Monte Conero Park

A short but intense trip in the Conero Park among trekking, sea and nature. I got to know the Conero park leafing through a magazine; I immediately fell in love with the sea, which for the Adriatic truly seemed like a dream. Then, if you add the charm of the cliff dropping sheer to beaches reachable only after an hour of trekking on paths for the truly brave, then the Conero park had a magnetic effect on me. Why not, then, spend three full days at a bed & breakfast inside the park? The choice fell on Villa Sibilla, a complete and hospitable b&b in a villa belonging to some very likeable "guys"; Chicco will welcome you with a glass of verdicchio and will immediately make you feel at home. This bed&breakfast has 3 rooms with bathrooms and the price per person in high season starts at 100 euro per room per night.

The choice to sleep here was also determined by the location of the villa, truly inside the Conero park; in a 15-minute walk you can reach the beach of San Michele, and in an hour you easily reach the Due Sorelle beach via the thrilling Passo del Lupo. Moreover the villa, being immersed in nature, enjoys a coolness even on the hottest days and excellent regenerating mountain air, and last but not least a fantastic view over the beach of Sirolo. Yes, because Sirolo is one of the towns closest to Monte Conero. At this point let me tell you a little about the Conero Park, which for me was a wonderful surprise. Arriving by car, to reach Villa Sibilla we make our way into the little roads inside the mountain, obviously not asphalted but with a unique charm, immersed in the green of nature and with stupendous views of the sea.

From the villa it's possible to take one of the numerous paths that lead to the beaches; the closest is the beach of San Michele, with the mountain resting in the sea, with very transparent water but made of truly unbearable pebbles. Another destination recommended only for the brave or the expert is the road leading to the Passo del Lupo and the Passo del Lupo itself, with fantastic views and colours of flowers, along a very charming path dropping sheer over the sea, which sometimes gives truly strong sensations. From here to the arrival at the Due Sorelle beach you have to walk a bit with the utmost concentration, but at least once it's worth doing.

Indeed the beach has very beautiful green and turquoise colours, the sea is very clean and, swimming a bit offshore and turning round, it's possible to see the path you've walked and say, how crazy we were!! Here you normally find small boats that easily find a beach reserved almost exclusively for them and a few brave souls. The experience of trekking in nature was certainly very positive and regenerating, and on top of that the sea was always present, giving me truly great satisfaction thinking I was in the Adriatic.

Sirolo The town very close to Monte Conero offers everything you could want for three days: restaurants, ice-cream parlours and bars, with a strange lack of shops. Sirolo enjoys an excellent view over the bay and the mountain.

Where to eat Premising that we always ate very well in every restaurant, we point out the best restaurants we tried in Sirolo. Da Silvio (near the beach of San Michele): a very beautiful and informal restaurant overlooking the sea and enjoying a stupendous view, open at midday too, it gives bathers a worthy break to eat excellent fresh fish cooked in a truly excellent way. We paid 27 € each with first course, second course and side dish, you must try it!! Da Giustina: a typical restaurant on the road towards Sirolo, recommended to us by the good Chicco of Villa Sibilla. We ate very well, very fresh fish and impeccable execution. Here too, surprisingly, the bill was 35 € each for a first-class restaurant. Alla Trattoria (in Sirolo): a very beautiful pizzeria-restaurant typical of the seaside, where you eat good fish and also pizzas.

We tried it for a pizza and a fish main course and I must say it's absolutely to be recommended. For someone coming from the Veneto, finding such "normal" prices for eating good fish was sincerely a welcome surprise.