Cerreto D'esi: Castle, Art and Trails

Cerreto d'Esi combines medieval local history with church art, hiking, cycling, and festivals. When planning your trip, you can decide in advance what to focus on: a walking tour of the castle offers a different experience from a stage of the Cammino dei Cappuccini or a visit during the Festa dell'Uva.

Explore the Castle on Foot

The medieval walking tour starts and ends at Piazza Caraffa and takes you through the Castello di Cerreto d'Esi. The historic center stands above the Borgo and is surrounded by a high city wall. Via Tribbio runs through the castle. Its right-angled layout illustrates a town plan with two main axes corresponding to the Roman decumanus and cardo. Walking the full length of the street offers unusual views in the castle.

Today's entrance to the castle is via a path from which you can see the remains of an impressive medieval drawbridge. It probably spanned a moat that ran around the walls. You can reach the remains from Piazza Caraffa and Via Belisario via a wooden ramp that can only be used on foot. Porta Giustiniana is also part of the medieval townscape: the gate dates from the 12th to 13th century and has a small clock tower at the top.

Church Art and History

The collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta, also known as Santa Maria della Piazza, houses a wooden crucifix carved by Fra Paolo da Chioggia between 1527 and 1528. The church is one of the oldest and most important in the Castello di Cerreto d'Esi. Another artistic highlight is the Antica Farmacia Giuli Museum, which preserves works by various artists active between the 15th and 18th centuries, including Antonio di Agostino da Fabriano, Luca di Bartolomeo delle Fibbie, and Ercole Ramazzani.

The Antica Farmacia Giuli is located in the castle at Piazza Marconi. Parts of the valuable wooden furnishings have been preserved, along with some vessels that were used as pharmacy containers over the years. In Località La Venza, a rural area in the hills of Cerreto d'Esi, vineyards and agricultural landscapes typical of the Verdicchio region shape the surroundings. The area also preserves the memory of an English Halifax aircraft that crashed there during the Second World War while taking part in missions to supply the partisans.

Hiking and Cycling

On the sixth stage of the Cammino dei Cappuccini, Cerreto d'Esi is a stop after 10 kilometers. The stage reaches the town through the surrounding countryside and along gravel roads. Hikers can break their journey in Cerreto d'Esi and Albacina and visit both places. Information about the stage's position and route helps you place your visit in the context of this hike.

There are also different route options for a cycling trip: the cycling version of the Cammino dei Cappuccini includes a stage from Pascellupo to Cerreto d'Esi. Once completed, a cycling loop from Cerreto d'Esi can connect to the Ciclovia dell'Esino. This gives you both a named stage ending in Cerreto d'Esi and a loop ride that connects to the cycle path afterward.

Festa dell'Uva and Local Cuisine

The Festa dell'Uva takes place each year around the third Sunday in September and lasts four days; the exact dates may vary. During the festival, cantine set up outside the castle along the walls serve typical local dishes and products. These include Penciarelle, Verdicchio, and sweet Ciambelline. The specific offerings may vary from one edition to the next.

A barrel race has also been part of the festival since 2023. The route runs outside the walls of the Castello di Cerreto d'Esi. If you're planning your trip specifically for this event, check whether the race is scheduled for that year's edition. The Belisario Festival offers free events featuring live music, street food, children's shows, and comedy; its program may change from one edition to the next.

More Destinations

Explore more destinations: Cupramontana, Mergo, Montemarciano, Montesicuro, Castelplanio, Ostra, Morro D'alba, Ostra Vetere.

For the main travel overview: Ancona.