Sibilini Mountains and hilltop villages of Marche

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
9
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
3
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
4
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
67 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
192nd/454
Top 40%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$100 (typically $60 - $150)
Time of year visited
May
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Hilltop towns Local villages Mountains
All Tags
Driving Forests Hiking Lakes Old town
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

The Sibillini Mountains form part of the Apennines that run down the spine of Italy.  They are surprisingly wild and empty – a landscape of dramatic ridges, alpine lakes and deep valleys where wolves and bears can still be seen.

Below the mountains sits one of Italy’s most overlooked regions: Marche. Scattered across rolling countryside are dozens of hilltop villages, many every bit as beautiful as those in Tuscany or Umbria, but with far fewer tourists.

I spent around four months living here and what stood out most was how authentic the place feels. This is not a region designed for visitors – it’s simply everyday Italy: quiet piazzas, family-run restaurants, weekly markets and landscapes that feel largely untouched.

If you’re looking for famous landmarks, Italy has plenty elsewhere. But if you want beautiful scenery, charming towns and a genuine slice of Italian life without the crowds, Marche is a wonderfully underrated corner of the country.

 

The crystal clear waters and beautiful surroundings of a walk along Lago di Fiastra in the Sibilini Mountains of Marche

Highlights

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#1 The crystal clear waters and beautiful surroundings of a walk along Lago di Fiastra

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#2 The dramatic mountains surrounding Sassossetto, with easy walks all around. The walks up to either Pizzo Meta or Monte Valvasseto are both beautiful

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#3 Getting lost in the tiny narrow streets of Sernano's Old Town

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#4 Wandering the old towns and enjoying the views, in this case Amandola

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#5 The green! Its not called the Green Heart of Italy for nothing

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#6 The beautiful city centre of Ascoli Piceno

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#7 The food - some of the freshest and simplest in all of Italy

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#8 The walks up and around Monte Vettore (start from Sentiero dei Mietitori) are also wowza, and have the added benefit of the views down into the magnificent Pian Grande

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#9 The walks through the forests and tall towers within Penna San Giovani

5 Tips for central Marche

 

1. Best hilltop Old Towns

  • Best overall for the winding streets for getting lost in is Sernano.
  • Best for views, Monte San Martino.

 

Views from Penna San Giovani Old Town in Marche

Views from Penna San Giovani Old Town in Marche

 

  • Best for pleasant walk through a park – and views-  is Penna San Giovani.
  • Best larger town is Ascoli Piceno. 
  • Also very much worth a visit is Amandola for its cute square and views from the Old Town.

 

Views of the Sibilini Mountains from the Old Town of Amandola

 

2. Walks and beautiful mountain view options

#1 The mountains surrounding Sassossetto are dramatic, with easy walks all around. The walks up to either Pizzo Meta or Monte Valvasseto are both beautiful.

 

Views of the Green Heart of Italy Marche from Pizzo Meta in Sassossetto

Views of the Green Heart of Italy Marche from Pizzo Meta in Sassosetto

 

#2 Lago di Fiastra is a stunning walk – either along the lakeside from San Lorenzo al Lago, or along the ridges of Rufella.

#3 The walks up and around Monte Vettore – start from Sentiero dei Mietitori – are also wowza, and have the added benefit of the views down into the magnificent Pian Grande. Be sure to have lunch round there as there are plenty of surprisingly high quality restaurants, and aim to be there for the flower blooms if possible.

#4 If looking for something short, simple, flat and pretty, go for Lago de San Ruffino close to Amandola.

 

Lago de San Ruffino close to Amandola.

Lago de San Ruffino close to Amandola

 

3. Rent a car

I’m sure you could go around on public transport, but way way easier in a car.  Plus gives you the flexibility to explore less obvious places along the way.

 

Penna San Giovani Old Town in Marche

Pretty hard to get transport to some of the small towns like Penna San Giovani – need a car realistically 

 

4. The food is some of the simplest and freshest in Italy . . . but avoid the bread! 

Ever since the Pope introduced a salt tax, the people of Marche have done without, so its like temporarily nice cardboard!

 

 

5. It’s central Italy. Nothing happens fast!

 

If you’ve got this far in Italy, you probably have noticed the is already!

 

 

Why I loved living there

I used the town of Amandola in Marche as a base for exploring the rest of Italy and it proved to be a wonderful choice. After visiting more than 100 countries and living in seven, Italy stands out to me as the most beautiful country in the world — and Marche offered a perfect window into it.

This felt like real Italy, warts and all: small towns, local markets, long lunches and everyday life rather than something curated for tourists. In fact there were hardly any tourists at all. Winters were cold and often snowy, while the summers were hot and full of energy, with village festivals and lively piazzas. The mountain walks in the Sibillini were spectacular and often completely empty, and the surrounding hilltop towns were just about as pretty as anywhere in the world.

It was a quietly brilliant place to spend time.

Experiences Nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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