What is Corinaldo known for?

912 meters of intact fifteenth-century fortifications ring the centro storico, with gates, towers and bastions still in place. Fifteenth-century well on the steep Piaggia stair, subject of the legend behind the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta every July. Saint Maria Goretti was born in Corinaldo in 1890 and lived here until age nine; the family home and a sanctuary stand in town.

Corinaldo is a comune in the province of Ancona, Marche region of Italy, about 55 kilometers from Ancona.

Marche · Ancona

Corinaldo

A walled hill borgowith 912 meters of intact medieval walls, the birthplace of Saint Maria Goretti and the Pozzo della Polenta.

55 km / 34 mi

Nearest hub (Ancona)

4,767

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Corinaldo sitson a hill above the Cesano valley, forty kilometers from Ancona and thirteen from Senigallia on the Adriatic. The 912 meters of fifteenth-century walls that ring the centro storico are among the most intact medieval fortifications in central Italy: gates, towers, bastions, all standing more or less as they were finished. The Piaggia, the steep stepped street that climbs the hill, is built around the Pozzo della Polenta, the fifteenth-century well that gave the town its July reenactment. The legend says a peasant carrying a sack of cornmeal up the steps stopped to rest against the well, dropped his sack in, climbed down to retrieve it, and got laughed at by the whole town: the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta on the third Sunday of July has been replaying that scene since 1979. Maria Goretti was born here in 1890 and lived in the commune until she was nine.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Corinaldo fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Gallery

9 photos · scroll →

Known for

Mura di Corinaldo
912 meters of fifteenth-century walls ringing the historic center, among the best-preserved medieval fortifications in the region with intact gates and bastions.
Pozzo della Polenta and Piaggia
Fifteenth-century well at the center of the steep stepped Piaggia street, subject of the legend behind the town's July reenactment.
Santuario di Santa Maria Goretti
Diocesan sanctuary dedicated to the saint born here in 1890, with the family's preserved birthplace nearby the historic center.
Torre dello Sperone
Half-pentagonal defensive tower from 1490 along the walls, used as artillery emplacement and now a viewpoint over the Cesano valley.
Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta
Historic reenactment held on the third Sunday of July, running since 1979, the oldest in the Ancona province with neighborhood teams in costume.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months for Corinaldo. The walled streets are walkable in daylight without sweating, the surrounding hills run green into May then gold through the wheat harvest, and the Cesano valley below stays clear. July touches the low thirties; the third Sunday brings the Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta and a packed historic center. October ends with one of central Italy's larger Halloween festivals, the Festa delle Streghe, which has filled the town since 1999. November through March is quiet, often foggy in the valley, with the walls and sanctuary open year-round and many restaurants on reduced winter hours.