A day trip to Mondolfo, Corinaldo and Mondavio

On Monday morning, since we are staying in Marotta and Marotta is part of the municipality of Mondolfo and Mondolfo is one of the ‘Borghi più belli d’Italia’, we go to Mondolfo. We park below the market square since th small market is in progress, walk up Via Vandali to the cannon and then to the Belvedere del Castello and then around the small historical centre, down past the Municipio and glimpse a couple of murals on the way.

Actually the nicest thing about Mondolfo is the welcome we get from a kind and friendly volunteer at the Sant’Agostino Musem complex. He shows us the working of the clock mechanism and the cloister is pretty, too. Entrance to the small museum, a room of fisarmoniche, some art, and the cloister, is free. 

An hour or so is plenty and so we decide to go to Corinaldo. Corinaldo has more labels – not just ‘Borghi più belli d’Italia' but also Touring Club Bandiera Arancione and European excellence destination (a new one for me). I had also heard of Corinaldo before deciding to visit the area (for what it's worth). Corinaldo is very picturesque indeed.

Just outside the walls we have a look inside the thirteenth-century Collegiate Church of San Francesco, remodeled several times over the centuries until the present version designed in the mid-18th century. The baptistery with the domed roof is nice. We then have a very pleasant stroll, first along a section of the ramparts. After some up and down steps we decide to follow the walls from the inside. It's getting on for lunchtime, warm, sunny, nobody around, as we wander the small and well-preserved historical centre. We had already seen the famous steps of Via la Piaggia leading to Pozzo della Polenta from the bottom, but it's nicer from the top. 

If you want to avoid overtourism Corinaldo will suit you – picturesque, typical, quiet and we see maybe another 6 tourists on this sleepy last Monday in September. There are nice views over the surrounding countryside and a pleasant leaf-lined road below the walls with restaurants which would be delightful in the shade on a warm summer’s day. We read a couple of menus but end up at the Chisoco below the walls near the church. We choose what would be called a ‘tagliere’ in a more pretentious establishment but the 'affetati misti con formaggi' is well presented and tasty with slices of piadina. With a side of Olive ascolane, a large beer, a coffee and a cappuccino, for a total of 24 euros it's fine. It’s neither hot nor cold outside today but there’s a little sun too and it’s a pleasant place to eat now the traffic has quietened down at lunchtime.

Encouraged by the pleasant visit to Corinaldo we head for another the ‘Borghi più belli d’Italia’ which also deserves the title: Mondavio. On the way we stop at the nearby Orciano di Pesaro - a tiny historical centre with superb views over nearby Mondavio and the 'Sole deposto' statue by Giò Pomodoro.

Mondavio is small and splendid. We arrive at about 2pm. There’s nobody around and so we park between the white lines just in front of the Rocca. From there a three minute walk takes us to the Rocca or castle itself which was built at the end of the 15th century by Giovanni della Rovere. The ticket to visit the Rocca also includes the Piancoteca when it’s open (not today) and the Teatro Apollo and costs 6 euros for me and 4 for Andrea. I don’t normally pay to visit castles but this is an exception. It’s a castle but a small one, more of a fortress, and quite compact. There are five floors and on each one there’s a room with statues doing something appropriate to illustrate life in the castle. It’s a bit vintage and very effective and is called the Museo di Rievocazione Storica. You really get to feel you have explored the environment, and the views from the Armery museum at the top of the surrounding countryside are well worth the steps.

Our next stop is at the delightful Teatro Apollo, just across Piazza Della Rovere in front of La Rocca. The theatre was founded by the "Società dei Condomini" - the municipality of Mondavio and its citizens - in 1789, inside the former 15th-century church of San Filippo Neri, and was inaugurated the following year, in 1790, with a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "La clemenza di Tito". Its current appearance dates back to the last major renovation in 1987. It's a tiny gem, with just 110-120 seats, a classic example of an Italian-style theater, with an elliptical shape, floral stuccoes, frescoes, and gilding and a frescoed ceiling. The theatre has always played an important role in the cultural life of the local community.

We finish our visit to Mondavio with a stroll around the small but perfectly conserved historical centre and coffee at a bar in the main square. It’s then time to drive back through the mellow early autumn countryside of Le Marche.