Italy's most famous caves, the Ancona Abyss, the neoclassical temple inside the rock and the Romanesque abbey of San Vittore.
An underground world discovered in 1971: enormous chambers, stalactites and stalagmites of every shape, crystal-clear pools. Outside, in the Frasassi gorge, a neoclassical temple built inside a cave and a Romanesque abbey by the river. Perfect in any weather and enjoyed by all ages.
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
The guided tour lasts about seventy minutes along an equipped route of roughly a kilometre and a half. The first chamber, the Abisso Ancona, is about 200 metres high: Milan Cathedral would fit inside. Then the 'Organ Pipes', the 'Giants', the 'Candle Room' with hundreds of white stalagmites in the water. The temperature is around 14 degrees all year, with high humidity.
Visits at fixed times: book for groups. Bring a light jacket and shoes with good grip.
Next to the ticket office, on the River Sentino, an 11th-century Romanesque church with a square plan and five domes, in pale stone: one of the finest in the Marche. Nearby is the speleological and palaeontological museum.
Free entry when open.
A small octagonal temple in white marble, built in 1828 inside a large cave at the wish of Pope Leo XII, who was born in Genga; the design is by the architect Giuseppe Valadier. Beside it is the medieval hermitage of Santa Maria infra Saxa, also in the rock. You climb up on a paved path through the woods.
Walk up of about 15-20 minutes each way: not suitable for those with walking difficulties.
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
Rossini's birthplace, Piazza del Popolo and Palazzo Ducale, Giovanni Bellini's altarpiece, the Cathedral mosaics and Pomodoro's Sphere by the sea.
2 h 50 from Pesaro Half day
The plan
The Arch of Augustus on the Via Flaminia, the Fountain of Fortune, the Malatesta Court and the two Perugino paintings in Santa Maria Nuova
3 h 15 from Pesaro Half day
The plan
The panoramic road along the cliff, Villa Imperiale (in summer), the villages of Fiorenzuola di Focara and Casteldimezzo, the view from Gabicce Monte.
4 h 05 from Pesaro Half day
The planVespasian's Roman tunnel through the gorge, the Della Rovere Ducal Palace, the Church of the Dead with its mummies and the home of the Befana.
5 h 15 from Pesaro Half day
The plan
The Rocca Roveresca in Mondavio, the intact walls of Corinaldo, the Piaggia, the Pozzo della Polenta and the house of Saint Maria Goretti.
4 h 35 from Pesaro Half day
The planThe sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto, Palazzo Leopardi with the poet's library and the Hill of the Infinite.
5 h 50 from Pesaro Half day
The planTrips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
