6 reasons to visit
Terre Roveresche
Established on 1 January 2017, the Terre Roveresche represent a contemporary model of regional development. The union of the municipalities of Barchi, Orciano di Pesaro, Piagge and San Giorgio di Pesaro has created a single entity that pools resources and energy, whilst proudly preserving the roots and distinctive characteristics of each individual town.
In the heart of the Marche hills, ancient castles rise from the peaks that trace the undulating outline of the landscape. The Terre Roveresche take the form of a sprawling village, where narrow alleyways conceal little gems of inestimable historical and artistic value, offering glimpses of surprising uniqueness.
The area is characterised by the work of renowned figures in Renaissance architecture. Barchi, with its urban layout designed by the military architect Filippo Terzi, stands out as an example of perfect town planning, where the rigour of the forms blends with the warm local stone, creating an atmosphere of solemn harmony.
Among the best-kept secrets is the Piagge Underground Cave, a mystical place carved out of tuff and adorned with esoteric and religious symbols. This spiritual dimension extends throughout the region via churches and shrines that bear witness to an ancient devotion, embedded in the very heart of the earth.
Here, tradition is a living heritage, cherished by the community every day. From the ancient crafts showcased in local museums to the arts passed down from generation to generation, the Terre Roveresche celebrate a history of hard work that has evolved without ever losing touch with its material culture.
The table is the stage where the fruits of a bountiful land come together. DOC wines, such as Bianchello del Metauro, and traditional peasant dishes enrich everyday life, offering a food and wine experience that is both timeless and rooted in the present, characterised by the authentic spirit of Rovereto.
Discover the beauty of the Terre Roveresche
The Beauty Trail comes to life
Exploring the beating heart of the Marche region has never been easier with Criluma Viaggi!
Romantic weekends, days spent immersed in nature or cultural tours: we’ve created itineraries to suit all tastes and time constraints.
The Piagge Hypogeum
A mysterious underground world
Just a stone’s throw from the walls of Piagge, a gate opens onto a small, mysterious underground world.
Descending the tuff steps, smoothed by the passage of time, you enter the Piagge Hypogeum, an underground space carved out of the earth and steeped in history.
The cave came to light following historical research into Piagge, begun in 1996 by the architect Gabriele Polverari. It is a place that takes one’s breath away with the atmosphere it evokes.
This cave, created by human hands centuries ago, is unique of its kind, attracting visitors and scholars from all over the world.
Even at first glance, one can appreciate one of the Hypogeum’s main features: the main corridor, intersected by horizontal branches, makes the visitor feel as though they are in the nave of a church carved directly into the bowels of the earth
The layout of this space is, in fact, cruciform, a choice that cannot be coincidental and which has therefore lent credence to the theory that the Hypogeum served as a place of worship, probably built at a time when Christianity was still regarded as a detestable religion and its followers were persecuted.
In addition to the basilica-style layout, another element that underpins the sacred function of this place is the presence of ancient symbols traceable to an archaic form of Christianity, in which pagan icons are still interwoven. Both the walls and the vault are, in fact, decorated with engravings of a varied and mysterious nature, amongst which the so-called ‘flower of life’ stands out for its recurring pattern: a stylised, symmetrical six-petalled flower already in use in pre-Christian times.
The crosses of various sizes found at different points in the cave are clearly of Christian origin, whilst the floral symbol – probably a lily – is more difficult to interpret; with its stylised form, it appears to be blooming from three engraved mounds amongst the light-filled niches carved into the walls.
The Hypogeum holds many other mysteries, uncertainties and theories that make it so magical and still ready to yield new discoveries.
In the heart of San Giorgio
Places of worship and culture
In the heart of the ancient castle of San Giorgio, the village’s main attractions are concentrated within a small area intersected by the main road.
On one side of the street, the Church of the Holy Spirit—San Giorgio’s main place of worship, belonging to the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary—breaks up the low-lying silhouette of the houses with its façade and tall bell tower.
The present church is the result of a recent extension project based on the previous structure, which dates back to the 18th century.
The interior of the building is now entirely plastered in a pure white that enhances the architecture, designed in the neoclassical style.
The high altar and the side altars feature paintings recovered from the many parish churches in the area and created by unknown artists from the Marche region, probably from the school of Guerrieri, a leading figure in 17th-century Marche painting.
Crossing the road, we find, in the immediate vicinity and directly opposite the parish church, the ‘Casa della Mina’, a building named after its last owner and which now houses MuSA, the Historical and Environmental Museum.
