The villages near uswithin half an hour's drive.

One of the loveliest things about our area is that, within half an hour's drive, the landscape changes completely. From the sea at San Benedetto you climb just a few kilometres inland and arrive at medieval villages perched on rocky spurs, with views that range from the Sibillini to the Gran Sasso and out to the Adriatic. Below, six places we genuinely recommend — each with the precise reason it's worth the visit.

Grottammare Alta · 5 km · the closest

A medieval village perched on the hillside looking straight out to the Adriatic — one of the "most beautiful villages in Italy", 5 km from the house. It can also be reached from the coast by bike along the cycle and footpath as far as lower Grottammare, then a climb of about 20 minutes on foot (or five minutes by car). The heart of the village is Piazza Peretti — framed by the Teatro dell'Arancio (eighteenth century, still in use for the summer season) and the Torre Civica, a true balcony over the sea. Don't miss Via Fraccagnini, one of the most colourful streets in the Piceno. An hour or two is enough to wander round it.

• ·Where to eat in the village: the Osteria dell'Arancio in Piazza Peretti (Marche fish cooking, book at weekends); La Torretta sul Borgo for a sea view from the summer terrace.
• ·Getting there without a car: bike along the cycle path (15 min from SBT) plus the walk up to the village; or the regional train to Grottammare station plus a 20-minute walk uphill.
• ·Children: the Nativity-scene museum (run by the Pro Loco) along the main street — free, small, original.
• ·Historic events: in August the Cantamaggio brings medieval re-enactments and Renaissance dinners through the alleyways — dates on the Comune's website.

Acquaviva Picena · 7 km · the fortress

Seven kilometres inland, on a hill commanding the Tronto valley. The reason to go is the Medieval Fortress, fully open to visitors: laid out in the shape of a crossbow, with three corner towers and a cylindrical keep 22 metres high. From the top of the keep there's a 360° view from the sea to the Sibillini, and on clear days as far as the Gran Sasso and the Maiella. Admission €5, reduced to €3 for children aged 11–16 and over-65s. Half a day is enough.

• ·From June to early September: open every day, 10:00–12:30 and 15:00–22:00 (Wednesdays until 23:00).
• ·September–November: closed Mondays, reduced hours — check the Comune's website before setting off.
• ·For anyone travelling with children: inside there's also a multimedia museum with 3D films on the history of the fortress and the Piceno sieges — children love it.
• ·Parking: the village is pedestrianised, with car parking on Via Salaria at the entrance to the town (about a five-minute walk to the castle).

Monteprandone · 5 km · the hill above the house

Literally behind us: 5 km inland, on a hill at 266 metres. Well-preserved fourteenth- and fifteenth-century walls with the imposing Porta da Monte, Piazza dell'Aquila surrounded by historic palazzi (Campanelli, Comunale, Montani), the Chiesa di San Nicola di Bari with a fourteenth-century wooden crucifix. On the ground floor of the Palazzo Comunale are the Biblioteca di San Giacomo della Marca and the Museo dei Codici (manuscripts in the saint's own hand, fifteenth century — free visits by appointment with the town library, tel. 0735 71951). From the belvedere you can see all at once: the beaches of San Benedetto, and the profiles of the Gran Sasso and the Sibillini. It's the most underrated village on the round — very few tourists, a vast view.

Cupra Alta (Borgo Marano) · 9 km · the little secret

Above Cupra Marittima Lido, reachable on foot from the sea with a climb of about ten minutes (or five minutes by car). It's the original village of Cupra, founded in the ninth century as a refuge from Saracen raids. Less touristy than Grottammare and Offida, more intimate. You can see it in an hour — it makes a perfect short stop paired with a morning at the sea in Cupra (the Cupra beach holds a Blue Flag and is less crowded than ours). Worth seeing: the Chiesa di San Basso (twelfth century, in its original Romanesque form), the remains of the walls, the panoramic belvedere over the Adriatic.

• ·Combine it with the sea: park at the Cupra lido (blue zone €1/h), an hour's swim, the climb up to the village, lunch, then back to the sea for the afternoon.
• ·Archaeological Museum: small but well done, with finds from the ancient Cupra Maritima — reduced hours, best to call ahead (tel. 0735 778217).

Ripatransone · 18 km · the record-breaking alleyway

They call it "the Belvedere del Piceno" — it sits at 494 metres above sea level, and from one end of the village to the other you have a 360-degree view from the Sibillini to the Gran Sasso and out to the Adriatic. The attraction that gets Ripatransone talked about is the narrowest alleyway in Italy: 43 cm wide at shoulder height, narrowing to 38 cm higher up. It's in the Roflano quarter, near Piazza XX Settembre. At the tourist office in the square they issue an official certificate confirming you've passed through it — a charming bit of fun for anyone travelling with children.

