What is Matelica known for?

The smaller and higher-altitude of the two Verdicchio DOCs, made in a closed mountain valley that gives the wine a sharper mineral profile. A thirty-centimeter Roman marble sphere from the second century AD engraved with reference lines, on display in the civic archaeology museum. Collection of Monsignor Piersanti, papal master of ceremonies under five popes from 1718 to 1761, with paintings, silver and rare furniture.

Matelica is a comune in the province of Macerata, Marche region of Italy, about 77 kilometers from Ancona.

Marche · Macerata

Matelica

A Verdicchio townin the upper Esino valley, with a Roman marble globe in its archaeological museum.

77 km / 48 mi

Nearest hub (Ancona)

9,170

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Matelica sitsin the upper Esino valley between Monte San Vicinoto the west and Monte Gemmoto the east. The Picentes and Umbri settled here in the first millennium BC; Rome turned the town into a municipium around 70 BC under the name Matilica. After the Lombard sack of 578 AD Matelica re-emerged as a free commune by 1160 under its bishop. Verdicchio di Matelica, DOC since 1967, is the smaller and higher-altitude of the two Verdicchio appellations: the closed mountain valley gives the wine a sharper mineral profile than the Castelli di Jesi version closer to the coast. The Museo Civico Archeologico holds the Globo di Matelica, a thirty-centimeter Roman marble sphere from the second century AD, engraved with lines that may have been used for a sundial. Palazzo Ottoni, built in 1472 on the main piazza, and the Museo Piersanti, the collection of the eighteenth-century papal master of ceremonies, anchor the centro storico.

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Gallery

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Known for

Museo Civico Archeologico
Civic archaeology collection holding the Globo di Matelica, a Roman marble sphere of the second century AD engraved with reference lines, possibly a sundial.
Palazzo Ottoni
Renaissance palazzo built in 1472 by the Ottoni family on the main piazza, now part of the civic administration.
Museo Piersanti
Late fifteenth-century palazzo holding the collection of Monsignor Venanzio Filippo Piersanti, papal master of ceremonies from 1718 to 1761, with works by Bellini, Salvator Rosa and Carlo Maratta.
Piazza Enrico Mattei
Main square of the centro storico, named for the local-born ENI founder, flanked by Palazzo Ottoni and the Loggiati di San Francesco.
Duomo di Matelica
Cathedral on Piazza Enrico Mattei, baroque interior with a fourteenth-century crypt holding the relics of Sant'Adriano.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through October is the working window for Matelica. The Esino valley turns green from April, the Verdicchio vineyards at 400 meters on the surrounding slopes flower in June and color from late August, and the harvest runs through September. June through August touches the low thirties in the valley; the mountain breeze between Monte San Vicino and Monte Gemmo keeps the centro storico cooler than the lowland and the cellars below town hold their constant cellar temperature. September brings the white grape press and the wine festivals on Piazza Enrico Mattei. November through March is quieter and damper, with the museum and the Duomo open on winter hours and snow occasional above the higher frazioni.