Surrounded by the Conero Regional Park and overlooking the Portonovo bay,“Santa Maria di Portonovo” church, also known as the “Chiesetta di Portonovo”, is a place of peace and meditation.

The church, built on a cliff at the beginning of the eleventh century by the Benedectine monks, was once an ancient abbey. The abbey was closed in 1320 due to a landslide. It wasn't restored until the nineteenth century and was finally reopened for worship in 1934.

The outer walls of the church were made with the white stone from the Conero quarries and the original interior floor was made with ocher stones and terracotta elements. 

“Santa Maria di Portonovo” is a Romanesque architecture jewel unique not only in the Marche Region and in the Conero Riviera, but also in Italy. Only in Corsica and Normandy can you admire other architectural examples of this kind.

OPENING