In the municipality of Ancona, immersed in the Conero Park, Portonovo is one of the pride reasons for tourism seaside in central Italy. The prestigious recognition of the Blue Flag that the municipality of Ancona on time returns to obtain, does justice to the beauty of the crystal clear waters of this area of the Adriatic Sea and the great maintenance work carried out constantly by local authorities.

Mount Conero, although it is only 500 meters high, stands majestically presenting itself to those who come from the sea like a sleeping giant, and in many places, the scrub Mediterranean that composes it merges with the sea, literally coming to touch it.

Portonovo cannot really be described as a town, since the 2001 census there was only one resident. In fact, the few dozen buildings present, scattered in the vegetation, are mainly used as a second home during holiday periods. Despite this, the area is well stocked with tourist facilities that attract lovers of the sea and nature from all over: hotels, restaurants, beach clubs, bars and campsites are the perfect complement for those who want to enjoy the beautiful beaches that extend along the Bay of Portonovo. Mostly composed of limestone pebbles, very white and smoothed by the waves, the beaches of the bay were formed in ancient times, following a huge landslide occurred in the area of the Mount Conero called Pian Grande.

The real osmosis between the vegetation that covers the mountain and the sea is one of the characteristics of the area. Due to the always present wind, windsurfing is very popular in the south of the beach. Long stretches of free beaches alternate those equipped, where there are several restaurants offering fish menus. Here you can taste the gastronomic specialties of the area while admiring the landscape from very comfortable panoramic terraces.

Portonovo, although it has never gathered in the form of a real town, has been a fishing village since the oldest eras. To the north is the wild unspoiled beach of Mezzavalle, reachable by swimming, or, with some difficulty, from the ground, through a couple of paths rather impervious.

To the south there are three different beaches, which take the name of the beach of Vela and the Seagulls.

The sea that bathes these beaches is of an intense blue color, the waters are crystal clear, very clean and shallow, suitable both for children and for more swimmers ugrave; experts and the numerous surfers who find themselves here to ride the waves. The bathing establishments are well equipped and frequented by respectful and never prying tourists, who are well combined with the tranquility of these lands.

Not far from the beaches, two small brackish lakes cloaked with suggestions and ancient legends are the opportunity for a break between a swim and a game of beach volleyball.

In the two lakes, called 'Deep Lake' and 'Lago Grande', the fresh water that comes from mountain springs, in the case of Lake Grande, or from the Ciriesa stream, which throws into the Deep Lake, it mixes with the salty one that arrives during the storms or filtering below the beach. These lakes, whose surface has been artificially reduced over the years, with sudden interventions by man to which today he tries to remedy, are present in the area from night. of the times, and they have a fundamental landscape and naturalistic importance.

It is here that numerous animal species such as the Mallard, the Kingfisher and the Coot find the right natural habitat.

Art and architecture are two very important aspects of these places. Despite their small number, the historic buildings of this slice of land ventilated by the wind coming from the Adriatic have exceptional characteristics.

Along the beach of Portonovo, the Watchtower rises, also known as Torre Clementina, a historic building erected in 1716 by wanting by Pope Clement XI. The tower was used as an observatory for the sighting of pirates, who haunted the Adriatic at that time and threatened its populations. The building was built on what is a real natural 'elbow' that stretches out over the Adriatic, and was, due to its wide view, a perfect sighting point.

In the following years, the Tower was purchased by the De Bosis family, and was the meeting point for numerous poets, among whom stand out the names of the martyr for freedom Lauro Adolfo de Bosis, and the universally known one by Gabriele D'Annunzio.

Not far away, what is today a hotel, was actually the Napoleonic Fort. Built in 1810, when Napoleon reigned over Italy, it was a garrison against English ships sailing the Adriatic. The fort was intended to prevent the British from stopping in Portonovo to stock up with fresh water and food. It is supposed to be built using partly the materials that made up the destroyed Benedictine monastery. Every year, a costume re-enactment is celebrated called Porto Nuovo 1811, reminding the deeds of the defenders. The building was abandoned to its destiny after the Marche entered the Papal State, which occurred in 1860, at the height of the Battle of Castelfidardo. Exactly a hundred years later, the restoration work started, which gave it the current appearance.

On a cliff that rises on the slopes of the Conero, as if to form a conjunction between the work of man and that of nature, stands the Romanesque Church of Saint Mary of Portonovo.

The small church, whose construction was started by Benedictine monks in 1034, has exceptional architectural features. The Greek cross plant blends in a very original way with one of the Basilicale type. The Byzantine elliptical dome, concealed in the Tiburio, and the original floors, which survived in an incredible way of looting and the wear of time, are an example of a mix of styles very much charming and unusual. The church, which also presents elements of Lombard style externally, was destroyed by a landslide detached from the slopes of the Conero in 1320, and was reopened for worship only after the restoration work completed in the 1934.

The tombstone present in the atrium of the Church, which reports the verses of the XXI song of Dante's Paradise, has for years been a source of discussion and comparison between historians and writers, who they do not find an agreement on the presence or not of the Church of Santa Maria within the Dante masterpiece. The singing speaks of Pier Damiani's stay in the church dedicated to Mary (“Home of Our Woman”), which Dante places on the Adriatic Sea (“on the Adriano Quarrel”). Campanilism and factions that have always characterized Italy, adding that typical charm to it.
 

Getting to Portonovo is very easy. From the center of Ancona, you can use the bus 94 line. For those who prefer to use the car, after leaving it at the parking lot located along the provincial road number 1, “del Conero”, a practical free shuttle bus system connects to the beaches.

Ancona can be easily reached by plane. The “Raffaello Sanzio” airport of Ancona/Falconara, is only 18 kilometers from the city center. As the average tourist attendance can testify, about 450,000 visitors a year, we are faced with a place of great charm, rather frequented.

Foreigners are not very numerous, but they increase from year to year thanks to the increasing diffusion of foreign language versions of the numerous websites dedicated to the Park of the Conero and its wonders. Undoubtedly Portonovo is one of them, and a short stay is well worth.