Conceived and designed with a strong educational focus, the museum is accessed via the sensory trail laid out in the courtyard garden. Inside, there are a variety of sections designed to explain and highlight the close link between traditional activities and the environment, with its flora and fauna.
Visitors are greeted by sections dedicated to silkworm rearing and beekeeping, two historically prominent activities in San Giorgio. The tools and products on display bring to life the customs and skills of workers from a bygone era, the legacy of which is still preserved today. The connection with the surrounding environment is also represented by the impressive Taxidermy Collection, which comprises over 250 specimens of stuffed animals, mostly from the province.
The MuSA’s collection is rounded off with works of contemporary art, a library and a room displaying ancient town documents and the verses of Marino Saudelli, a Sangiorgese dialect poet whose work bears witness to the rich tradition of vernacular poetry that has earned San Giorgio the nickname ‘Town of the Dialect’.
Orciano di Pesaro
From stunning architecture to traditional crafts
As you travel through the Terre Roveresche, your gaze is easily drawn to two tall, slender silhouettes rising from the top of the Orciano hill: the town bell tower and the famous Malatesta Tower, which overlook the village of the ancient castle.
The Malatesta Tower was commissioned in 1348 by Galeotto Malatesta as a watchtower to keep an eye on the spirited people of Orciano, who were guilty of rebelling against the lord’s authority and the unbearable taxes imposed upon them.
The base of this splendid tower forms a single structure with the church of Santa Maria Nuova below, built in 1492 to a design by Baccio Pontelli. The interior of the church is simple and elegant, with its delicate white plasterwork and the intriguing interplay of blind and open oculi distributed across the dome and vaults, but what is most striking is the marvellous entrance.
The portal is carved from white stone in the shape of a tabernacle, with two fluted columns featuring Corinthian capitals and exquisite bas-relief friezes, giving the impression of entering an ancient Greek temple.
Some have even suggested that Raphael himself may have had a hand in the design of this portal, although there are no records to support this.
Continuing towards the charming little square of Giò Pomodoro, we come to the Rope and Brick Museum, a place created to keep alive the memory of the traditions and craft activities typical of Orcia’s history.
In the museum’s first room, the focus is on brick-making – a product born of earth, fire, water and human skill – with various examples on display, alongside extensive historical and photographic documentation of the old brickworks.
The second room is dedicated to the work of the ‘cordai’ (rope-makers), a craft for which Orciano is renowned, whose ropes supplied the maritime industry throughout the Marche region.
The raw hemp was carded and spun using perfectly preserved machinery, in a process that involved not only experienced workers but also their children or grandchildren, who helped with the simpler stages of production, eager to learn the secrets of the trade and carry on the tradition.
Barchi, the ideal little town
The ‘divine proportion’ of the Renaissance
It is there, along the road, almost unexpectedly, that you suddenly come across that architectural gem known as Barchi.
The cobbled road leading uphill takes you to Porta Nova, a monumental and magnificent gateway, heralding the beauty that awaits within the ancient walls. The entire layout of the town bears the signature of Filippo Terzi, the great architect who, from 1571, at the behest of Pietro Bonarelli, Marquis of Barchi, worked on the design of a small Renaissance ‘Ideal City’.
Barchi was one of Terzi’s most successful works; he gave the town centre a layout that was as functional as it was charming, redesigning the entire settlement as if it were a single work of art, enriching it with monuments, sumptuous palaces and effective military defences.
Thus we find the elegant Corso running through the entire town; the central square, designed to appear as an imaginary stage for those entering through the Porta Vecchia; the Town Hall and its spire-topped tower, which dominates the entire valley, built in anthropomorphic forms with striking optical effects, in keeping with the concept of the ‘divine proportion’.
Overlooking the main square stands another of Terzi’s key works: the Collegiate Church of Sant’Ubaldo. Built with three naves, the central one being the highest, the church houses valuable paintings on its side altars, such as the Crucifixion with Saints Ubaldo and Francis, attributed to Nicolò Martinelli, the anonymous Saint Michael the Archangel and The Virgin, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Francis, probably an early work by Guerrieri.
In the gallery above the main door stands an important historic organ, beautiful and unusual in its pastel colours, the work of the Venetian Gaetano Callido, the leading figure of the 18th-century neoclassical organ-building school. A small, seemingly unremarkable street in Barchi can lead us to places steeped in history and legend, such as the Palazzo Ducale, which is said to have been home for years to Lavinia Della Rovere – believed to be ‘La Muta’ as painted by Raphael – and from which one of the many caves that form a labyrinth beneath the village sets off.
