Itinerary in the surroundings of Torre San Patrizio: wandering among hidden beauties

The surroundings of Torre San Patrizio are suggestive and offer cultural and historical ideas, but in addition to these you can try the local cuisine and learn about the great industriousness of this municipality, especially in the shoe manufacturing. Torre San Patrizio is a small village, the destinations of our tour start right outside the walls of the historic center, from there, they move outwards, reaching the other two hills of the small municipality: Collina San Patrizio and Collina San Venanzo. Our itinerary in the surroundings of Torre San Patrizio will be divided into 7 stop.

If you are a good walker and want to breathe fresh air you can undertake the entire itinerary on foot, consider that the itinerary is designed to be carried out over the course of a day also taking the right breaks to rest or refresh yourself. The route is about 7 km and to go from one stage to the other the greatest distance you will cover is that of half an hour of continuous walking, while some stages are only a few minutes apart. As an alternative to trekking, you could opt for the bike or the car. With the car the distances are shortened, and you can possibly spend more time in each stage.

From the top of the Torre San Patrizio hill, we can embrace the entire surrounding area with a single glance. After walking in the historic center, the sun high in the sky and the fresh air of the countryside invite us to continue our exploration by discovering the surroundings of Torre San Patrizio. We leave behind us the historic center, the ancient Porta da Sole and the walls of the town and head right on Via Roma, a few minutes’ walk away we will encounter the garden of Piazza Caduti di Nassirya, just below the panoramic terrace of Piazza Umberto I.

In this garden we find the Anime nel vento, the evocative and symbolic stone monument dedicated to the fallen, created by the artist Sandro Bartolacci. A large and angular stone represents the difficulties of war, a slender red metal flag behind it wants to signify the sacrifice of the fallen that goes towards the sky, thanks to the caress of the wind. Next to Piazza Caduti di Nassirya we find the Galletti gardens, named after Bartolomeo Galletti, a famous Garibaldian general who participated in the expedition of the thousand and was one of the heroes of the Roman Republic of 1849. We will discover the historical legacy of Bartolomeo Galletti better later. In the Galletti gardens, we find a contemporary sculpture by the artist Mirko Amaolo, placed in the donor's corner, the work depicts the tree of life and celebrates the important role that volunteers have in society. Let's stop for a moment in the gardens.

Let's continue our walk, move away from the Galletti gardens and continue down towards the road that leads to the sports fields, make a small detour and stop in front of the church of San Francesco. The building dates to the 16th century and originally attached to the church there was also a convent that has now taken on a different use and will soon become a museum. This quiet church preserves a beautiful history that has turned into legend, linked to the ancient wooden crucifix preserved inside and believed to be miraculous. It is said that the parish priest, one day decided to move the ancient crucifix to the church of the SS. Salvatore, that night some passers-by saw a stranger who was going straight towards the church of San Francesco and when asked where he was going, the traveler replied, "To my house". The following day the parish priest found the crucifix not in the church of the SS. Salvatore, where he had had it moved, but again in the church of San Francesco.

Legend or reality, the fact is that the ancient wooden crucifix is still hanging behind the altar of the church of San Francesco and here you can admire it. In addition to the crucifix in this church you will find some paintings dating from the 15th to the 18th century and the fragment of the fresco Madonna Addolorata and San Giovanni by Vincenzo Pagani, a painter from the late 15th century. Leaving the church of San Francesco behind us, we take the road that goes down towards the sports fields.

By now we have gone down to the valley and the countryside is starting to give its best, letting us discover the lush surrounding fields full of wildflowers and crops. Along the road we come across Fonte Duglio, an ancient fountain of Roman origin, used until recent times. It is a beautiful brick structure, recently renovated. Inside there is the original stone basin.

Until the last century, the fountain was mainly used by the women of the village to come and wash their clothes, if you passed by here at that time, you would have noticed a long, orderly line of women and even children who accompanied their mothers, with baskets of clothes ready for washing. This place was also a meeting point where you could have a chat and catch up on the latest news, but also on the rumors that were circulating in the village. From this point on to the next destination there will be a half-hour walk on foot, if you prefer you can use the car.

