Villas and Vineyards Cycle-Pedestrian Route
Among historic villas, vineyards, gardens, and rural landscapes, in the Vallesina area nature, culture,
and tradition intertwine, offering an experience of beauty, discovery, and well-being
Ville e Vigneti opens the gates of the urban walls of the city of Jesi, offering everyone the opportunity to embrace a place rich in history, curiosities, and natural and cultural treasures that speak of nobility, renewal, and everyday life.
In the Vallesina area connecting Jesi to Castelbellino, there is a cycle–pedestrian route where simply walking or cycling becomes a sensory experience among parks, gardens, majestic villas, and vineyards steeped in history and passion.
The route, already very popular, connects with the regional cycle path—the Esino River tourist cycling route—and links the local community to a natural landscape of woods, villas, vineyards, and commercial activities.
The Ville e Vigneti project transforms the route into an experiential journey, discovering all the stories that have shaped what lies beyond the city walls.
Architectural landmarks and wineries alternate with agritourism facilities producing oil and honey, an equestrian center, and a light aircraft airstrip, offering visitors the opportunity to enjoy a journey focused on leisure, well-being immersed in everyday greenery, and the discovery of Vallesina’s traditions.
Residents and tourists can interact with the points of interest along the Ville e Vigneti route through an integrated signage system, harmoniously designed with the surrounding environment. Alongside detailed route information, it features QR codes that allow visitors to explore the historic villas and local sites in greater depth through a dedicated online portal.
Villas that tell the story of the transformation of the Marche region from the late 15th century to the present day, spanning from the French Revolution to the Second World War.
Originally built as the heart of agricultural production centers, history has turned them into residences and holiday retreats for the local nobility and bourgeoisie, with architectural examples that have witnessed historical events and enabled the evolution of these iconic places.
Vineyards that connect local realities and the stories of those who live and work there, bearing witness to the resilience of generations of families who have created places of meeting and sharing, spaces for growth, and successful professional enterprises that today bring this corner of the Vallesina to life, telling its story through products and experiences.
Ville e Vigneti is more than a cycle-pedestrian route: it is an invitation.
A project driven by a passion for enhancement, through which the Municipality of Jesi offers citizens the opportunity to experience the joy of discovery.
The beauty of taking time for oneself, catching one’s breath, and slowing down the hectic pace of daily life.
The pleasure of outdoor physical activity, alone or together, cultivating personal passions or making the most of precious free time.
The power of the stories of a corner of the Vallesina that convey values and visions, speak of food and wine traditions and architecture, share history and curiosities, linking everyday life with a past to be rediscovered at one’s own pace.
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Stages
The Martyrs’ Memorial marks the memory of the last and most serious crime committed by the Nazi-fascists in the city of Jesi, exactly one month before its Liberation.
On June 20, 1944, around thirty young men gathered in Via Roma to discuss the events of the day. On that ordinary Tuesday, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of German soldiers and fascists, who forced them to go to the Massacci farmhouse in Villa Armanni, in the Montecappone area. What at first seemed like one of the usual roundups of workers quickly turned into tragedy: the youths were searched, beaten, and then released. However, seven of them met a different fate.
Identified as spies—reportedly by a woman from Fabriano—they were condemned to death without trial after enduring brutal torture, having been recognized as partisans. Unrecognizable due to the violence they had suffered, they were taken to a ditch not far from the farmhouse and killed with machine-gun fire, stabbing, and beatings.
The tragic story of these seven young men—their suffering, screams, and cries of despair—has been handed down by witnesses from the Montecappone area. On June 20, 1945, in memory of this tragic event, the municipal administration decided to place a plaque at the site where the young men from Jesi were massacred.
In 1985, the administration added a new sculptural group alongside the existing memorial. The idea originated from a bronze award given during swimming competitions dedicated, at the time, to the Martyrs of June 20, 1944.
The work, created in 1988 by the Jesi artist Massimo Ippoliti using the lost-wax bronze casting technique, represents seven vertebrae joined into a spinal column, expressing three emotional responses to the massacre: anger, anguish, and redemption. The brazier, into which the spinal core converges, becomes a symbol of everlasting memory.
