Macerata
Macerata, a wonderful town in Marche, owes its origin to an incident that happened between the V and the VI Century: most of the population of Helvia Recina, founded by Romans, was forced to hide in the hills in order to defend themselves against the Barbarian invasions.
Within its mighty old town, there are precious testimonies of its noble and ancient past. Along the central Corso Matteotti, it will be possible to breathe the fifteenth-century air of its marvellous architecture as well as to admire the lovely Piazza della Libertà and the ancient Priors’ Palace, today seat of the City Hall, in which they preserve precious statues and commemorative stones.
Duomo Macerata
Here also the wonderful Renaissance Prefecture Palace stands, the Church of San Paolo, built between 1623 and 1655, and the Rossi Theatre, built in 1700. Among the many beauties to behold this lovely and quiet medieval town there is the famous Sferisterio, realised in the first half of the Nineteenth Century. It is a huge arena in which they used to play the ancient game of the ball with the band.
You must not miss visiting the clock tower, where you can enjoy a great view, the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, the Duomo built in the XV Century, the Compagnoni Marefoschi Palace, the Buonaccorsi Palace, the Ricci Palace (which hosts the Contemporary Art Gallery) and the amazing Traders’ Loggia.
Recanati
Recanati is a lovely town in Marche located on the top of a hill. Much of the fame of this ancient hamlet is due to the fact that this place gave birth to two shining personalities of Italian culture and opera. In fact, both the poet Giacomo Leopardi and the famous tenor Beniamino Gigli were born in Recanati.
Leopardi Square Recanati
Moreover, besides from having a look at every place dedicated to these well-known personalities, Recanati also offers the chance to anybody who comes here for a visit to admire all the great testimonies of its glorious and ancient past. In fact, in Recanati there are several architectonical elements that reflect the artistic value and the importance of this hamlet between the Sixteenth and the Seventeenth Century.
Beside the beauties carefully preserved in its many Churches, of particular interest is the Town Art Gallery, where one can admire paintings by Lorenzo Lotto. Obviously, you must not miss visiting those places that inspired the great Leopardi’s eternal poetry.
