CHIESETTA DI PORTONOVO

The Chiesetta di Portonovo, officially Chiesa di Santa Maria di Portonovo, is located in a haven overlooking the Conero Riviera. The church is what is left of a Benedictine abbey built around 1000 AD. Centuries have past but the atmosphere of peace and tranquility still lingers.

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A jewel of Romanesque architecture, its style is unique not only in Le Marche region, but in Italy as a whole: other examples of this style can be found only in Corsica and in Normandy.

According to historians, for about 680 years, the abbey was the only building in this area, until the nearby Clementine Tower was built in 1716 and the Napoleonic Fort in 1811.

Close your eyes and imagine: bright green Mount Conero behind you, the deep blue sea before you, and under your feet the land on which this church has stood for centuries. Around you there no towns, no roads, just a narrow meandering path up the mountain that leads here. This is what life was like here for the Benedictine monks, who came here looking for peace and serenity, far from the hustle and bustle of city life.

The exterior is made of white Conero stone, while inside you can step on the original yellow stone and terracotta flooring on which the monks walked over a thousand years ago. The windows in the apse face the sea and the rising sun, which shone upon the monks during their morning chants.

The Church of Santa Maria di Portonovo was restored and reopened for worship in the late 1990s.

Opening hours and contact:

Opening hours from May 14th until September 15th
from Wednesday to Sunday (included) from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm
Phone: +39071.56307
E-mail: ancona@italianostra.org
For groups, admission to the church takes place only by reservation with seven days’ notice.