What is Sarnano known for?

Medieval centro storico built almost entirely in baked brick, with ponte houses crossing the lanes and the highest point at Piazza Alta. Oligomineral thermal spa opened in the 1930s, used for respiratory and rheumatic treatments until the 2016 earthquake closed the historical site. Ski slopes on Monte Sassotetto at 1,330 meters above town, with downhill and cross-country runs through winter.

Sarnano is a comune in the province of Macerata, Marche region of Italy, about 103 kilometers from Ancona.

Marche · Macerata

Sarnano

A 539-meter medieval borgo of baked brick at the foot of the Sibillini, with thermal springs that ran for 84 years until the 2016 earthquake.

539m

Elevation

103 km / 64 mi

Nearest hub (Ancona)

3,042

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Sarnano sits at 539 meters on a hill at the foot of the Sibillini, seventy kilometers from Ancona and within the Monti Sibillini National Park. The medieval centro storico winds in concentric brick rings up to Piazza Alta, the highest point, where the fourteenth-century Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo del Podestà and the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta line the small civic stage of the old free commune. The town is built almost entirely in baked brick, with ponte houses crossing the lanes and small bricked-up doors of the dead set into the walls. The thermal spa, fed by highly pure oligomineral springs and used for respiratory, rheumatic and joint treatments, opened in the 1930s and ran for 84 years until the 24 August 2016 earthquake rendered the historical site unusable. A new spa facility is in stages of construction. The Sasso Spaccato above town and the Sarnano ski slopes on Sassotetto are the seasonal anchors of the upper territory.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Sarnano 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

4 photos · scroll →

Known for

Piazza Alta
The highest point of the medieval centro storico, with the fourteenth-century Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo del Podestà and Santa Maria Assunta.
Centro storico di Sarnano
Medieval brick borgo winding in concentric rings, with ponte houses crossing the lanes and small bricked-up doors of the dead set into the walls.
Chiesa di Santa Maria di Piazza Alta
Fourteenth-century church on Piazza Alta, with a Romanesque-gothic facade and the holdings of the former civic art collection now in the Pinacoteca.
Terme di Sarnano
Thermal spa fed by oligomineral springs, opened 1930s for respiratory and rheumatic treatments, closed since the 2016 earthquake while a replacement facility is built.
Sassotetto
The Sarnano ski slopes on Monte Sassotetto, at 1,330 meters, with downhill and cross-country runs above town.

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 Sarnano. The Sibillini meadows turn green from May, the lavender fields above town bloom in early July, and the autumn light brings the brick centro storico to its warmest tone. July and August touch the high twenties at 539 meters but the elevated position and the forested slopes above keep the evenings cool. The summer sagra weekends fill Piazza Alta. November through March is the second season, with skiing and cross-country on Sassotetto from December through March; the historical thermal spa remains closed since 2016 while a new facility is built.