Marche · Fermo
Magliano di Tenna
A small Fermo-province borgo above the Tenna river, ringed by fourteenth-century walls with two of its six original towers still standing.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Magliano di Tenna is on our list
It holds Borghi Autentici.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 7 min from Ancona
- Population
- 1,385
- J11°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M23°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N15°
- D12°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Magliano di Tenna sits on a low hill above the Tenna river in the province of Fermo, eleven kilometers inland from the provincial capital. The castle is first documented in 1030. Tradition gives the foundation to a captain of fortune named Malleano or Majano around the year 1000, from whom the town took its name.
By the late Middle Ages Magliano belonged to Fermo as Castrum Ultra Tomiam, an outpost on the south bank of the river. The circular fourteenth-century walls still run almost completely around the borgo. Of the original six towers, two remain visible: Porta da Bora at the northwest, the main gate and the largest tower, now a private residence, and the Torre da Sole on the south side.
The double-faced houses along the perimeter follow the line of the walls and open onto narrow inner alleys. The commune joined the Borghi Autentici d'Italia for the preserved medieval geometry.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 11 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 2 h 14 min away.
By car from the center of Ancona 1 h 7 min or Pescara 1 h 35 min.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Porta da Bora
The largest of the original six towers and main northwestern gate to the borgo, now a private residence preserving its medieval profile.
Torre da Sole
Southern tower on the perimeter walls, connected to Porta da Bora by surviving sections of fourteenth-century stonework.
Mura medievali
Fourteenth-century walls running in a circular line around the borgo, once defended by six towers and a moat now filled in.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta
Parish church inside the walls, with later interventions on a medieval core, holds local devotional paintings of the seventeenth century.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Osteria dell'ArcoTrattoria
One Gambero Rosso prawn, at Osteria dell'Arco.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Magliano di Tenna is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 1,385, with Montegiorgio (6,244 people) 9 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Fermo, a city of 35,727, is 23 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
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 1,385, down 3.4% since 2015
- Nearest city Fermo, 23 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Fermo, 11 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €580 to €840 per m² to buy, €2.60 to €3.70 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 79% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Ancona airport (AOI), 1 h 11 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 7 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from China, Romania and Pakistan, against 9% across Italy. There are 210 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 25% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Fermo province ranks 47th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Fermo, 11 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Ancona, 49 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Ancona, 49 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 132 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Marche International School, 25 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 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
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.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 4% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate medium for floods. 2% 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
MEDIEVAL WALLS
Fourteenth-century circular walls almost entirely intact, originally defended by six towers, two of which still stand on the perimeter.
PORTA DA BORA
The largest surviving tower and main gate of the borgo, on the northwest perimeter, now a private residence preserving its medieval profile.
BORGHI AUTENTICI
One of six Marche communes in the Borghi Autentici d'Italia network, recognized for its preserved medieval plan above the Tenna valley.
Common questions
- What is Magliano di Tenna known for?
- Magliano di Tenna is a small Fermo-province borgo at 281 meters above the Tenna river, ringed by fourteenth-century walls with two of its six original towers still standing.
- Where is Magliano di Tenna?
- Magliano di Tenna is a comune in the province of Fermo, in Marche.
- What is the nearest airport to Magliano di Tenna?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ancona (AOI), about 1 h 11 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Ancona to Magliano di Tenna?
- About 1 h 7 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Magliano di Tenna?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Magliano di Tenna?
- Offagna, Petritoli and Staffolo.
- How many people live in Magliano di Tenna?
- 1,385 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Magliano di Tenna a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Magliano di Tenna is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Montegiorgio, 9 min). The nearest city, Fermo, is 23 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Fermo, 11 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 79% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 281 m
- Population: 1,385
- Surface area: 7.93 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 Magliano di Tenna appears in
- The 6 best small hill towns that eat well in MarcheMarchehill towneats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 1,385 residents
- The 7 best hill towns in the province of FermoFermo provincehill town7 towns · smallest 308 residents
- The best small towns that eat well in MarcheMarcheeats wellsmall9 towns · smallest 926 residents
- The 10 best hill towns that eat well within 90 minutes of AnconaNear Anconahill townwithin 90 mineats well10 towns · smallest 1,385 residents · closest 42 min away
Similar
Towns like Magliano di Tenna
What all six share with Magliano di Tenna: inland, away from the coast · under 3,000 people · hill towns
The letter
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