San Benedetto and Grottomare

Planning a trip to Italy? I highly recommend going off the beaten path and visiting Marche. We likely would have never discovered it if we didn’t have family there. Luckily, we get to stay in their beautiful home and get a local’s view on things to see and do and what to eat.

On our first full day in Italy, we slept in a bit, went for a walk around the village, all while we waited for our nephews to come home from school. They go to school Monday – Saturday until 1:00, and since we arrived from Rome late the night before, we hadn’t seen them yet. Not seeing two growing, adorable boys in over two years meant we were very eager.

Once they were off the bus, we all had lunch (including family wine for the adults) and then my sister-in-law took us for a drive around where they live, to my delight straight to the sea.

Our first stop was San Benedetto del Tronto, a seaside resort area not far from where our family lives. There are all sorts of hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs here, and it’s a nice, laid-back place to visit. The last time we were in Italy was in June, and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to use our family’s beach club membership to cool off in the Adriatic and to lounge in the sun. It gets extremely hot there!

This time around, we had two little boys with us and lots of energy to burn so we walked the long walk out into the sea, taking in the boats, the gorgeous views, and the boulders that line the path which have all been made fancy by artists.

And since I am a cat lady, I loved all of the cats that inhabit the area.

Our next stop was Grottomare, basically up the mountain and over San Benedetto for a stellar view of the sea and villages below.

I can’t get enough Italian architecture. I love the clay and the bright colors!

We wandered around Grottomare to the very top, which was quite the hike, then headed back to the car to head home for dinner. We were all tired from the fresh air, and I may have fallen asleep in the back seat along with the boys. Dinner, more wine, and play time ensued and made for a perfect evening.

If you do ever get the chance, I would definitely recommend staying a night in San Benedetto, especially in the summer time. It’s the ideal place to relax, and the food and wine of Marche can not be matched.