Camerano

Visiting time: 2 hours.
Distance from the Riviera: from 10 to 18 Km.

THE TOWN AROUND THE BELFRY

Deep inside the nature of the Parco del Conero, Camerano is famous for its caves, hiding underground another completely new "city".

GETTIN THERE

Coming from Sirolo and Numana, the route never leaves the Parco del Conero: take the strada provinciale 2 (SP2), then go up on the right after about 4 kilometers, continuing along the strada provinciale Cameranense (SP 7) for other four kilometers. From Portonovo it is convenient to follow the windy Provinciale del Conero, and then take the SP2 as above, while from Porto Recanati, in order to reach the SP2, you have to skirt the sealine untill Sirolo.

WHAT TO VISIT

Camerano is the hometown of the famous painter Carlo Maratta, better known as Maratti: to him is dedicated a bust in the central square "piazza Roma", the place where our route begines. Facing the square you can visit the Theatre from the late nineteenth century, and the Manciforte palace, with the beautiful park. From the square, through via S. Apollinare or via S. Francesco go up to S. Francesco, a beautiful church preceded by a double stairway, but onpened only during particular periods of the year.

Retourned to piazza Roma, go down along via Maratta, where are located the touristic office, the church of S. Faustina (preserving a medal of the daughter if the painter), and a little bit further the Parrocchiale church, with modern ceramics and a painting by the young Maratta. A particular note goes to the undergound tissue of the city: under the historical center of the town is hidden an intricate net of caves, so many that the inhabitants say that Camerano is bigger underground than on the open.

THE SURROUNDINGS

About un kilometer away from the Parrocchiale church, is located the suggestive church of S. Germano: the street is good for a long refreshing walk, but taking the car its possible to proceed towards Ancona, reaching the gradina and its underground passages; its a level open space maybe place of an ancient village, under which is hidden a net of underground passages (the most famous of which is the Hole of the Devil, "Buco del Diavolo" in Italian), once a complicated idraulic system.