The Martyrs of Montecappone:
- Armando Angeloni, 25 – Jesi
- Luigi Angeloni, 18 – Jesi
- Francesco Cecchi, 18 – Jesi
- Alfredo Santinelli, 18 – Jesi
- Mario Saveri, 23 – Jesi
- Enzo Carboni, 20 – Sant’Eufemia d’Aspromonte
- Calogero Grasceffo – Agrigento
Location: Via del Burrone, Jesi
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The Montecappone winery was founded in the late 1960s in Jesi. In 1997, the Bomprezzi-Mirizzi family took over the property and, drawing on fifty years of experience managing their wine shop in Rome, began a gradual renovation of the estate, expanding the cellar and renewing almost all the vineyards.
The company manages over 40 hectares of vineyards on the hills of Jesi and its surrounding castles, as well as 15 hectares of olive groves. The main grape varieties grown are Verdicchio, Passerina, and Sauvignon Blanc for white wines; Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Cannonau, and Lacrima Nera for red wines. The winery is equipped with modern technology to enhance the high quality of the raw materials.
Today, it is one of the wineries in the Marche region directly managed by its owners, producing exclusively estate-bottled wines. True wine producers who use only their own grapes, obtained through careful vineyard selection, low yields per hectare, experimentation both in the vineyard and in the cellar, and the technical support of qualified professionals guiding the internal agronomy team.
Montecappone is synonymous with quality and has been consistently featured for years in the most important Italian wine guides, receiving excellent reviews and top scores.
Visitors can discover the winery through cellar tours, guided tastings of wines and olive oils by reservation, and the opportunity to purchase Montecappone products directly at the shop.
Position: Via Colle Olivo, 2 – 60035 Jesi (AN)
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Opening hours: Monday to Saturday (excluding holidays) 8:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. / 4:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Contacts:
Montecappone
URL: www.montecapponevini.it
Phone: +39 0731 205761
Email: info@montecappone.com
The main building features simple forms, enhanced by pilasters and string-course cornices highlighted through contrasting colors. The villa is arranged over three floors, with the main façade facing the valley, adorned with a rectangular pediment that includes a sundial and statues. Particularly striking is the central entrance hall, from which one can enjoy views of the pine-lined avenue on one side and the valley below on the other.
At the rear are two buildings, once used as stables, simple yet harmonious in style, along with a chapel rebuilt at a later time. Next to the main building there are also two structures formerly used as the residences of the gardener and domestic staff. Of these, the one on the left preserves a notable portal, and its plastered surface is decorated with a band featuring garlands, ribbons, and floral motifs painted in chiaroscuro.
The park is designed in a Romantic style, with a strong picturesque character evident in the extensive use of rock formations to create artificial caves, small hills, rustic-style retaining walls, and mock ruins. The dirt paths winding through the park are sinuous, often bordered by dry stone walls made of stones and pebbles, and marked by a dense network of terracotta channels that once supplied rainwater to cisterns (still existing, though now underground).
The woodland paths lead to small clearings with seating areas, a small monkey tower, an artificial cave, a large icehouse disguised as a grotto, a mock hill, a formal flowerbed enclosed by a high boxwood hedge, and a panoramic terrace.
The focal point of the layout is the open forecourt in front of the villa, bordered on one side by a terrace viewpoint and on two others by perpendicular axes: one leading to the Mereghi monument (the obelisk), and the other passing through two symmetrical ornamental buildings toward another villa on the opposite hill, once part of the same estate.
A third axis corresponds to the current main access road to the villa, a gravel drive edged and flanked by orderly clusters of bamboo and palm trees. The path leading to the obelisk still exists and is emphasized by a double row of centuries-old stone pines, while the route toward Villa Pieralisi now stops at the boundary of the orchard.