• ·What else to see: the Cattedrale dei Santi Gregorio e Margherita (thirteenth century, rebuilt in the eighteenth), the Palazzo Comunale (fifteenth century), the Museo Civico Archeologico with Piceno finds.
• ·Where to eat: the Trattoria Bonifazi on Via Roflano (traditional Piceno cooking, tagliatelle with a white ragù of gurnard) is our favourite for lunch after the alleyway. Worth booking at weekends.
• ·Recommended belvedere: the esplanade in front of the cathedral at sunset — the light on the mountains is worth the stop.
• ·Nearby wineries: Ripatransone is Rosso Piceno Superiore DOCG country; the Cantina dei Colli Ripani in the San Filippo district (a cooperative since 1969) welcomes visitors by appointment, ten minutes' drive from the centre.

Offida · 20 km · lace and wine

Offida too is among the "most beautiful villages in Italy". It sits on a rocky spur that divides the Tesino and Tronto valleys. Famous for two things: bobbin lace, an art handed down from mother to daughter for five centuries, and the wines of the Piceno (Rosso Piceno Superiore, Falerio dei Colli Ascolani). Along Corso Serpente Aureo and Via del Merletto you can still see the lacemakers at work in the street. The Museo del Merletto, in the Palazzo De Castellotti-Pagnanelli, even holds a haute couture gown worn by Naomi Campbell, made entirely in bobbin lace by the local craftswomen.

• ·Piazza del Popolo, with its unusual triangular shape — the heart of village life
• ·Santa Maria della Rocca, a fourteenth-century church at the high point of the walk, in a panoramic setting
• ·The Monument to the Lacemakers at the entrance to the historic centre
• ·Can be combined with a local winery for a tasting of Rosso Piceno

Montefiore dell'Aso · 25 km · the painters' village

A medieval village south of the river Aso, with walls still intact and six polygonal towers. Montefiore too is among the "most beautiful villages in Italy" but it's less well known than the others — you can wander it at leisure, with few tourists even in high season. It's worth it for two things: the Polo Museale di San Francesco, with five sections in a single complex, among them the Sala Carlo Crivelli (part of the 1475 polyptych painted for the Franciscan friars — a first-rate piece of Renaissance painting) and the Adolfo De Carolis museum, the Symbolist painter born here (renowned for his illustrations of Orlando Furioso). The Belvedere De Carolis looks out over the Laga, the Gran Sasso, the Sibillini and Monte Vettore — one of the widest panoramas in the region.

Beyond the Tronto · the Abruzzo of the Val Vibrata

Just across the Tronto you're in Abruzzo — the province of Teramo, the Val Vibrata. The landscape is similar to the Marche but with a different soul: hills planted with vines, villages on panoramic knolls, views of the Gemelli (the Gran Sasso) and the Maiella.

• ·Civitella del Tronto (37 km · 37 min): among the "most beautiful villages in Italy". An enormous sixteenth-century fortress (the largest military fortress in Italy, 25,000 m² — restored in the 1980s). Fortress admission €6, reduced €4, free for under-12s. Open every day in high season 10:00–20:00, reduced hours off-season. Piazza Pepe is a panoramic terrace over the two Apennine massifs. It also has its own "Ruetta", which vies with Ripatransone for the title of narrowest alleyway in Italy (38–43 cm).
• ·Colonnella (11 km · 15 min): a monumental flight of steps up to the Chiesa dei Santi Cipriano e Giustina, at the top of the medieval village. A view of the snow-capped Apennine peaks suspended above the horizon, more striking still on clear afternoons from January to March.
• ·Wineries: Controguerra and Colonnella are the land of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo DOCG — the Tenuta San Giuseppe and the Cantina Centorame (Castilenti) are among the most respected. Tasting visits by appointment.

Which one to choose

• ·If you only have one evening: Monteprandone or Grottammare Alta (both 5 km away)
• ·If you have half a day and no car: Grottammare Alta (bike plus the walk up)
• ·If you're travelling with children: Acquaviva Picena (the fortress you can visit, the 3D museum) or Ripatransone (the record-breaking alleyway plus a certificate)
• ·If you're after food and craft: Offida (lace plus wineries)
• ·If you want the quietest, least touristy village: Cupra Alta, Monteprandone, or Montefiore dell'Aso
• ·If you love art: Montefiore dell'Aso (Crivelli plus De Carolis)
• ·If you have a whole day and want the grandest view: Civitella del Tronto in Abruzzo