HILLTOP HARMONY

The lively town of Macerata sits on top of a hill, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti. Its origins date back to the 5th and 6th centuries AD when the Goths destroyed the nearby town of Helvia Ricina prompting its inhabitants to take refuge here. Remains of medieval walls enclose a beautifully preserved historic centre, crossed by a maze of cobblestone streets and punctuated with elegant palazzi and churches, built between the 16th and 19th centuries.

As home to one of the oldest universities in Europe, established as far back as 1290, the town combines the verve of modern-day student life with the brio of the Adriatic Riviera and the refined atmosphere of a cultural and artistic hub. In summer Macerata’s squares throb with day-trippers flocking in from the coast, drawn here for the month-long lyric season. World-known opera celebrities take the stage at the stunning open-air Sferisterio, a 19th century Neoclassical-style arena originally built as a ball game stadium and now known as the setting of Macerata’s popular opera festival, owing to its excellent acoustics.

Meet your private driver at your accommodation and relax on the ride to Macerata. Here your guide will be waiting ready to lead you on a tour of the town’s main attractions. In Piazza della Libertà, the heart of Macerata’s political and social life, you will admire a remarkable collection of historic buildings: the Neoclassical-style Palazzo del Comune, the Renaissance-era Loggia dei Mercanti, the imposing Palazzo della Prefettura and the 64-metre-high clock tower. The best of the city’s architecture lines up along Corso Matteotti while the most important religious sites can be found in Piazza San Vincenzo Strambi. Here you will visit the Basilica of the Madonna della Misericordia, richly decorated with frescoes, stuccoes and polychrome marble, and the Cathedral of San Giuliano housing a 14th century tryptych by Allegretto Nuzi.

Not to be missed is the Palazzo Buonaccorsi, home to the Civic Museum of Antique and Contemporary Art. Inside, works by Italian painters are on display, including a precious Madonna and Child by Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli. Worthy of note is the Sala dell’Eneide, decorated with flamboyant Rococò-style frescoes depicting scenes from Virgil’s Aeneid. The palazzo’s basement also hosts the Museo delle Carrozze, showcasing a one-of-a-kind collection of carriages, saddles, whips and bridles bequeathed by Macerata’s wealthiest families.

After the tour rejoin your driver and return to your accommodation.