Riviera del ConeroMonte Conero (alt 572 m), owes its name to the strawberry tree (the greek Komaros) plant that reigns supreme in the area. It was the first protected area established in the Marche region. Hiking through the many trails indicated on the excursion maps, allows one to appreciate the numerous plants and animals present in this Mediterranean evergreen environment. Bird watching in the Park, facilitates the discovery of amazing cliffs overlooking the sea. It is possible to walk along the trails or go by mountain bike.
Grotte di FrasassiThe Frasassi Caves (Italian: Grotte di Frasassi) are a remarkable karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche. They are among the most famous show caves in Italy. The caves, discovered by a group of Ancona speleologists in 1971, are situated 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Genga, near the civil parish of San Vittore and the Genga-San Vittore railway station (Rome-Ancona line). Rich in water, the cave system is particularly well endowed with stalactites and stalagmites. The cave has been used to conduct experiments in chronobiology. Among the cavers that have spent considerable amount of time inside the cave is the Italian sociologist Maurizio Montalbini, who died in 2009.
Monti SibilliniThe Sibillini Mountains (Italian: Monti Sibillini) are a mountain group in Italy, part of the central Apennines. Situated between eastern Umbria and the Marche, they are mostly composed of limestone rocks, formed in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic (100 to 50 million years ago) on the bottom of an extinct sea. The land emerged 20 million years ago. Most of the peaks are over 2,000 m (6,600 ft); the highest altitude is reached by Monte Vettore at 2,476 m (8,123 ft). Since 1993 the area has been part of the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (Sibillini Mountains National Park). The current morphology, largely dominated by U-shaped valleys and glacial depressions, is due to the action of glaciers in the Quaternary period. Also regions of Karst topography are in evidence, caused by extension of the crust beneath western Italy and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Wildlife and vegetation crested porcupine eurasian eagle owl golden eagle peregrine falcon roe deer vipera wildcat wolf The small tarn lake of Pilato, within a deep u-shaped valley below Monte Vettore, is home to a crustacean endemic of this location, the Chirocephalus marchesonii. The area contains stands of beech scattered amongst open subalpine grasslands and meadows maintained by the grazing of sheep. Find out more at: www.sibillini.net