Gradara
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Legend sets the deaths of Paolo and Francesca, the lovers of Dante's Inferno, inside the Rocca of this hill town six kilometres from the Adriatic. A double ring of medieval walls, the outer one almost 800 metres long, wraps the castle and the old borgo, held in turn by the Malatesta, Sforza and Della Rovere. Walk the ramparts, then come back after dark for the view of the fortress.
Highlights
- Rocca di Gradara, among the most visited museums in the Marche
- The walkways along the walls of the fortified borgo
- Museo storico and the medieval caves
- Gradara Ludens, an early Italian games festival revived in 2023
- Local ceramics and majolica, the town's traditional craft
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Gradara (IT), Gradara (EN)), Wikivoyage (Gradara). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 4,889
Things to see
Events through the year
- Gradara Wine Passion
- Feast of Saint Terence
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Gradara). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Translated and adapted from open data: Eventi Marche, Regione Marche (CC BY 4.0).
Specialities of Marche
Typical of the region rather than of this village.
- Olive all'ascolanaDishLarge green olives stuffed with meat, breaded and fried
- CiauscoloCured meat
- VincisgrassiDish
- Maccheroncini di Campofilone (IT)Bread and pasta
- Casciotta d'UrbinoCheese
Adapted from Wikipedia (Cucina marchigiana). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
7 places to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 4
- Hotels 2
- Campsites 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- San Giovanni in Marignano · 4.6 km
- Montegridolfo · 11 km
- Montefiore Conca · 14 km
- Montefabbri · 15 km
- Monte Grimano · 25 km