Corinaldo

Not far from the Adriatic Sea, in a strategic location exactly between Urbino and Ancona, lies Corinaldo. This picturesque town is completely surrounded by green hills dotted with numerous vineyards. Its medieval walls remain almost entirely intact. A walk along these walls—spanning nearly a kilometer and featuring gates, towers, battlements, and walkways—is well worth the effort.

Inside the sturdy walls lies a romantic town, its main attraction being ‘La Piaggia,’ a stone staircase with one hundred steps. Halfway up the stairs, you will find an old well known as *Il Pozzo della Polenta* (The Polenta Well), which dates back to the second half of the fifteenth century.

A unique story is associated with this well. Legend has it that a farmer was walking into the village via La Piaggia carrying a large sack of cornmeal on his shoulders. He stopped at the well to catch his breath and placed the sack on the rim, but to his horror, it tumbled straight in. The farmer tried to rescue the meal but fell into the well himself. Before long, a story circulated among the villagers that he was feasting on his fallen cornmeal inside the well—which, thanks to the water, had turned into polenta.

This tale later inspired an annual historical event featuring period costumes: ‘La Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta,’ held in July. During the festival, you can discover traditional crafts and witness the skills of falconers, flag-bearers, and swordsmen, all while enjoying the historical procession that winds through Corinaldo’s picturesque streets. From La Piaggia, take a walking tour past Corinaldo’s finest buildings, such as the Palazzo Comunale with its long loggia, the former Convento degli Agostiniani, the Teatro Comunale, and La Casa del Trecento—the town’s oldest building.

As for churches, the San Francesco and the Santuario di Santa Maria Goretti are not to be missed. Maria Goretti was born just outside Corinaldo on October 16, 1890, and is a saint in the Catholic Church. She died at the age of eleven after being fatally stabbed fourteen times by Alessandro Serenelli, who had intended to sexually assault and rape her. On her deathbed in the hospital, Maria Goretti forgave her killer.