What is Serra San Quirico known for?

Covered passageways running above the medieval outer walls from around 1300, the true visual signature of the stone borgo. The Santa Lucia complex houses the headquarters of the Parco Naturale Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, covering 9,167 hectares to the south. Baroque church next to the park headquarters, with marble decoration, gold-leaf stucco and a Pasqualino Rossi altarpiece.

Where is Serra San Quirico?

Serra San Quirico is a comune in the province of Ancona, Marche region of Italy, about 53 kilometers from Ancona.

Marche · Ancona

Serra San Quirico

A stone borgo on Monte Murano at the entrance to the Gola della Rossa, ringed by 1300 walls with covered passageways called copertelle.

53 km / 33 mi

Nearest hub (Ancona)

2,540

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Serra San Quirico sitson the left bank of the Esino river, at the foot of Monte Murano and the entrance to the Gola della Rossa, forty-five kilometers from Ancona. Etruscan, Picene and Roman remains have been found in the area; the Romans established a military garrison that grew into the original village. The medieval town is built almost entirely in stone and rock, ringed by walls dating to around 1300. Above those walls run the Copertelle, covered passageways that line the outer circuit, the true visual signature of the borgo. The Santa Lucia complex, the former monastery in the centro storico, houses the headquarters of the Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, the 9,167-hectare regional park that runs from Serra south to the Frasassi caves. The Chiesa di Santa Lucia, baroque inside with marble decoration and gold-leaf stucco, sits next door. The Festa del Centro Storico in late July fills the stone lanes with theatrical reenactments.

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Gallery

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Known for

Le Copertelle
Covered passageways running above the medieval outer walls from around 1300, the true visual signature of the stone borgo.
Chiesa di Santa Lucia
Baroque church in the centro storico, with marble decoration, gold-leaf stucco and a Pasqualino Rossi seventeenth-century altarpiece.
Parco Naturale Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi
9,167-hectare regional park with headquarters at the Santa Lucia complex in the centro storico, running south to the Frasassi caves.
Centro storico di Serra San Quirico
Stone borgo ringed by walls from around 1300, with the Copertelle covered passageways, recognized with the Bandiera Arancione from the Italian Touring Club.
Gola della Rossa
Limestone gorge cut by the Esino river south of town, opening the access route into the regional park and toward the Frasassi caves.

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 Serra San Quirico. The Esino valley turns green from April, the Gola della Rossa runs cool through the limestone walls, and the autumn light brings out the stone of the Copertelle along the outer ring. July and August touch the high twenties at 409 meters; the gorge stays cooler than the valley floor and the centro storico catches afternoon breezes off the ridge. The Festa del Centro Storico in late July fills the stone lanes with theatrical reenactments. November through March is cool and quiet, with morning mist rising from the Esino and the Frasassi caves running their year-round program twelve kilometers south.