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00 Matelica
Stemma di Matelica

Marche · Macerata

Matelica

A Verdicchio town in the upper Esino valley, with a Roman marble globe in its archaeological museum.

Best time
Apr–Oct
By car
1 h 11 min from Ancona
By train
Station in the comune
Population
9,170

Known for

  • VERDICCHIO DI MATELICA

    The smaller and higher-altitude of the two Verdicchio DOCs, made in a closed mountain valley that gives the wine a sharper mineral profile.

  • GLOBO DI MATELICA

    A thirty-centimeter Roman marble sphere from the second century AD engraved with reference lines, on display in the civic archaeology museum.

  • MUSEO PIERSANTI

    Collection of Monsignor Piersanti, papal master of ceremonies under five popes from 1718 to 1761, with paintings, silver and rare furniture.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J10°
  • F12°
  • M13°
  • A16°
  • M22°
  • J28°
  • J31°
  • A31°
  • S25°
  • O20°
  • N14°
  • D11°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Adriano di Nicomedia, 16 September

Why come

Matelica sits in the upper Esino valley between Monte San Vicino to the west and Monte Gemmo to the east. The Picentes and Umbri settled here in the first millennium BC; Rome turned the town into a municipium around 70 BC under the name Matilica. After the Lombard sack of 578 AD Matelica re-emerged as a free commune by 1160 under its bishop.

Verdicchio di Matelica, DOC since 1967, is the smaller and higher-altitude of the two Verdicchio appellations: the closed mountain valley gives the wine a sharper mineral profile than the Castelli di Jesi version closer to the coast. The Museo Civico Archeologico holds the Globo di Matelica, a thirty-centimeter Roman marble sphere from the second century AD, engraved with lines that may have been used for a sundial. Palazzo Ottoni, built in 1472 on the main piazza, and the Museo Piersanti, the collection of the eighteenth-century papal master of ceremonies, anchor the centro storico.

The Sunday letter

Matelica is on our list. Its letter is still to come.

We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Matelica comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Matelica in our articles

How to get there

From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 59 minutes by car.

Rimini (RMI) is about 2 hours away.

By car from the centre of Ancona 1h 11m or Perugia 1h 15m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming by train into Perugia? Matelica is about 1h 14m away by road.

Every town within reach of Ancona / Pescara airport.

Matelica, photo 1
Matelica, photo 2

What to see

  • Museo Civico Archeologico

    Civic archaeology collection holding the Globo di Matelica, a Roman marble sphere of the second century AD engraved with reference lines, possibly a sundial.

  • Palazzo Ottoni

    Renaissance palazzo built in 1472 by the Ottoni family on the main piazza, now part of the civic administration.

  • Museo Piersanti

    Late fifteenth-century palazzo holding the collection of Monsignor Venanzio Filippo Piersanti, papal master of ceremonies from 1718 to 1761, with works by Bellini, Salvator Rosa and Carlo Maratta.

  • Piazza Enrico Mattei

    Main square of the centro storico, named for the local-born ENI founder, flanked by Palazzo Ottoni and the Loggiati di San Francesco.

  • Duomo di Matelica

    Cathedral on Piazza Enrico Mattei, baroque interior with a fourteenth-century crypt holding the relics of Sant'Adriano.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Matelica fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Festa del Quartiere Regina Pacispatron saint's feast

    usually held in August. Viaggi e Sagre

Living here

  • Population 9,170
  • Remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 59 min drive
  • Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 11 min drive

Common questions

What is Matelica known for?
Matelica is a Verdicchio town at 354 meters in the upper Esino valley, with a Roman marble globe in its archaeological museum.
Where is Matelica?
Matelica is a comune in the province of Macerata, in Marche.
What is the nearest airport to Matelica?
Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 59 minutes by car.
Can you get to Matelica without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Ancona to Matelica?
About 1h 11m by car.
When is the best time to visit Matelica?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Matelica?
Yes. Festa del Quartiere Regina Pacis. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Matelica?
Urbania, Barga and Subiaco.
How many people live in Matelica?
9,170 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 354 m
  • Population: 9,170
  • Surface area: 81.1 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.

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