Sarnano

Sarnano is a small medieval town in the province of Macerata, at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains at around 539 m above sea level. Its historic centre preserves the layout of a walled hill town, with steep lanes and stairways climbing to Piazza Alta, the core of the old settlement, where the Church of Santa Maria dell'Assunta, the Palaces of the Podestà, the Priori and the People, a civic museum, and a picture gallery (Pinacoteca) holding a Madonna with Child by Vittore Crivelli are found. The centre was damaged in the 2016 central Italy earthquake but has been preserved and remains accessible. Sarnano is also a spa town: its Terme di San Giacomo draw on oligomineral waters studied in the late 1920s, with the spa gaining official recognition in 1933; the historic spa building was itself put out of use by the 2016 earthquake, and treatments moved to a new facility shortly after. The surrounding Sibillini foothills are crossed by trails for walking, horseback riding, and mountain biking, and the town serves as a gateway for exploring the Sibillini Mountains, including nearby ski areas.

Sarnano has no railway station; it is reached by road into the Sibillini foothills, typically from Macerata or Tolentino to the east.

The medieval centre is built on a hillside with stairways and steep lanes; walking is the way to explore it.

Piazza Alta is the heart of the old town, ringed by the Church of Santa Maria dell'Assunta and the Palaces of the Podestà, the Priori, and the People; the civic museum and Pinacoteca here hold a Madonna with Child by Vittore Crivelli. The Terme di San Giacomo spa, drawing on locally studied oligomineral waters since the late 1920s, is Sarnano's other well-known draw, alongside the walking, riding, and mountain-biking trails that spread into the surrounding Sibillini foothills.