Back to Province of Ancona
    🏖️ Sea

    Portonovo

    Province of Ancona

    Portonovo is a small hamlet of Ancona nestled in a natural bay of the Conero Park. The beach is white pebbles, divided into free and equipped sections. The Church of Santa Maria di Portonovo (11th century), a masterpiece of Marche Romanesque architecture, stands a few steps from the sea. The village is famous for its 'moscioli' (wild mussels), a Slow Food presidium, collected from the rocks. Also worth visiting is the Fortino Napoleonico, now a charming hotel.

    Church S. Maria

    11th century, Romanesque

    Specialties

    Moscioli (Slow Food Presidium)

    Natural bayChurch S. Maria 11th centuryMoscioli Slow FoodFortino

    Other places in Ancona

    Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle

    Reachable only by sea, with two stacks of white rock and turquoise water.

    Spiaggia di San Michele

    White gravel at the foot of the Conero cliffs.

    Spiaggia di Mezzavalle

    Wild free beach reachable on foot.

    Related stories

    The Arco di Traiano Was Not a Gate: It Was a Monument Greeting the Sea
    Rome in Le Marche

    The Arco di Traiano Was Not a Gate: It Was a Monument Greeting the Sea

    One of Ancona’s Roman landmarks celebrates the emperor who expanded the harbour. Even today, it seems designed for those arriving from the Adriatic.

    At Portonovo, a Romanesque church looks out to sea as it has for a thousand years
    Ancestral Places

    At Portonovo, a Romanesque church looks out to sea as it has for a thousand years

    Santa Maria di Portonovo stands between Conero and the Adriatic: a simple building telling the story of monks, seclusion and medieval architecture.