The orchard-garden was enclosed by brick and mortar walls, with gates or iron railings, supplied by a well with a cast-iron manual pump, and surrounded by small service or decorative buildings, now partly in ruins. This orchard, along with the farm buildings situated along a stone-paved area, testifies to the strong bond between the villa and the surrounding cultivated land.
Palm trees, bamboo, Bergeria, Liriope muscari, Ruscus hypoglossum, and other exotic species reveal a marked preference for exotic plants, also evidenced by the existence of a system of greenhouses and heated seedbeds, now significantly altered.
Information: Download the Ville e Vigneti map: Scarica
The history of the Tullio Marika farm traces back to a family from Molise. The business was born from the meeting of a family-run agricultural activity, operating for over a century and dedicated to the production of cereals—including ancient grains—with Panificio Irpino, a well-known bakery in the Jesi area for more than 30 years. From this union comes the creation of unique baked goods, rich in nutraceutical properties, made with high-quality raw ingredients dedicated to the art of baking.
The activity is housed in a historic building, originally the home of a farmer employed by a noble family who owned the surrounding lands, with a villa overlooking the property.
The structure is distinctive, as it is one of the few rural houses featuring a central silkworm-rearing room (bigattiera) and side roofs with three slopes. Its layout is traditional: stables and storage rooms on the ground floor, the living quarters on the upper floors, and a small cellar for preserving food and wine. Surrounding the house are vegetable gardens and numerous fruit trees, making the Tullio Marika farm a place that embodies the union of experiences, stories, and territory, also offering a small yet charming glimpse of the sea.
At the Tullio Marika farm there is also ample space for sharing experiences. During the “Farmer’s Day,” visitors can discover, through both theory and practice, the customs and traditions of rural life—from its history to hands-on baking activities, preparing bread, pizza, and desserts using a wood-fired oven and traditional tools typical of this local farm.
Position: Via Roma, 263 – 60035 Jesi (AN)
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Opening Hours: Every day from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Contacts: Azienda Agricola Tullio Marika
E-mail Address: marikatullio1@gmail.com
The Aerolight Marche Association was founded in 1984 by a group of enthusiasts passionate about ultralight flying. Over the years, the group developed a small equipped airfield and a national training school. The association became affiliated with the Aero Club of Italy, carrying out activities both with powered ultralight aircraft—such as motorized hang gliders, airplanes, and paramotors—and with unpowered flight, including hang gliding and paragliding.
Today, the facility features a 600 × 30 m runway, hangars for aircraft storage, and classrooms for training. This area enables the Aerolight Marche Association to promote recreational and sport aviation in all its forms, including competitive activities and drone operations, as well as hosting numerous events involving both powered ultralight aircraft (motorized hang gliders, airplanes, paramotors) and non-powered aircraft (hang gliders, paragliders), aeromodels, and drones.
Position: Via Montecappone, 18/20 – 60035 Jesi (AN)
Informations:
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Opening Hours: Open on weekends; during the week by appointment only.
Contacts:
Aerolight Marche ASD
URL: https://www.aerolightmarche.it/
Phone: +39 335 5687088
E-mail Address: info@aerolightmarche.it
Lunabianca was born from a passion for olive oil and the olive tree—a passion pursued over time and cultivated with patience and dedication, eventually becoming a project with deep and solid roots.
The valley floor of Via Montecappone has long been suited to olive cultivation, with over 150 years devoted to these trees. Over time, many trees were uprooted due to intensive agriculture, while the Lunabianca plantation began in 2016. Today, across six hectares, there are 1,500 olive trees of the following varieties: Raggia, Ascolana Tenera, Orbetana, Coroncina, Rosciola dei Colli Esini, Maurino, Nostrale di Rigali, Pendolino, Frantoio, and Leccino.
The olive grove mainly features local varieties, representing the area’s biodiversity and producing typical single-variety extra virgin olive oils: Raggia, Rosciola dei Colli Esini, Coroncina, and Ascolana Tenera.
The planting layout is 6×6 meters, with a subsurface irrigation system installed throughout the area to optimize water use. Careful cultivation and attention to raw materials allowed Lunabianca to obtain organic farming certification in 2019.
