San Ginesio, the Gothic balcony of the Sibillini Mountains

Overlooking the Sibillini Mountains and known for its beautiful panoramic views of the Apennines, San Ginesio represents one of the ideal gateways to the Fiastra Valley and intertwines nature and history, combining the charm of the mediaeval centre with a wide-ranging landscape, where several nature trails winding among the old mills along the river provide direct contact with nature. The jewel to be admired in the village is located in the main square and is the Collegiate Church, whose façade is divided into two parts: the lower part, the oldest, includes the magnificent 11th-century portal in travertine; the upper part, on the other hand, is an authentic terracotta embroidery and was built in 1421 during the last blossoming of the German Gothic style. Next to the façade stands the Romanesque civic tower with a bulbous spire rebuilt in the 17th century, while inside is the wooden crucifix brought by the three hundred exiles in 1450 during their return to San Ginesio. Almost contemporary with the Collegiate Church is another beautiful Romanesque-Gothic church in the village, built in 1050 and dedicated to St. Francis; a few steps away is another very old church (from 996), that of St. Michael, while the castle walls and the surviving porticoes of the 13th-century Hospital of the Pilgrims, so called because it offered assistance and hospitality to wayfarers on their way to Loreto and Rome, remain from the Gothic period.