Tag Archives: beach

Giulia Mare

Posted on by

One of the restaurants lining Via del Golfo, Giulia Mare was chosen as our lunch stop due to its snazzy design and name (after all, anything with Italian Julia‘s in it can’t be too bad).  Good choice, overall.

Giulia Mare is technically on the beach strand, but on the “city” side of the road.  Thus, you can still watch the herds of bathing suit-clad people stroll by and the line of the sea in the distance, but you are separated from the sand (or, pebbles) by the main street along the Numana beach.  The perpetual roar of passing motors would by my only real criticism of this abode; especially in the outside patio, it’s difficult to hold a conversation with a constant stream of scooters whizzing past on the other side of the low hedge.  Once moving inside though, the noise subsided and I enjoyed the experience.  Walls made up of huge windows; kind of like an aquarium, almost.

The cuisine is simple: seafood.  Especially for popular seaside towns, portions were big and prices not expensive.  After an antipasto misto di pesce and a shared pasta dish, we were both pretty full.  Service was swift and professional, and she answered my indecision with a list of tasty suggestions (and a lot of time for deciding).

Giulia Mare 1The main draw of the place, at least for me, is its design.  Neo-architecture, simplicity, minimalism, glass and the color green.  A nice change of environment from the old, sepia stone houses that host most things in Italy .

Giulia Mare 2Nice atmosphere, clean place, good-sized portions, and fresh food.  If you’re looking for a meal on the summertime Numana strand (near the port, in transition between Numana and Marcelli) this place gets out vote.  Simple, but with taste (both for the eyes and the mouth).

Giulia Mare
Via del Golfo 5
Numana
tel: 071 7360192

Portonovo

Posted on by

PortonovoFrom Ancona: 12 kilometers southeast along the Adriatic coastline, Portonovo.  Nicknamed the Green Bay of the Adriatic.  Hosts several internationally-acclaimed restaurants.  Known for its azzurro waters, numerous mussels, and luxurious resorts.  Full of history and exotic birds.  The new port that became the gem of the Monte Conero park and attracts both food and nature fans.

As a place of nature, Portonovo offers an isolated excursion from the rest of the region.  Monte Conero, the forested mountaintop that breaks the characteristically smooth Marche coastline and juts boldly into the Adriatic sea, has a silhouette recognized throughout the Ancona Portonovo Pondland.  And at its base, a couple hundred meter drop in elevation from the main road, is an ancient fisherman village that strives to protect its natural beauties.  In addition to the sealife (especially the mussels, or, moscioli in the local dialect) off the shores, there is a variety of birds that call this terrain their home.  There are also two lakes: il Lago Profondo and il Lago del Calcagno (also known as il Lago grande), both of which offer a variety of ecosystems due to the mixture of salty ocean water and water from multiple freshwater sources in the bay.  From herds of ducks waddling across the parking lot to information boards with detailed diagrams of flowers, there is a collection of fauna and flora to document.

Ancona Portonovo BeachOther than the short-scale walking paths throughout the area, there is also a nice stretch of beach.  At the northern end is la spiaggia di mezzavalle, a long stretch of white pebbles reaching all the way up to Il Trave.  At the southern end is another series of beach stretches (le spiagge della vella, dei Sassi Bianchi, and dei Gabbiani), but access varies throughout the seasons due to water levels.  Regardless, both extremes of the beachline tend to be of finer pebbles, while the middle stretch consists of gigantic boulders separating buildings from sea; these are great fun to climb on.  Especially during a windy, rainy night, when the waves crash against the lowest level of rocks and cast great walls of ocean mist.  Caution advised though.

For the architecture enthusiast, there is an old tower named Torre Clementina (La Torre di Guardia).  Ordered to be built by Pope Clemente XI in an effort to combat the pirate intrusions (pirates!), this beautiful building has since been handed down through generations of a particularly wealthy family.  I used to have daydreams of buying this property, but the only way to do so would be to marry into the royal family and become the next heir- and I am quite happy with my current Italian love life, so I’ll let that be.  Although, once a year, the tower is open to the public, so that everyone has the opportunity to walk its balconies and pretend that it is their estate for a few minutes.

For the history geek, there is La Chiesa di Santa Maria, a roman gem erected in 1034 and dedicated to monastic life.  There are also the remains of an old fortress built in 1810 by Napoleaon’s Italian viceroy.  Every year, there is a procession to honour its military history.  Today, the fortress has been converted into a remarkable 4-star hotel and restaurant.

Ancona Portonovo1For the food lover, there are several restaurants and bars dotting the oceanfront: Da Anna, Da Emilia, Il Laghetto, Il Molo, Da Giacchetti.  All of these dining establishments specialize in seafood, especially in the different types of clams and other shelled critters in surrounding waters.

Portonovo is, theoretically, ‘uninhabited’ in the sense that there are no residential houses there.  There are, however, two camping grounds (Camping Club Adriatico and La Torre), and several upscale hotels containing either dining options or spa facilities (or both).

Whether you are looking for a scenic afternoon walk through oaks and pebbles, or a luxurious weekend away, Portonovo is sure to fill the task.

