The Frasassi Caves are one of the most spectacular and famous karst complexes in Europe, a true masterpiece of nature tucked away in the heart of the Gola della Rossa and Frasassi National Park. This underground labyrinth is a world unto itself, carved out by water over millions of years, offering an unforgettable sensory and visual experience.

The tourist route takes you into a world of magnificent caves, the most famous of which is the Abisso Ancona, which is so vast that it could fit the Cathedral of Milan. Inside, the air is still, the temperature steady, and the silence broken only by the dripping of water, which tirelessly continues its sculptural work. Limestone formations, such as stalactites and stalagmites, take on bizarre and fascinating shapes, which have been given imaginative names: the "Organ Pipes", the "Witches' Castle" and "Niagara Falls".

Visiting the Frasassi Caves is an experience that goes beyond a simple tourist excursion. It is an opportunity to marvel at a work of art created by nature, to feel small in the face of thousand-year old beauty and to rediscover the deep connection between people and the earth that hosts them.

Hidden among the imposing walls of the Frasassi Gorge, the Temple of Valadier is an architectural masterpiece that spectacularly blends art, history and nature. This sanctuary, located inside a karst cave, was commissioned by Pope Leo XII in 1828 and designed by the famous architect Giuseppe Valadier.

Its octagonal travertine structure, in neoclassical style, strikingly contrasts with the wild and rocky environment that surrounds it. The temple is not only a place of worship, but also an oasis of peace and spirituality, a refuge that offers visitors a moment of silent contemplation.

Reaching the temple requires a short but picturesque walk, which takes you into a unique rocky environment and offers breathtaking views. The Temple of Valadier, together with the adjacent Hermitage of Santa Maria Infra Saxa, is a work that bears witness to humanity's profound faith and ability to create beauty even in the most inaccessible places.

In the heart of the Frasassi Gorge, in a picturesque location nestled between rocky walls, stands the Abbey of San Vittore delle Chiuse, a jewel of Romanesque architecture dating back to the eleventh century. This place is not just a monument, but an oasis of peace and spirituality that bears witness to centuries of history and art.

Its structure, with a Greek cross plan enclosed within a square, and its elegant dome resting on an octagonal drum, is a rare example of Romanesque architecture in central Italy, influenced by Byzantine and Ravenna styles. The light-coloured stone used in its construction shimmers in the sunlight, creating a charming contrast with the surrounding green vegetation and grey rock.

Despite its simplicity, the Abbey of San Vittore conveys a sense of harmony and sacredness. The atmosphere inside is one of profound tranquillity, inviting contemplation and reflection. Its timeless beauty makes it an unmissable stop for anyone wishing to explore the historical and spiritual heritage of the Marche region.

A brief and panoramic loop around M. Fano, the mountain of the Fabrianesi people, better known as San Silvestro and easily accessible by car, starting directly from via XXIV Maggio, near the Giardini Pubblici (Public Gardens), where the Hotel is located.

Silvestro Guzzolini left Osimo and during his wanderings stopped first in the area of the Gola della Rossa in a difficult small cave above the Fiume Sentino, then he obtained a more suitable place from the Conti di Rovellone (of Castelletta): the current Eremo di Grottafucile (Hermitage of Grottafucile), where he lived in prayer from 1227 to 1231.

In that year he moved to M. Fano and established the Congregation that took his name. After various events and transformations, the ancient hermitage changed its appearance, becoming a monastery, an important book restoration laboratory, an institute for disadvantaged young people, and a hospitality center. The original spirituality still lingers in the place but is increasingly difficult to grasp.

The monastery is located on the slopes of Monte Fano 7 km from Fabriano, at 800 m above sea level. Its structure, with its characteristic wide curved line, rises near Fabriano, among the mountains of the Appennino umbro-marchigiano. From the top of the mountain (890 m) you can admire the alta valle dell’Esino, the valle del Giano, and all around a crown of mountains, towards the east the Preappennini chain, to the west the Appennini, towards the south in the distance the peaks of the monti Sibillini. Guests wishing to share the spiritual experience of the community are accommodated in the monastic guesthouse.

We are about 9 km from Fabriano towards the locality Valleremita, among the mountain vegetation we come across the hermitage of Val di Sasso, where it is said that Saint Francis (San Francesco) stopped in 1210 during his passage through Fabriano. In addition to the Saint of Assisi, Saint Bernardino of Siena (San Bernardino da Siena) and a long line of blessed individuals resided here.

In 1405 the hermitage became the property of Chiavello Chiavelli, lord of Fabriano, and then passed to the Franciscans, the Friars Minor. In the seventeenth century, the convent became one of the largest in the region; today the building, rebuilt with the original spolia material, retains its undeniable charm, also thanks to the strong bond that Saint Francis had with the territory. The hermitage is immersed in vegetation and surrounded by a forest of centuries-old beech trees.

