Marche · Macerata
Esanatoglia
A medieval village of seven bell towers on the Marche-Umbria border, sitting at the source of the Esino river.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Esanatoglia is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia and Spighe Verdi.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 16 min from Perugia
- Population
- 1,894
- J9°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J31°
- A30°
- S25°
- O20°
- N14°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
The name fuses two histories: Aesa, a Roman settlement on the Esino, and Santa Anatolia, the third-century martyr whose cult took over as the town's identity through the medieval period. The current name was made official in 1862. The first surviving document mentioning the place dates to 1015, recording the foundation of the monastery of Sant'Angelo by Count Atto and his wife Berta, the most important religious house in the area for the next two centuries.
The village sits at the source of the Esino, on the border between Marche and Umbria. The main street runs between two fortified gates, and the seven towers visible from above stand over a lower village still marked by its medieval walls and public fountains. Above the settlement, on Monte Corsegno, a hermitage looks down over the roofs. The town's layout still reads as what it was: a river's source point fortified and settled in stages, its religious geography written into gates, walls, and towers that have outlasted the parishes that built them.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 4 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 2 h 11 min away.
By car from the center of Perugia 1 h 16 min or Ancona 1 h 16 min.
Coming by train into Perugia? Esanatoglia is about 1 h 16 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
I sette campanili
Seven bell towers visible along Corso Vittorio Emanuele between the Sant'Andrea and Panicale gates, the surviving sign of the town's medieval parish density.
Mura medievali
Surviving medieval walls and fortified gates of Sant'Andrea and Panicale closing the two ends of the main street.
Eremo di San Cataldo
Hermitage perched on Monte Corsegno above the village, reached by a marked footpath through the hills.
Sorgenti dell'Esino
Source of the Esino river at the edge of the historic center, a series of springs and old fountains feeding the river's upper course.
Chiesa di Sant'Anatolia
Parish church dedicated to the third-century martyr who replaced the older name Aesa, the building that carried the cult into the medieval village.
Living here
Could you live here?
Esanatoglia is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,894. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Matelica, is 16 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Foligno, a city of 55,303, is 59 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,894, down 8.7% since 2015
- Nearest city Foligno, 59 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Fabriano, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €630 to €950 per m² to buy, €2.40 to €3.50 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Remote
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 94% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Ancona airport (AOI), 1 h 4 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 16 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from North Macedonia, Albania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. There are 279 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 39% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Macerata province ranks 26th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Fabriano, 10 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Perugia, 47 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 95 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Assisi International School, 37 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.7% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Marche spends about €2,480 a month, €620 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €643 a year for water, on the Marche average. In Macerata, the provincial capital, in September 2026, a man's haircut €24.41.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 3% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate medium for floods. 3% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
SEVEN BELL TOWERS
Seven campanili line Corso Vittorio Emanuele from the Sant'Andrea gate to the Panicale gate, the visual signature of the town.
ESINO SOURCE
The Esino river rises at the edge of the historic center, a series of springs and old fountains feeding the upper river.
SANT'ANATOLIA
Third-century Christian martyr who replaced the Roman name Aesa and gave the town its medieval identity through 1862.
Common questions
- What is Esanatoglia known for?
- Esanatoglia is a medieval village of seven bell towers at 467 meters on the Marche-Umbria border, sitting at the source of the Esino river.
- Where is Esanatoglia?
- Esanatoglia is a comune in the province of Macerata, in Marche.
- What is the nearest airport to Esanatoglia?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 4 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Perugia to Esanatoglia?
- About 1 h 16 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Esanatoglia?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Esanatoglia?
- Cantiano, Pietralunga and Mercatello sul Metauro.
- How many people live in Esanatoglia?
- 1,894 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Esanatoglia a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Esanatoglia is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Matelica, is 16 min away. The nearest city, Foligno, is 59 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Fabriano, 10 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 94% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 467 m
- Population: 1,894
- Surface area: 47.91 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Esanatoglia appears in
Similar
Towns like Esanatoglia
What all six share with Esanatoglia: inland, away from the coast · under 3,000 people
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 62 km away
Umbria: the towns, when to go, how to get there
The Umbria guide came out of the letter. Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Read the guide: Two banks, no sea. 21 towns, the drive and train times, the months, where to eat and sleep.
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