercole Ramazzani and the tomb of the Jesuit Giuseppe Gianfranceschi, founder of the Scouts, further enrich the church's heritage. In the ancient convent of San Francesco, the State Archaeological Museum houses the results of the excavations of the Arcevia sites, while the Cultural Center houses works by Quirino Ruggeri, Edgardo Mannucci, and Bruno d'Arcevia.
Among the castles in Arcevia, Piticchio is one of the best preserved.
Within its walls it seems to go back in time. It is precisely in this context of history and tradition that Marino Montalbini brought back to life the octophilous corn of Roccacontrada, the old name of Arcevia.
It is a native variety that is almost extinct, abandoned in the past because it is not very productive: the plant, in fact, produces only one panicle, at most two.
The grain, however, is rich in carotenoids and antioxidants, ideal for soft and tasty polenta.
Thanks to the tenacity of Montalbini, who resumed cultivation on a small plot of land twenty years ago, octophilous corn has now returned to being a symbol of biodiversity and agricultural resistance.
With the market responding positively, Montalbini has increased production to the current 300 quintals per year on 23 hectares of cultivated land, restoring consumers to a fragrant, yellow, and nutrient-rich flour. Octophilous corn flour is popular, and Montalbini, along with his wife, has also started making a cornmeal-based crescia with a light addition of wheat flour.
A few years ago he also created octophilous corn cakes, a product defined “the best in Italy”. The latest innovation is quick-cooking flour which, thanks to the passage in a high-pressure machine at 80 degrees, reduces (cooking) times from an hour to just 15 minutes. Numerous awards were received and there was great satisfaction at participating in the week dedicated to the excellence of the Marche region at the Italian stand at the Dubai Expo.
Every February, this cereal, which represents a virtuous example of sustainable agriculture, is the protagonist of “A Sunday Going to Polenta”, a festival that this year celebrates its twentieth edition.
Serra de’ Conti is a perfectly preserved medieval village, still surrounded by walls that guard a maze of alleys, small squares and brick houses with intact charm.
Strolling through the historic center means immersing yourself in a suspended atmosphere, between ancient portals, brick arches, and panoramic views that suddenly open onto the countryside.
Among the unmissable stops is the Museum of Monastic Arts – The Rooms of Suspended Time, unique in Italy.
The museum recounts the silent and industrious daily life of the women's monasteries of the Marche region through objects, tools, recipes, fabrics, medicinal herbs, books, and artifacts passed down through the centuries.
The layout is engaging: a sequence of rooms that evoke the cells, pantries, and ancient kitchens of convents, where the rhythm was marked by prayer, work, and artisanal wisdom.
Serra de’ Conti is also a land of ancient legumes and biodiversity. The gastronomic symbol of the area is grass pea, a humble and hardy legume, now rediscovered thanks to its nutritional value: rich in fiber, protein, and vitamins, with a flavor somewhere between chickpeas and broad beans.
Cicerchia is a versatile ingredient that finds its way into thick, comforting soups, rustic crostoni, handmade pastas, vegetarian meatballs, and even alternative versions of polenta.
Every year, at the end of November, the village lights up with the Festa della Cicerchia, a celebration of peasant culture and traditional Marche gastronomy. For three days, the old cellars become taverns where you can enjoy typical dishes, while the streets fill with shows, music, and scents that come from the kitchens.
Small local producers display legumes, flours, preserves, and flavors that convey a patient and traditional agriculture.
Among the area's excellences, fig lonzino is a must, a “cured” fruit typical of the area: dried figs mixed with almonds, walnuts, anise seeds, orange zest and sometimes a touch of mistrà, then wrapped
in fig leaves and tied just like a loin.
The result is an aromatic dessert, very fragrant and soft, perfect with aged cheeses, with a glass of passito wine or even to be enjoyed alone, at the end of a meal.
Serra de’ Conti is also home to Kali Natural Food, the first micro-roasting plant in the Marche region.
Having left Milan for a more human-scale territory, Elisabetta and Stefano select chic chi from small producers in Ethiopia, Honduras, Brazil, and other countries, roasting in small quantities to preserve aromas and quality.
The result is an artisanal, sustainable and fragrant coffee, which tells the story of a short and careful supply chain.
Nestled in the Nevola hills, among rows of Verdicchio and expanses of orderly fields, Barbara is one of those villages that surprise with its quiet elegance.
A small medieval jewel that dominates the valley from above, still perfectly recognizable today thanks to the intact city walls, a defensive ring that has protected the village for centuries.
Inside the walls, time seems to slow down: stone streets, arches, unexpected views, and an urban fabric that retains an almost unchanged medieval layout.