The Valle Romita Polyptych (Polittico di Valle Romita) was commissioned by Chiavello Chiavelli, lord of Fabriano and a lover of beauty. He commissioned it for the Hermitage of Val di Sasso shortly after 1405, the year in which he purchased the complex, entrusting its refoundation to the friars following the Blessed Paolo Trinci of Foligno, of the order of Saint Francis. This splendid Polyptych remained on the high altar of the church until 1811, when, following the suppression of religious orders decreed by Napoleon, it eventually arrived at the Pinacoteca di Brera, where it is still conserved today.
At the center of the Polyptych is the Coronation of the Virgin, a canonical theme of Marian imagery, following a Venetian-influenced iconography. In fact, Gentile created the work during his period in Venice. This work caused such a stir and was so appreciated by the population of Fabriano that over the centuries it would be sung about by poets of all times; Raphael himself traveled specifically to Val di Sasso to admire it. The Polyptych is tempera on panel, of considerable size (280 x 250 cm), signed in the firmament section with “Gentilis de Fabriano pinxit”.

The Polyptych returned and was exhibited in its city, Fabriano, during the international exhibition Gentile and the Other Renaissance (Gentile e l’Altro Rinascimento) in 2006. Currently, a beautiful copy of the marvelous Polyptych is visible in the sacred temple.

Among the millennia-old hermitages, monasteries, and abbeys that characterize the central Apennines is the monastery of Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana. Nestled in a small valley of Monte Catria, at 700 meters above sea level, the location chosen for the hermitage is in a wooded area near a spring and is rich in hazel trees, from which the toponym Avellana (hazelnut) derives, not far from the route of the via Flaminia.

It is one of the premier religious centers of medieval Marche. Its foundation dates back to a few years before the year 1000. The first hermits of Eugubian origin, inspired by the preaching of San Romualdo, settled in the territory.

San Romualdo, an anchorite, was born in Ravenna in 952 AD. He was a charismatic figure and reformer who, having abandoned his native Ravenna, chose to live in the harshest solitude, expressing a strong need for the renewal of religious life. Starting from the solid Benedictine rule, he founded a new monastic congregation, the Camaldolese.

Here, at this hermitage, Pier Damiani arrived in 1035, a monk of strong charisma and personality, in a place where the hermitic life was in full splendor, disciplined by customs and rites close to the figure of San Romualdo. Initially, the monks lived in "cells"—huts scattered here and there around the church—but later, the cloister, commissioned by Pier Damiani himself, the crypt, and the chapter house were built around the original core.

Pier Damiani considered Romualdo a true master and wrote his life story. Dante referred to him in the tercets of the XXI canto of Paradise (Paradiso) in the Divine Comedy (Divina Commedia). Dante Alighieri described the site where the hermitage arose with great evocative power, then went on to characterize the personality and history of Pier Damiani, and through the mouth of the abbot, he lamented the sad decadence of the monastic customs of his era.

The Monastery reached considerable power, including economic power, in the 13th and 15th centuries, controlling three other hermitages and 34 churches and chapels officiated by Avellanite monks, only to decline, like other monastic congregations, in the 19th century with the suppression. Only in 1935 did a community of Camaldolese monks return to permanently inhabit the monastery.

Regarding the architectural aspect of Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana, the crypt features a suggestive rectangular, apsidal space, with Romanesque style cross vaults. The church was rebuilt in 1197, with a Latin cross plan and a single nave, with the presbytery raised over the crypt and covered by cross vaults.

The Scriptorium is important, where skilled scribes copied ancient manuscripts and codes, enriching them with luminous miniatures. The scribes utilized sunlight throughout the day by taking advantage of the tall single-lancet windows. The **Library** is noteworthy, conserving about **40,000 volumes** and precious and rare editions. Near the hermitage, there is also an ancient **pharmacy and herbalist's shop** with products prepared according to ancient monastic traditions.

Sentinum is considered one of the most relevant archaeological sites in the Marche region. Located at the gates of the city of Sassoferrato, on the southern side, it consists of two areas, respectively in the localities of Santa Lucia and Civita, divided by the provincial road that leads to Fabriano, connected by a pedestrian walkway that converges into a large parking area.

Within the area is the complex of Santa Lucia from the 13th century, built with materials from Sentinum itself, intended as a reception point for visitors.

Among the excavations of the Roman archaeological site of Sentinum, it is possible to identify Roman roads, *cardo* and *decumanus*, *pavimentum*, remains of the baths, mosaics, epigraphs, etc. The importance of Sentinum, cited in all history books, is linked to a battle that made history, that changed the fortunes and marked the unstoppable path of the Romans: the **Battle of the Nations (Battaglia delle Nazioni)**. In this territory, in 295 BC, the Romans led by Decio Mure defeated the Gallo-Samnite league, which included Etruscans, the Samnites, the Senonian Gauls, the Sabines, the Lucanians, and the Umbrians. The Romans availed themselves of the Piceni as their only allies. It was a bloody, tough, and decisive battle.

The Abbey of Santa Croce a Tripozzo is an architectural complex belonging to a group of four churches dated between the 11th and 12th centuries. This place of worship represents a unique feature in the region, being characterized by an inscribed Greek cross plan: this is a scheme of oriental origins very common in the Byzantine churches of Greece and the Balkans. Incorporated within the abbey complex, the church of Santa Croce has recently been restored to its former splendor by interventions that involved both the static consolidation and the architectural structure, as well as the restorations of the stone elements (capitals, pilasters) and the wall decorations.