THE MAGIC OF PORTONOVO BAY (Ancona, Marche Region, Italy)
Hello my friend, are you ready to discover a beautiful bay on the sea in the Marche region of Italy?
Well today I will introduce you to the beautiful Bay of Portonovo.
All the pictures were taken by me during one of my visits to this place and what I tell is my personal experience😉😊
The bay of Portonovo is one of the most beautiful natural areas that the Marche region has to offer for its completeness: sea with clear and clean waters, nature of the Conero Park, possibility of taking walks that in a short time take you from the mountain to the beach , history, accommodation facilities such as restaurants, leaning on the beach, brackish water lakes, animals….
But let's go in order, come with me and I'll explain everything.
You can reach Portonovo directly by car if you come from the north or south along the A14 motorway taking the Ancona Sud exit, once you exit the signs will guide you to the bay and after about 15/20 minutes you will have arrived, however a navigator will take you can help.
Remember that the last part of the road is well practicable but narrow and curvy so be careful when you go along it, once you arrive in the area there are not many parking spaces.
In summer, you will hardly find a place for the car from early morning until evening due to the huge amount of people who frequent this magical place and its beautiful sea.
Otherwise, if you are in the neighboring towns of Ancona you can get there by bus, if you arrive by train to the city of Ancona you can take the bus from there.
In this case I arrive at the place with my car, it is no longer full summer so the place will not be very crowded.
Traveling along the road with the car in at least two points it is possible to stop to enjoy spectacular views from above of the whole bay ... how nice !!!
In fact, I walk all the way down to the end of the road and go all the way down to the right to where the road ends, I park my car right under Mount Conero and about 10 meters from the beach and start walking, the view of the mountain from below it is very impressive and beautiful.
First of all, I head on foot towards the mountain to visit the first lake I meet of brackish water, there are in fact 2 lakes that are home to animals such as turtles, ducks, coots and many others in addition to the many species that regularly inhabit the mountain such as wild boars, badgers, foxes, stone martens and many others ...
The first one I meet is called "Deep Lake" and is equipped with a wooden platform from which it is also possible to do birdwatching.
The information signs present here tell of how the lake was formed many years ago when a part of Mount Conero collapsed towards the sea, leaving this space where the lake was created.
The lake is composed of both sea water being very close to it and fresh water coming from the rains and from the mountain making the water brackish.
I go back and immediately the landscape changes, I pass between water sports facilities and restaurants to get to the beach: what a beautiful view !!!!
On the right the beach is almost non-existent and it is not recommended to visit it due to the risk of falling rocks, we still find the rock fallen from the mountain called "The Sail" for its shape that resembles a sail and we also find the remains of one of the churches in the park del Conero, some of Romanesque origin, the most famous and best preserved is Santa Maria di Portonovo which is about a thousand years old but unfortunately it was not open to visitors at the time of my visit ...
FALLEN ROCK "THE SAIL" IN THE CENTER
ONE OF THE MOUNTAIN CONERO CHURCH
On the left side instead begins a beautiful beach that blends its colors with the blue of the clear and transparent sea, Wowww.
I came early in the morning so that if tourists arrived even outside the high season I would be able to take my tour and take my photos calmly ...
I take a nice walk and discover the restaurants on the beach, on the one hand they are convenient for tourists and offer a unique experience with the view you can enjoy, on the other they have in a certain sense ruined the naturalistic landscape of this place but they have been built decades ago where building permits were granted more easily, now Portonovo is part of the Conero park in an area where it is not allowed to build new structures or at least it is very very difficult to do so, but let's continue ..
Here you can also find tens of years old changing cabins.
The nature, the vegetation and the sea here are beautiful everywhere, in this section the beach is composed of large pebbles for lovers of this type the beach here is the top.
Walking on the beach I arrive at the beautiful De Bosis tower which overlooks the sea
The De Bosis tower is a watchtower that can be admired in the Bay of Portonovo, it is an imposing structure overlooking the sea, built in 1716 by Pope Clement XI Albani, as a defensive garrison during the period of the Spanish succession.
It is also called Torre De Bosis, from the name of the Ancona poet Adolfo De Bosis, who bought it at the end of the nineteenth century, using it as a summer residence and place of meditation.
Today the Tower, one of the most characteristic structures of the Conero Riviera, is the seat of a cultural association and is open to the public only on the occasion of particular cultural events.
