Let’s discover the region Marche: Apiro and polenta.
Apiro is located uphill in the valleys of the rivers Esino and Musone, among the natural beauties of Mount San Vicino and the artificial lake Castreccioni, a municipality of averagely 2000 thousand inhabitants in the province of Macerata.
The overview is undoubtedly stunning; anyone who has the opportunity to live those places is a lucky person, to enjoy the beauties of the surrounding natural landscape where tranquility is balanced with historical and artistic heritage, excellent food & wine traditions, the proximity to larger cities such as Macerata. If we are talking about food & wine traditions, it has to be mentioned the relationship between Apiro and its polenta, i.e. a traditional dish of boiled cornmeal.
Polenta and traditions in Apiro
Just like any other town in the region Marche, Apiro holds traditions and local rural habits, which allowed nourishment and local economy to develop. Even if those habits might seem to belong to the past, they actually survive nowadays, simple and plain habits that tell stories of harshness, hard work and families gathered around the dining table. For those reasons polenta, a simple but widespread dish in the past, it was always available in the table of farmers, a symbol chosen by Apiro to represent its own past.
During the last weekend of September, the town hosts a Polenta Festival (“Sagra della Polenta”). The festival involves the whole population in a celebration of old habits and ancient traditions while tasting the delicious polenta, enjoying folk dancing and a challenge of polenta eaters.
Apiro is made of amazing landscapes, tranquility, and excellent food. In Apiro you can also taste a typical Christmas pastry: “Cavallucci”, i.e. horse-shaped biscuits, whom recipe is handed down from one generation to another. That is not enough: historical town walls surround the area. The evocative Sant’Urbano Abbey (built before the 11th century) appears in its impressive shape, it awaits to be explored. For these reasons, Apiro and its polenta deserve a visit, and the farmhouses surrounding the town are well worth a visit, definitely a good idea!
The main farmhouse is made of stone, in good structural conditions, overlooks the valley up to the Mount San Vicino and its woods, while on the backside you can look over the city of Apiro located upon a gentle hill
In both pictures, a stunning monastery built in the 18th century upon the valley of Sant’Urbano near Apiro, between the provinces of Ancona and Macerata.
