What is Genga known for?

The largest karst show-cave system in Italy, with the Abisso Ancona chamber large enough to hold the Milan cathedral inside it. Octagonal neoclassical chapel cut into the cliff face above the gorge, commissioned by Pope Leo XII from Valadier in 1828. Annibale della Genga, born at the family castello in 1760 and elected pope in 1823, took his title from this Marche commune.

Genga is a comune in the province of Ancona, Marche region of Italy, about 68 kilometers from Ancona.

Marche · Ancona

Genga

A small Sentino-valley communewhose territory holds the Frasassi caves, the largest karst show cave in Italy.

68 km / 42 mi

Nearest hub (Ancona)

1,682

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Bandiera Arancione

Why come

Genga sitson the Sentino river in the Apennine foothills of the Marche, seven kilometers downstream from Sassoferrato and twelve north of Fabriano. The commune is the ancestral seat of the della Genga, the noble family that gave the Catholic Church Pope Leo XII, born at the Castello della Genga in 1760. The territory is best known for the Grotte di Frasassi, a thirteen-kilometer karst system whose entrance was found in 1971 and opened to visitors in 1974. The Abisso Ancona, a single chamber roughly 180 by 120 meters and nearly 200 tall, is large enough to hold the Milan cathedral. Above the cave entrance, the Tempio del Valadier, an octagonal neoclassical chapel set into a cliff wall, was commissioned by Leo XII from Giuseppe Valadier in 1828. The Abbazia di San Vittore alle Chiuse, a Romanesque Benedictine church on a Greek-cross plan, stands at the gorge mouth and dates to before 1080.

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Known for

Grotte di Frasassi
Thirteen kilometers of karst passageways found in 1971 and opened in 1974, with the Abisso Ancona chamber 180 by 120 meters wide and 200 meters tall.
Tempio del Valadier
Octagonal neoclassical chapel commissioned by Pope Leo XII from Giuseppe Valadier in 1828, built of travertine and set into the cliff above the gorge.
Abbazia di San Vittore alle Chiuse
Romanesque Benedictine church on a Greek-cross plan with four columns, built of local limestone, attested before 1080 at the mouth of the Frasassi gorge.
Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi
Regional natural park of 9,167 hectares covering the limestone ridges and gorges that hold the cave system and the abbey.
Castello della Genga
Hilltop family seat of the della Genga, where Annibale della Genga, the future Pope Leo XII, was born in 1760.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the best months for Genga. The Sentino valley turns green from April, the limestone gorges hold the cool, and the woodland trails through the Gola della Rossa park stay open through autumn. The Frasassi caves run at a constant fourteen degrees year-round; a light jacket is needed even in August. July and August touch the high twenties in the valley but the cave system fills with visitors and tickets often sell out by mid-morning. November through March is quiet at the surface, with low fog on the Sentino some mornings, but the caves and the Tempio del Valadier remain open on the winter schedule. The abbey at San Vittore alle Chiuse holds mass through the year.