Part of the tower is also used as a Bed and Breakfast, a B&B with an enviable position to say the least !!!
If you are lucky enough to happen during one of these extraordinary openings, go to the terrace where you can admire a breathtaking view of the Bay of Portonovo.
DE BOSIS TOWER
I pause for a moment walking along the small streets around the tower where the first bathers begin to arrive and the fishermen busy arranging the freshly caught fish and their equipment return to the small port called the pier.
I take nice walks going a little inland from the sea ( I'm talking about a few meters from the sea), I walk where the vegetation is typically Mediterranean composed of tall pine trees but not only that, there are small streets composed of houses dating back to the past decades, once they were fishermen's especially then they have largely become private residences sometimes used only in the periods from spring to autumn, much less in winter.
Shall we compare a walk or a run here or in the city? Here you don't need music or podcasts to keep you company as long as you are exercising but just the sounds of nature, animals, and windswept vegetation!!! How beautiful!!!
Honestly living about 30 minutes drive from here I happened to come for walks before getting to work and I must say you go to work with a freer and lighter mind!!!😀
Finished the visit to the De Bosis Tower I go back to my car, get on board and head to the somewhat better known and touristy area of the bay, in my case I took the car but you can safely walk this stretch walking through the pristine vegetation of this place.
I leave my car and start strolling around encountering historic places of dining and hospitality in these areas such as the See Bay hotel where many couples in love in these areas decide to get married or the "Fortino Napoleonico" where you can eat excellent fish on a terrace a few meters from the sea or stay in historic suites inside a structure built about two hundred years ago during the Napoleonic era and which originally served as a fortress for the defense of the southern part of the city of Ancona.
In this area you can find one of the largest parking lots in Portonovo Bay where you can leave your car, the parking lot is guarded, paid in the summer months and controlled by staff throughout the day.
Here you can also find beautiful picnic areas and public bathrooms, the whole area is accessible to people with reduced mobility as the area has no stairs.
PIC-NIC AREA
CAR PARKING
So after a few meters he arrives in the area of the second brackish water lake in this area called "Big Lake," it is also the lake that I personally liked the most, where it is possible to admire animals wandering freely in their oasis of peace being accustomed to the presence of mankind...what peace...
There are also raised wooden platforms to observe the animals that live here in the lake just a few steps from the sea and the mountain, what a unique place!!!!
THE "BIG LAKE"
THE TURTLES
THE DUCKS
After being enchanted for a few minutes watching the beautiful turtles and birds swimming happily I continue a few meters until I get to the sea...what a beauty!!!
Here the water is transparent as in the whole bay...the inhabitants of Ancona and neighboring municipalities love to spend days at the beach in this place...think that being few parking spaces for all the people who arrive on this bay groups of guys prefer to share a car in 5 people, park where it is not allowed so they suffer a fine of a few tens of euros by the police that they will divide in 5 people and pay together and all for....spend a day in this magical Bay.
Arriving on the sea on the right you will find the area of the Fortino Napoleonico and other spectacular little restaurants where you can eat just a few meters from the sea, most of these restaurants have been open for many years also because they offer very good and fresh dishes, even important personalities or VIPs often decide to eat here, of course the cost of services in these places is a bit higher than the average in this area of the Marche region.
On the left you can find a long beach that is home to several establishments offering deckchairs and umbrellas, unfortunately in recent years the beach has become a bit narrower having been eroded by storm surges but still well frequented.
Famous and unique to these areas are the "Moscioli" a breed of mussels indigenous to the area, they are mussels a little larger than the normal mussels found in Italy and very delicious for preparing excellent dishes in the kitchen by both restaurateurs and people who dive to catch them and cook them at home, if you happen during your stay to see them underwater attached to some rocks be careful about catching them because you can only catch certain quantities and not as many as you want, the marine police are careful about these things and then if everyone does as they want this particular local shellfish goes to disappear in the wild.
If you want to spend a summer vacation keep in mind that this area both for car parking, bathing establishment and catering has some of the highest prices in the whole Marche Region but no one forces you to do anything here...you can safely get here, take a place in the free beach and enjoy the spectacle that nature offers!!!
If you pass by here and you like nature....fer a few hours in Portonovo...you will thank me!!!
Until next time my friend, see you soon, I have other places to introduce you better!!!
All the pictures were taken by me during one of my visits to this place and what I tell is my personal experience😉😊