Jesi

Jesi is a town in the province of Ancona, set on a hill above the Esino river valley and enclosed within one of the Marche's best-preserved medieval defensive walls. It is known as the birthplace of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, born here in 1194 near the site of the town's ancient Roman forum, in what is now Piazza Federico II; Frederick later granted Jesi the status of a royal city. It is also the birthplace of Baroque composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, commemorated in the 18th-century Teatro Pergolesi. The surrounding hills produce Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, one of Italy's most prestigious white wines, with written references to winemaking in the area dating back to the early medieval period.

Jesi has its own station on the Rome–Ancona railway, on the stretch running from Ancona through Falconara Marittima and Jesi towards Fabriano and onward across the Apennines to Foligno, Terni, and Rome.

The walled historic centre sits on a hill and is compact enough to explore on foot.

The medieval walls encircling Jesi's historic centre are among the best-preserved in the Marche. Piazza Federico II, on the site of the town's Roman forum, marks the birthplace of Emperor Frederick II. The Teatro Pergolesi, an 18th-century opera house, is named for composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, also born in the town.

The surrounding hills — the "Castelli di Jesi" — are the production zone for Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, a DOC/DOCG white wine widely regarded as one of Italy's finest, and local wineries and cellars in the area produce and sell it.