Culture and Nature
Culture and nature
Belfiore is a holiday venue of nature lovers, for those seeking peace and tranquillity and for anyone wishing to discover Italy with its rich history, art and interesting towns.
Within walking distance of Montefortino you will find such picturesque villages as Palazzo and Piticchio. They lie at 1755 feet altitude in the district of Arcevia which is only 6 km away. The community of Arcevia has a population of around 5,000 and has a pleasant old market square, a variety of shops, restaurants to suit all tastes and a small regional hospital. In the town centre are various historic buildings including a small theatre.
Within about 35 minutes drive you can visit Cagli, Pergola, Senigalia, Jesi (Verdicchio wine), Frassasi (famous spectacular grottoes). Larger towns in less than an hour away on quiet local roads are Urbino (Old University and Palazzo Ducale), Pesaro (Rossini Festival), Fano (fresh fish and beautiful shops) and Ancona (shops, markets, a large port and plenty of sightseeing). Just a little further away are Gubbio, Cortona, Perugia and Assisi.
Common species around Belfiore are the house sparrow and its cousin the Italian sparrow. European serin, common starlings, goldfinches, magpies, great tits and blue tits are also seen regularly. In the ‘truffle’ woods behind Belfiore, you see goldfinches, garden warblers, blackcaps, as well as the less easily seen Mediterranean Sylvia species such as the Sardinian and Dartford warbler. The house martin flies about the villages around Montefortino and in the more mountainous regions, you may see the rock martin. Crows here are grey and black unlike ‘our’ black crow whose place is taken by the hooded crow. The jackdaw can be seen around every church tower.
