Marche · Ancona
Staffolo
The Verdicchio balcony above three valleys, with a near-circular medieval wall ring and a wine museum carved into the ramparts.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Staffolo is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione and Città del Vino.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 42 min from Ancona
- Population
- 2,168
- J9°
- F12°
- M13°
- A16°
- M21°
- J27°
- J30°
- A30°
- S24°
- O20°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Staffolo rises to 442 meters on a hill between the Esino, Misa and Musone valleys, thirty-five kilometers from Ancona. The town calls itself the Balcone della Vallesina for the panoramic ridge it stands on, and Colle del Verdicchio for the vines that cover the south-facing slopes around it. Verdicchio cultivation here is documented from 1569; the surrounding Castelli di Jesi DOCG zone draws from south-facing parcels between 220 and 500 meters of altitude.
The centro storico is almost circular, walled with partly original ramparts and entered through two opposing gates; the fourteenth-century Albornoz tower rises above the walls. The Museo dell'Arte del Vino, carved into rooms inside the walls themselves, holds an oak press from 1695 and the working tools of the local cellars, with an enoteca attached. Three churches anchor the village: Sant'Egidio with a fifteenth-century Master of Staffolo polyptych, San Francesco with a 1769 Callido organ, and the baroque Santa Maria di Castellaretta built by survivors of the Battle of Lepanto.
How to get there
From Ancona (AOI), about 31 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1 h 37 min away.
By car from the center of Ancona 42 min or Perugia 1 h 32 min.
Coming by train into Rimini? Staffolo is about 1 h 21 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Ancona airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Centro storico
Almost circular walled medieval nucleus with partly original ramparts, two opposing gates and the fourteenth-century Torre Albornoz rising above the circuit.
Museo dell'Arte del Vino
Wine museum carved into rooms inside the walls themselves, holding an oak grape press from 1695 and the working tools of the Staffolo cellars, with attached enoteca.
Chiesa di Sant'Egidio
Parish church on the ridge, holding a fifteenth-century polyptych by the anonymous Master of Staffolo of the Fabrianese school.
Chiesa di San Francesco
Conventual church with a Callido organ from 1769 still in working order, on the eastern flank of the centro storico.
Santa Maria di Castellaretta
Baroque votive temple just outside the walls, built by residents who returned from the 1571 Battle of Lepanto.
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 Vino e CucinaTrattoria
Osteria Vino e Cucina carries one Gambero Rosso prawn.
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?
Staffolo is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 2,168, with Cingoli (9,433 people) 14 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Ancona, a city of 99,533, is 42 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 2,168, down 4.5% since 2015
- Nearest city Ancona, 42 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Jesi, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €610 to €830 per m² to buy, €2.20 to €3.20 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 74% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Ancona airport (AOI), 31 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Ancona, 42 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
13% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, North Macedonia and Afghanistan, against 9% across Italy. 17 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly the Netherlands. There are 233 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 36% 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 Jesi, 10 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Ancona, 28 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Ancona, 28 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 85 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Marche International School, 42 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. 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 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. The national maps show no residents in a medium flood zone. 10% 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
VERDICCHIO
Colle del Verdicchio, in the heart of the Castelli di Jesi DOCG zone, with cultivation documented locally from 1569.
TORRE ALBORNOZ
Fourteenth-century watchtower rising from the walls, the highest point of the near-circular medieval circuit.
BALCONE DELLA VALLESINA
Panoramic ridge looking across three valleys (Esino, Misa, Musone) toward the Adriatic, the source of the town's nickname.
Common questions
- What is Staffolo known for?
- Staffolo is the Verdicchio balcony at 442 meters above three valleys, with a near-circular medieval wall ring and a wine museum carved into the ramparts.
- Where is Staffolo?
- Staffolo is a comune in the province of Ancona, in Marche.
- What is the nearest airport to Staffolo?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ancona (AOI), about 31 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Ancona to Staffolo?
- About 42 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Staffolo?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Staffolo?
- Petritoli, Serra San Quirico and Offagna.
- How many people live in Staffolo?
- 2,168 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Staffolo a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Staffolo is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Cingoli, 14 min). The nearest city, Ancona, is 42 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Jesi, 10 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 74% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 442 m
- Population: 2,168
- Surface area: 27.5 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 Staffolo appears in
- The 6 best small hill towns that eat well in MarcheMarchehill towneats wellsmall6 towns · smallest 1,385 residents
- The 6 best towns that eat well in the province of AnconaAncona provinceeats well6 towns · smallest 2,168 residents
- The best wine towns in MarcheMarchewine6 towns · smallest 1,792 residents
- The 9 best hill towns in the province of AnconaAncona provincehill town9 towns · smallest 1,648 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 Staffolo
What all six share with Staffolo: inland, away from the coast · under 3,000 people · hill towns
Our guide
Our nearest guide, 87 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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