Our fourth stop is on the hill of San Patrizio. In fact, in the surroundings of the hill where Torre San Patrizio stands there are two other hills: the San Patrizio hill and the San Venanzo hill, which we will visit later. Precisely on this hill, which is a half-hour walk away and only five minutes by car, stood the first settlement of the town of Torre San Patrizio, which later, in the Middle Ages, was moved to the hill where it still is today.

In the San Patrizio district, we find the very small church of San Patrizio, also recently restored. A place of peace and harmony that is now privately owned, it is opened only in the month of May, the Marian month, in which various celebrations are held to bless all the fields of the surrounding countryside and wish for prosperous harvests. After resting we resume our itinerary to discover the surroundings.

To reach our fifth stop we always have two options, continue walking for another half hour or take advantage of the car. Our destination is the San Venanzo hill, which can be reached by car in a few minutes. From this hill the view is magnificent, an infinite view opens, which on good weather days ranges across the entire Marche region from the mountains to the sea. On the top of this hill, taking paths that run through nature, we reach Villa Zara, which is unfortunately now in a state of abandonment, but this amplifies its charm and makes its history more mysterious.

This villa, once called Casa Venanzo, was purchased at the end of the 19th century by Arturo Galletti and his wife Margaret Collier, an English writer of noble origins. Arturo is the son of that famous Bartolomeo Galletti who we met at the beginning of our walk. Margaret Collier set her book Our House on the Adriatic at Villa Zara, a novel where we discover the life of this place after the unification of Italy. Many things happened in this fascinating Villa, and it is said that a ghost hovers among its spaces.

In front of Villa Zara there is an immense park of about three hectares, recently renovated this spacious and welcoming green lung, is a point of recreation and meeting for the entire surrounding area. Let's rest, especially if we have walked so far, there are life paths, a playground, a kiosk, a picnic area and many nature trails. It would be nice to arrive here equipped and with a packed lunch to make the most of the time and nature that the park offers. The municipality has also created an exciting literary trail with some extracts from the book Our house on the Adriatic, in which it will be possible for all the curious to walk through the pages of Collier's history without even opening the book.

During the summer in this villa events and initiatives are organized open to all lovers of recreation, such as the Beer Festival, but also outdoor shows. In the large park venture among the centuries-old trees of oaks, elms, black locusts and privets and fully enjoy this enchanting panoramic point. Among the various paths and the lush nature that grows unchallenged, we will also encounter another ancient source, which reminds us of a living past and which today is almost surrounded by nature, it is Fonte Zara and dates to 1600. After having rested and regenerated in this wonderful park we resume our itinerary, the last stop is still missing.

Here we are at the last stage of our adventurous itinerary around Torre San Patrizio, for this last destination we will give ourselves a lot of freedom. Around Torre San Patrizio the countryside is lush and from any side you take it, you can venture out on walks among the scents of wildflowers in the middle of nature. We recommend that you choose some routes near one of the many farms in the area. Torre San Patrizio is a very industrious and active town, here there are many companies that have decided to dedicate themselves to a type of organic cultivation, and zero km production. You will mainly find companies that grow various types of cereals and legumes and that have a company shop, where you can buy the products or even better stop for lunch or dinner, in those that have an agritourism restaurant service.

The Marche specialties are delicious and varied, ranging from tasty appetizers to delicious desserts; all characterized by a traditional and genuine cuisine. Another idea to close your itinerary in the surroundings of Torre San Patrizio could be to discover the ancient craftsmanship of shoes. Torre San Patrizio is part, in fact, of the flourishing Marche footwear district. In these lands shoes have been produced since medieval times, the ancient art has been handed down from generation to generation and the ancient manufacturing techniques are still used, it could be very interesting to go and get to know a historic shoe factory, in Torre San Patrizio there is one that we recommend you discover. Remember to bring a souvenir with you to prolong the memory of your trip.