Macerata: the enchanting hill of central Italy.
Renamed “the Athens of the Marche”, Macerata is undoubtedly one of the most enchanting cities in the region and the whole central Italy.
Located on a hill about 300 meters above sea level, Macerata extends between two valleys, those of the rivers Potenza (in the North) and Chienti (in the South).
Adorned with the title of “free town” since the distant 1138, Macerata lives a very prosperous period in the sixteenth century, when are developed many restorations of the historical town, which began to assume that splendid medieval form that we can still admire today.
The city is divided into 14 districts: among them, we find older ones such as the “Piazza”, “Le Fosse” and “Le Casette”, with different characteristic corners to which the “Pistacoppi” (nickname of the inhabitants of Macerata) are very attached.
The main monuments.
Macerata is famous especially for the wonderful Piazza della Libertà, which includes monuments such as the Civic Tower and the Church of San Paolo.
If we move in Piazza Strambi we can instead admire the Duomo, or rather the Cathedral of San Giuliano, made momentarily unfeasible by the earthquake of 24th August 2016.
If you ever come here, you can not make a quick stop to the Sferisterio, an outdoor arena located exactly inside the historic center of Macerata, in Piazza Giuseppe Mazzini, equipped with 3000 seats.
Do not miss also the Basilica della Madonna della Misericordia and the Civic Museums of Palazzo Buonaccorsi.
Culture in Macerata.
In this city there is one of the most important and ancient universities in Italy: the University of the Studies of Macerata, founded in 1290.
As regards religion, worthy to signal is the Macerata-Loreto pilgrimage, carried out every year by pilgrims who go to the Holy House located in the Marche town.
Curiosity of Macerata.
If you make a jump in Macerata, stop also to eat the local specialties: over all, try the ‘vincisgrassi’ (which occasionally you can also find under the name of ‘svinci’), a kind of baked lasagne.