There is not a single corner or vantage point throughout this village that does not offer a moment of wonder.
The food and wine of the
Terre Roveresche
Excellence and tradition in local produce
Tradition, identity, wellbeing. It is a mantra, a recipe, a creed. It is the philosophy underpinning the culinary excellence that characterises the Terre Roveresche.
A region where agriculture and livestock farming have always been the economic – and indeed cultural – heart of the area. A heart that has been beating since time immemorial, and which today has been enriched by the most cutting-edge techniques and methods, seamlessly integrated with tradition without ever distorting it.
Take the Guerrieri Farm in Piagge. Here, the new coexists with history. It is not merely the exterior of the old sharecropper’s cottage – now renovated to house the farm shop – that makes this clear to us.
It is upon entering that one senses that ever-evolving sense of continuity which characterises Guerrieri. Among the countless frames displaying certificates and awards, the family tree – carefully painted – stands out; the family has now reached its sixth generation at the helm of the farm.
Guerrieri upholds the values of the agricultural world, with a rigorous focus on health and a preference for the region’s traditional specialities, drawing on its rich biodiversity.
Wine, olive oil, pasta, pulses – the entire supply chain is monitored to ensure authentic, high-quality products.
The organisation of events and welcoming visitors are also hallmarks of the Fiorini Farm in Barchi.
For a hundred years, Fiorini has been running a business dedicated to those who love good wine, fine food and an authentic way of life.
Here too, history goes hand in hand with innovation, which has led to the transition to organic farming, whilst respecting the connection with the land and its vineyards.
The estate’s courtyard is the symbol of this bucolic setting, with its still-familiar and welcoming atmosphere that has contributed so much to its success.
Farming and livestock rearing are the cornerstones of Terre Roveresche. The meat, cured meats and cold cuts produced at the Roberti Farm are crafted by this family with the passion and authenticity of those who love their work and believe in what they do.
Livestock farming is carried out with the utmost care for the animals and their welfare, an approach that is then reflected on the table in products of the very highest quality.
The charm of nature
All the landscapes around the hills
A journey through beauty cannot be complete without the wonders of the landscape.
It is certainly true that the very concept of an itinerary fits perfectly with that of a ‘scattered municipality’, the institutional and geographical form of the Terre Roveresche.
The Terre are, in fact, by their very nature a route that spans a vast and distinctive area. In the Marche, a region of natural diversity, this area embodies its very essence, standing as a hub from which all possible landscape varieties radiate.
To the north and south, the Terre are cradled by the Metauro and Cesano rivers; to the east, the Adriatic glistens with its crystal-clear waters; to the west, the peaks of Mount Catria and Mount Nerone stand out alongside the wonders of the Furlo Gorge, so imposing and yet so close.
A diverse horizon, astonishing to those arriving here for the first time, yet familiar to the locals – consider, for example, that in Barchi the two streets running alongside the town centre are called Via Mura al Mare and Via Mura al Monte.
A spectacle that can be savoured from the heights of the villages dotted across the Terre Roveresche.
Each village is, in fact, a balcony from which to admire the view – splendid vantage points where you can lose yourself in your thoughts whilst leaning on the balustrades of the ancient city walls, your gaze wandering amongst the picturesque beauty of nature.
Rivers, plains, seas and mountains, but above all hills – the true essence of this region’s landscape.
Travelling through the Terre Roveresche means experiencing a harmonious undulation between the ridges and slopes of the hills, carpeted in the colours of the countryside and agriculture – ever-changing with the seasons yet always rich in intense hues.
A undulating landscape where light and shadow play, ensuring the climatic conditions which, together with the fertility of the soil, provide the biodiversity that characterises the region’s agricultural produce.
Places to explore at a leisurely and peaceful pace, allowing yourself to be lulled by the Terre Roveresche, a generous and hospitable land.
Discover the beauty of the Terre Roveresche
The Beauty Trail comes to life
Exploring the beating heart of the Marche region has never been easier. Criluma Viaggi is proud to bring to life Confcommercio Marche Nord’s ‘Itinerario della Bellezza’ project, transforming a guidebook of excellence into real-life itineraries, ready for you to experience.
Romantic weekends, days spent immersed in nature or cultural tours: we’ve created itineraries to suit all tastes and time frames. The Criluma experience is the added value that guarantees you first-class treatment, comprising continuous support, personalised attention and immediate responses.