Getting there:
During the summer, Bus 94 takes you straight from the city center of Ancona to Portonovo.  During the winter… call us, and we’ll show you around ; )

Il Trave

Posted on by

Ancona Il TraveBetween Ancona and Portonovo are about 12 kilometers of jagged shoreline.  And while Bus 94 will take you from the city center of Ancona to the heart of Portonovo in a few minutes, the 12 kilometers of Via del Conero can also be covered by foot (though it is not generally recommended, as there is no sidewalk along the country road- and forbidden at night, as there are no street lamps either).  About a kilometer north of Portonovo, you will find a hiking trail (“Sentiero del Trave”) stemming left from the main road, which will take you through a couple of fields and down a steep hill onto Spiaggia di Mezzavalle.  This spiaggia libera can likewise be reached from Portonovo, although tides usually require wading through some shallow water before reaching the higher elevation of the beach.

Ancona Il Trave7Regardless of arrival method, the beach boasts natural, untouched surfaces and a geographic phenomenon called Il Trave.  Extending out of a cliff, this strand of rock reaches about a kilometer into the sea, skimming the surface of the water nearer to the beach before trailing off into the depths.  On top of this carved rock is an old, abandoned house called “Casotto Fattorini”.  Before years of destruction from the elements, this cement building used as one of the two fishing houses.  Today, it serves as the iconic silhouette of Il Trave, still standing after so many years, even if its condition is not quite at the same level.

As on most of the rock formations in the Riviera del Conero, Il Trave is coated with a layer of mussels (moscioli, in the dialect of Ancona), the catching of which is strictly forbidden and regulated.  The freedom of the mussels to grow naturally and without disruption of their environment is important to Portonovo, a sea post recognized globally for its seafood cuisine.

Ancona Il Trave9

The beach around Il Trave is a treasure chest; thousands of shells and unusual pebbles take the place of sand, and various sea life gets washed ashore.  Among volleyballs, glassy stones, and single shoes, you never know what you’re going to stumble across.

Passetto

Posted on by

Passetto 8Passetto is the name of the most famous beach of Ancona, as well as the accompanying neighborhood.  Heading east from the city center is Viale della Vittoria, a long boulevard lined with trees that cuts through the entire city and ends with a giant monument on top of a pedestal (in the summer, day and night, the steps are covered with couples, school groups, and old men with dried bread in their hands).  Designed by Guido Cirilli, this massive, white masterpiece was created to honor the fallen soldiers of World War I.  When you look out the other side of the monument, you realize that you have reached the edge of the city; out of nowhere, you hear the powerful roar of waves, smell the sting of salt, and feel a certain thickness in the air.  At the edge of your feet is a sudden drop; hundreds and hundreds of little steps bring you down from Passetto at city-level to Passetto at sea-level.

When Gregory was a child, he went often with his mom and grandpa to eat at the grotte of family friends.  In the past, fishermen used these grotte to store their boats, but today, the great majority of them serve as converted living rooms for families that lounge at the Pasetto from sunrise to sunset on colorful summer days.  Taking a left at the bottom of the long series of stairs, you will see a series of gates attached to the side of the cliff; during the summer, these grotte are open and people are playing music, making bonfires, and enjoying a lunchtime glass of white wine.  During the winter, these sheds remain closed, but you can still admire their colorful facade.

Passetto 4aThe entire curve of the Passetto stretches on for a bit, ending with a huge diagonal plane of rock that is great for sunbathing or merely lounging on a towel and reading a book.  When you want to return to the city level, there is a hidden staircase tucked away in an alcove that will bring you back to the park (and provide some Kodak moments), as well as a panoramic elevator.  Or you can make the trek back up the many stairs. Standing at the bottom of the staircase and looking up, you can see why it it nicknamed “The Crowned Eagle”:  the looping, symmetrical stairways form the wings of the bird, and the pillared monument on top serves as the crown.  To any ships sailing toward shore, this stone bird would have greeted them from miles away.

At the top of the ascend, you are back at La Pineta del Passetto, a little park surrounding the monument and the heart of the district.  The residential district is developed around the War Memorial in Piazza IV Novembre and extends into the hills of Monte Pelago and Monte Santa Margherita.  Mostly residential, but there are also a few hotels, caffe’s, and kiosks scattered throughout.  This neighborhood is one of the pricier piers in Ancona, but features spectacular views, free of charge, to anyone that takes the path along the cliffs on the southern side or strolls to the top of the park on the northern end.

Getting there:
If you do not want to make the easy, but not-too-short, walk down Viale della Vittoria from the city center, you can take the Line 1/4 bus, departure also from “il Porto” and theTrain station.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
PasettoSunrise*Julia loves this place so much, that she even dedicated a canvas to it.  She suggests that, for maximum pleasure, you wake up when the sky is still dark, make the walk down to the rocky beach, spread a blanket on the ground (or on some grotta‘s front porch), open up your thermos of hot tea, and wait for the sun to peak over the horizon and bring illumination to the most breathtaking view of Ancona.