It's a village to discover on foot, guided by the quiet of the alleys and the views that suddenly open up towards the countryside.
Barbara's artistic heart pulsates in the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, where a precious canvas attributed to Pomarancio is preserved. In the baptistery, the baptismal font with an ancient copper tray stands out, a testimony to local religious tradition.
Also unmissable is a visit to the small museum, where a splendid wooden statue of Saint Barbara is kept, a refined work of sacred art that tells the story of the deep devotion
of the country for its patron saint.
In fact, some of the most heartfelt moments of the year are dedicated to Santa Barbara: in December, the village fills with lights, religious celebrations, and popular demonstrations linked to the patron saint of firefighters and gunners.
The atmosphere becomes even more magical with the living nativity scene, which enlivens the medieval alleys, transforming them into a Bethlehem of times gone by: costumes, artisan workshops, sacred scenes, and the warmth of the torches that illuminate the walls.
A few kilometers separate Barbara from Castelleone di Suasa and the Archaeological Park of the Roman City of Suasa, one of the best-preserved Roman remains in the Marche region.
Located just outside the town center, the park is an extraordinary place where you literally walk through history.
Here stood the ancient Suasa, a Roman city that developed between the 1st century BC and the 6th AD, along an important connecting road between the Adriatic and the Apennines.
The heart of the park is the Domus dei Coiedii, one of the largest Roman patrician houses in the Marche region and one of the best preserved in Italy. Walking through these environments - the peristyle, the triclinium, the porticoes – means entering the home of a powerful Roman family.
The magnificent mosaics are unmissable: extraordinarily intact surfaces with geometric motifs, refined interweavings and scenes of great elegance, which convey the atmosphere of domestic life of the time.
The wall paintings, however, are preserved, together with other finds discovered during the excavation campaigns, in the A. Casagrande Civic Archaeological Museum, located in the town centre.
Not far away are the theatre, still underground, and the magnificent 10,000-seat amphitheatre, the largest amphitheatre in the Marche region after the one in Ancona (which, however, is partly underground), a testament to the vitality of the settlement.
Every July, the amphitheater hosts the event “In Suasa Festival”, which attracts spectators from all over thanks to its rich program of shows, concerts, and cultural presentations.
The historical significance of the Suasa settlement is also evidenced by the inclusion, in 2024, by Poste Italiane, in a series of stamps dedicated to Italian theaters.
But Castelleone di Suasa is not just archaeology: it is also a territory deeply linked to agricultural tradition.
One of the gastronomic symbols is the Suasa red onion, a local product that has been rediscovered and enhanced in recent years. It is an ancient onion, cultivated for generations in the countryside around the village. From copper red to purple in color, it is known for its sweet taste, crispy flesh, and good shelf life. It is ideal both raw –in salads, rustic sandwiches, pinzimoni, or meat carpaccio– and cooked: its natural sweetness makes it perfect for jams, delicate stir-fries, traditional soups, savory pies, and as an accompaniment to aged cheeses or white meats.
The most iconic dish? The caramelized onion, served with local cheeses.
In recent years, the local community has worked to protect this variety, making it the protagonist of gastronomic events, such as the Suasa Onion Festival, which takes place on the first weekend in September.
Corinaldo is a scenic village rich in awards: Orange Flag of the TCI, member of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and, since October 2025, also the Most Appreciated Village in Italy.
More than enough reasons not to skip this stage if you are nearby. The perfectly preserved monumental 912-meter-long Renaissance walls enclose a center full of views and an interesting patrol walkway.
The Carlo Goldoni Theatre, an elegant 19th-century jewel, and the splendid reliquaries preserved in the Claudio Ridolfi Civic Art Collection are two must-sees not to be missed. But the most famous place is the Piaggia staircase with the famous “Pozzo della Polenta”, the protagonist of a legend handed down over the centuries.
It is said of a farmer who, to recover a bag of polenta flour that had fallen into the well, had lowered himself inside and started preparing polenta right there, encouraged by the population who
he had offered the sausages. The legend has become the oldest historical reenactment in the province of Ancona, “La Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta”, which takes place on the third Sunday of July.
This year will be the 45th edition.
But Corinaldo doesn't stop there, the town is very active and comes alive throughout the year with festivals and initiatives, such as the historic Carnival, the Festa dei Folli in spring, Halloween, the Festa delle Streghe (defined as one of the most famous events in Italy), and the Gran Natale di Corinaldo, with markets, mechanical nativity scene and artistic nativity scene, skating rink, traveling shows, circus performances and much more.
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