Marche · Ancona
Serra San Quirico
A stone borgo on Monte Murano at the entrance to the Gola della Rossa, ringed by 1300 walls with covered passageways called copertelle.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Serra San Quirico is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione and Città dell'Olio.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 49 min from Ancona
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 2,503
- J9°
- F12°
- M12°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J31°
- A30°
- S24°
- 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
Serra San Quirico sits on the left bank of the Esino river, at the foot of Monte Murano and the entrance to the Gola della Rossa, forty-five kilometers from Ancona. Etruscan, Picene and Roman remains have been found in the area; the Romans established a military garrison that grew into the original village. The medieval town is built almost entirely in stone and rock, ringed by walls dating to around 1300.
Above those walls run the Copertelle, covered passageways that line the outer circuit, the true visual signature of the borgo. The Santa Lucia complex, the former monastery in the centro storico, houses the headquarters of the Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, the 9,167-hectare regional park that runs from Serra south to the Frasassi caves. The Chiesa di Santa Lucia, baroque inside with marble decoration and gold-leaf stucco, sits next door. The Festa del Centro Storico in late July fills the stone lanes with theatrical reenactments.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 37 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1 h 44 min away.
By car from the center of Ancona 49 min or Perugia 1 h 14 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming by train into Perugia? Serra San Quirico is about 1 h 13 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Le Copertelle
Covered passageways running above the medieval outer walls from around 1300, the true visual signature of the stone borgo.
Chiesa di Santa Lucia
Baroque church in the centro storico, with marble decoration, gold-leaf stucco and a Pasqualino Rossi seventeenth-century altarpiece.
Parco Naturale Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi
9,167-hectare regional park with headquarters at the Santa Lucia complex in the centro storico, running south to the Frasassi caves.
Centro storico di Serra San Quirico
Stone borgo ringed by walls from around 1300, with the Copertelle covered passageways, recognized with the Bandiera Arancione from the Italian Touring Club.
Gola della Rossa
Limestone gorge cut by the Esino river south of town, opening the access route into the regional park and toward the Frasassi caves.
Living here
Could you live here?
Serra San Quirico is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 2,503, with Maiolati Spontini (5,931 people) 13 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Ancona, a city of 99,533, is 49 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
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 2,503, down 13.2% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Ancona, 49 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Fabriano, 16 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €450 to €640 per m² to buy, €1.40 to €2.10 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
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 81% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Ancona airport (AOI), 37 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Ancona, 49 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
8% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from India, Romania and Tunisia, against 9% across Italy. 15 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany. There are 322 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 41% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Ancona province ranks 30th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Fabriano, 16 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Ancona, 41 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Ancona, 41 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 77 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Assisi International School, 56 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 €12,500. 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. In Ancona, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.30, a meal in a pizzeria €12.69 and a man's haircut €20.60.
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. 5% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate medium for floods. 7% 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
COPERTELLE
Covered passageways running above the medieval outer walls from around 1300, the true visual signature of the stone borgo.
PARK HEADQUARTERS
The Santa Lucia complex houses the headquarters of the Parco Naturale Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, covering 9,167 hectares to the south.
SANTA LUCIA
Baroque church next to the park headquarters, with marble decoration, gold-leaf stucco and a Pasqualino Rossi altarpiece.
Common questions
- What is Serra San Quirico known for?
- Serra San Quirico is a stone borgo on Monte Murano at the entrance to the Gola della Rossa, ringed by 1300 walls with covered passageways called copertelle.
- Where is Serra San Quirico?
- Serra San Quirico is a comune in the province of Ancona, in Marche, at 409 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Serra San Quirico?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ancona (AOI), about 37 min by car.
- Can you get to Serra San Quirico 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 Serra San Quirico?
- About 49 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Serra San Quirico?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Serra San Quirico?
- Campello sul Clitunno, Allerona and Vogogna.
- How many people live in Serra San Quirico?
- 2,503 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Serra San Quirico a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Serra San Quirico is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Maiolati Spontini, 13 min). The nearest city, Ancona, is 49 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Fabriano, 16 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 81% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 409 m
- Population: 2,503
- Surface area: 49.33 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 Serra San Quirico appears in
- The 6 best towns inside a nature park in the province of AnconaAncona provinceinside a park6 towns · smallest 1,648 residents
- The best hidden hill towns you can reach by train in MarcheMarchehill townby trainhidden7 towns · smallest 1,648 residents
- The best hill towns you can reach by train within 90 minutes of AnconaNear Anconahill townby trainwithin 90 min7 towns · smallest 1,648 residents · closest 46 min away
- The best olive oil towns in MarcheMarcheolive oil8 towns · smallest 2,503 residents
- The 9 best hill towns in the province of AnconaAncona provincehill town9 towns · smallest 1,648 residents
- The 9 best towns inside a nature park in MarcheMarcheinside a park9 towns · smallest 1,648 residents
Similar
Towns like Serra San Quirico
What all six share with Serra San Quirico: under 3,000 people · hill towns
- Written about. No. 77.
Campello sul Clitunno
Province: Perugia
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
- Written about. No. 74.
Allerona
Province: Terni
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Vogogna
Province: Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Genga
Province: Ancona
both inland, away from the coast · both have a railway station in the comune
Staffolo
Province: Ancona
both inland, away from the coast
Acquasanta Terme
Province: Ascoli Piceno
2 h 7 min apart by road
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 74 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.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.