Serra San Quirico: Copertelle, Art and Nature

Serra San Quirico combines historic urban spaces and art with museums devoted to natural and regional history. In Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, there are also hiking trails, guided hikes and designated cycling routes. If you are looking for a hotel, it helps to first decide which themes you want to focus on during your trip: the Copertelle and religious art, different collections, or activities in the park. The following highlights offer concrete points of reference.

The Copertelle and the Church of Santa Lucia

The Copertelle are covered streets built over the town walls, with houses built above them. They probably date from the second half of the 14th century. Their design brings together street space, town walls and houses in an unusual spatial arrangement. Their historic use is also part of the story: in times of peace, the Copertelle served as the workplaces of various local guilds. Their form and function thus offer two distinct ways of engaging with this part of the town’s history.

Art and music history come together in the Church of Santa Lucia. It contains a cycle of scenes from the life of Saint Lucy by Pasqualino Rossi and has an organ dating from 1675. The church thus brings together a visual account of a saint’s life and a musical instrument with a specific date. If you are planning your trip around cultural themes, this distinction provides a useful guide.

Art, maps and natural history

The Museo Premio Ermanno Casoli 1998-2007 displays more than forty works of contemporary art by artists from around the world. The Cartoteca Storica delle Marche in Serra San Quirico offers a different kind of collection: its collection of historical maps has grown from an original 50 to 300 today. The contrast highlights the difference between contemporary artworks and historical cartography. The numbers also tell their own story: they show how the map collection has grown from its original size.

The Museo di Storia Naturale del Territorio explores the development of the area in Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi and focuses on palaeontology, archaeology, geology and natural sciences. The Museo dei fossili “Don Giuseppe Mattiacci” has a narrower focus: it mainly presents palaeontological material from the Apennines of the Marche region, dating from different geological periods. Thus, several fields of study and the development of the area are set alongside a collection focused mainly on palaeontology. If you are interested in natural and geological history, these different focuses can help you choose what to visit.

Hiking and cycling in the park

The official park calendar lists 35 official hiking trails for 2026, as well as guided hikes with official park guides. If you are planning a guided hike, check the latest dates in advance, as the excursion programme may change. This lets you plan around the specific activities on offer without assuming a particular duration or route.

In and beyond Parco Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, there are designated routes for conventional mountain bikes, gravel bikes and e-bikes. These bike categories offer a starting point for planning. Individual routes and booking conditions may change, so check the latest information for your chosen route before finalising your cycling plans.

Getting oriented and travelling to the area

The park’s information point is located in the Santa Lucia complex in Serra San Quirico. If you plan to visit, check the latest visitor information in advance, as operational details may change.

If you are travelling by car, the SS76 is a useful reference point: there is an exit at Serra San Quirico, one of the exits for the park. Take current road conditions into account when planning your journey. Together with the cultural and natural highlights, these practical details can help you decide what to focus on during your trip to Serra San Quirico.

Discover more destinations: Marcelli, Loretello, Cancelli, Offagna, Cupramontana, Cerquete, Villaggio Taunus, Moie

For the main travel overview: Ancona.