Lunabianca is open to the public through shared experiences and products. Visitors can enjoy oil and honey tastings, guided tours of the olive grove, independent walks, and visits for schools and organized groups. The farm also hosts team-building activities and is ideal for cycling enthusiasts, thanks to an electric bike charging station.
Position: Via Montecappone, 20/a – 60035 Jesi (AN)
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Opening hours: morning; booking by phone or email is recommended
Contacts:
Lunabianca
URL: https://www.oliolunabianca.it/
Phone: +39 335 1041997
Email: info@oliolunabianca.it
The structure of Castello Mancini stands on a small hill overlooking the Montecappone area, evoking an earlier era through a building that is not actually a historic villa.
Although it represents a distinctive element of the local landscape, Castello Mancini was built only in the 1920s based on a design by engineer Ernesto Galeazzi. Intended for the Mancini family—already owners of the first silk mill in the Fontedamo district and of the Jesi paper mill—it is a reproduction inspired by the medieval revival style popular in the early 20th century.
Castello Mancini reflects the desire to recreate a vision of the Middle Ages that was widespread at the time, with a fortified structure featuring crenellated battlements, small towers, Gothic-arched openings with mullioned windows, exposed brickwork, and a small private chapel attached to the building.
The building is made of terracotta with stone decorations, and its façade is dominated by a coat of arms created for the Mancini family, the original owners. Visitors are welcomed by a 50-meter tree-lined avenue leading up to the castle, surrounded by tall, centuries-old trees that frame the evocative structure.
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Villa Collebellombra extended over more than 180 hectares when the Gambelli family purchased it in 1908. This vast property included seven farmsteads, covering the area that today stretches from the Villa Serena Clinic to the Acquasanta area, from one side to the other.
The Gambelli family had already been well known in Jesi since the 19th century, not only for their landholdings. They owned a grocery store on Corso Vittorio Emanuele—now Corso Matteotti—where the iconic Caffè Saccaria is located. Their presence in the city also included a historic residence in the building next to today’s Civic Art Gallery, extending as far as Via Mazzini.
During the early 20th century, a time marked by the rise of an affluent bourgeoisie, the estate represented a form of social advancement for the family. The Gambellis continued both their commercial activities and the management of the land, maintaining the long-established sharecropping system.
Villa Collebellombra was originally built in 1790 by Honorato Honorati in the style of Venetian villas, following a typical Palladian model. It was designed as a two-story building with a central rectangular body topped by a large pediment, and a façade divided by pilasters.
Following a modification in 1920—when the main building was connected to the granaries, creating a Liberty-style hall—the villa came to reflect the typical layout of Marche villas: an 18th-century chapel still in use, stables now converted into living spaces for the Gambelli family, a lemon house, a caretaker’s residence, a large courtyard, a garden with a fountain, and an extensive park surrounding the villa.
In 1908, Marquis Luciano Honorati sold Villa Collebellombra for 312,000 lire, transferring to the Gambelli family a property spanning more than 180 hectares—today corresponding to the area between Villa Serena and Acquasanta.
The villa also survived World War II, though not without damage. During the conflict, it was occupied by both German and Allied troops, and many trees in the garden were cut down. After the war, the entrance gate was moved further uphill, and the estate lost two hectares of woodland, reduced from the original five hectares to three.
The park, now mainly composed of tall woodland with three hectares of centuries-old oaks and holm oaks, has been designated a site of historical value and protected by the Fine Arts Authority following its many historical events.
A main avenue lined with olive trees leads into the woodland, followed by a second avenue of linden trees, while the garden can also be accessed directly through a separate entrance.
The Italian-style garden at the front of the villa is typically 19th-century and symmetrical, later enriched with tree species popular between the late 1800s and early 1900s, including cedars of Lebanon and palm trees.
Villa Collebellombra is home to a rich fauna, including nocturnal birds of prey such as owls, little owls, barn owls, and scops owls, as well as mammals like badgers, weasels, hedgehogs, porcupines, foxes, wild boars, and roe deer, all of which find a safe and welcoming habitat in the park.
