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Places to Visit in Italy

Discover the Magic of Italy in Recanati

The places to visit in Italy are not only the big tourist attractions. The magic of Italy is made of secret treasures like Recanati and the amazing villa Colloredo Mels.

Where on Earth is Recanati?

Recanati is a small hill town situated only ten km. from the Adriatic coast and close to Ancona, in Le Marche region.

In this tranquil and unassuming setting we discovered some of the hidden art treasure that make the magic of Italy. Quite unexpectedly we found here the Annunciazione by Lorenzo Lotto, a venetian renaissance artist that lived in the area in his last years.

In this stunning picture the virgin seems so scared of the announcing angel that she looks away to us with wide open eyes and the house cat is so terrified that it seems ready to jump out of the picture. Hunting for art treasures is without doubt one of the most rewarding things to do in Italy and can lead to new places to visit in Italy.

We were drawn to Recanati in first place for a opera recital held in the beautiful rooms of the villa Collared Mels. The event is called Villa in Canto and takes place tree times a week during the summer, with a varying program of sacred and opera music.

Before the concert we had a refined and surprisingly inexpensive menu meal at the incanto reastaurant, next to the villa. The menu included three delicious courses accompanied by selected local wines, the perfect start for the evening.

places to visit in italy

We then entered the villa trough the welcoming staircase, browsed trough the rooms and, in front of another Lotto masterpiece we enjoyed opera arias sung by a soprano and a tenor accompanied by piano.

The room was magnificent but the general atmosphere was very intimate, almost familiar, like if the concert was held especially for us. After the performance we also had a chance of an informal chat with the artists.

Famous Italians Born in Recanati

Recanti, such a small and unassuming place, gave birth to world famous artists.
Giacomo Leopardi, the most loved Italian poet was born here and made his hometown, his square and the Colle dell’Infinito famous in his poems. His descendants still live in the family palace and part of the home is open to the public.

If you are familiar with Italian, in the video below you can listen to a famous Leopardi poem recited by Vittorio Gassman, a great Italian actor.

The most famous tenor of his time, Beniamino Gigli, is another son of this quiet little town and maybe his heritage inspired the Villa in Canto event.

Watch the video below to see an interesting period film of Beniamino Gigli.

We can only assume that living surrounded by such quiet beauty takes out the best artistic inclination of the fortunate Recanati citizens and makes of this town one of the places to visit in Italy.