The garden in front of the house features a central fountain, currently no longer in use, while a small pond inhabited by carp can be found within the wooded area.
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The history of the Colleonorato winery begins four generations ago, with a cart traveling through the city selling chestnuts and cured meats. A trade refined over time by the Borioni family, it has now reached the young Giulia who, after completing her studies, turned her passion for grapes and fermentation into her life’s work.
Born surrounded by nature, Giulia chose to honor her past by founding the Colleonorato farm after earning a degree in Economics and Marketing in the agro-industrial sector. Supported by Luca, who contributes his creativity and dedication to vineyard management, she has developed her own vision of Verdicchio through distinctive and sometimes unconventional choices. Their wines become an expression of tradition, the result of technology, and a portrait of the land.
For Giulia and Luca, wine is art. It creates sensory harmonies that evoke intangible and almost surreal experiences, reflecting today’s ever-changing reality. The Colleonorato winery is driven by visionary individuals with a modern and innovative spirit, working to transform wine into something unexpected and wonderfully unique—a stage for creativity, inspired by the desire to celebrate and reinterpret artisanal tradition.
Quality and the continuous pursuit of excellence nourish the present while strengthening roots in tradition and in the land, which remains the most powerful element of Colleonorato products. This connection, combined with technology, leads their wines toward a balance of taste and color, intensity and aroma.
Colleonorato welcomes visitors for wine tastings, also paired with a rich selection of local cured meats, artisanal cheeses, and traditional products.
Position: via Colle Onorato, 8/a – 60035 Jesi (AN)
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Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 3:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. / 3:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Sunday closed
Contacts:
Colleonorato Winery
URL: https://www.colleonorato.com
Phone: +39 329 5628720 (Giulia); +39 320 4762034 (Luca)
Email: colleonorato@gmail.com
The Circolo della Natura Equestrian Center was founded in 2012 in Recanati and moved to Jesi in 2014. Its aim is to promote equestrian activities in natural environments. All activities are managed according to technical and safety standards, following the philosophy of natural horsemanship, which encourages a relationship with animals based on empathy and body language, without coercive methods.
In addition to its riding school, the center specializes in equestrian trekking. From short rides to longer routes, visitors can spend hours exploring the Vallesina area or take part in multi-day treks in the pre-Apennine regions and beyond, including routes such as the “Sentieri Francescani” trail ending in Assisi.
The Circolo della Natura is also a professional equestrian training center recognized by Engea, with ISO 9001 certification. For children and young people aged 4 to 13, the center offers riding lessons in Western and countryside disciplines, as well as summer camp activities. For adults, it also offers tasting experiences of local products through the “Aperi-Ranch” events, organized in collaboration with local wineries.
Location: Via Colle Onorato, 5 – 60035 Jesi (AN)
Information: Download the Ville e Vigneti map: Scarica
Opening hours: Every day 9 a.m.–1 p.m. / 3 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Contacts:
ASD Circolo della Natura Equestrian Center
URL: http://www.circolodellanatura.it/
Phone: +39 3486014146 (Stefano); +39 3476574793 (Simona)
Email: info@circolodellanatura.it
Villa Miravalle was originally the residence of the Ducal House of Leuchtenberg, relatives of the Bavarian royal family. It was built in 1904 based on the forward-thinking design of the architect Guido Landi from Carrara, who, through his work, engaged with and reflected the social changes of the early 20th century.
Due to the decline in income among aristocratic families, buildings needed to adopt new structural models. The grand 19th-century aristocratic villas were no longer sustainable for the more moderate lifestyle of the new century’s elite. Villa Miravalle represents a new type of residence that would become typical for this social class: the bourgeois villa. The building features an innovative structure: rather than extending horizontally, it develops vertically, reducing the land required, and includes a small tower as part of the design.
Today, Villa Miravalle is owned by the Honorati family. Its style, midway between Liberty and Modernism, embodies a century that questioned its own conventions, reshaping and renewing them through the creativity and ingenuity characteristic of Italian design.
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