Holidaymaking by the sea, excursions and walks through the unspoilt countryside Ancona boasts one of Italy's very best beaches with rocks and sand and all those who enjoy clean and clear water will not be disappointed.

At the foot of Mount Conero (from the Greek Komaros, the strawberry tree) are beaches of rocks and small white pebbles, with typical Mediterranean maquis reaching down almost to the shoreline.

These are great places for bathing but also for walking at any time of the year under the evergreen oaks and pine-trees between the napoleonic fort (1808), built to ward off British ships, and the small Romanesque church (1034) of Santa Maria, alongside, the sea-sprayed watch tower erected by Pope Clement XI in 1716.

The surrounding countryside forms part of the Conero nature reserve, home to over one thousand plant species and sub-species, where the yellow and red colours of strawberry trees mingle with the sweet-smelling yellow of Spanish broom.

Here, peregrine falcons and buzzards fly high over two mixed salt and freshwater lakes, where water hens, little grebes and kingfishers abound an ideal spot for birdwatching considering that Mount Conero is only headland between the Trieste Carso and the Gargano, also offers numerous footpaths where visitors can jus stroll or embark on more difficult hikes, delighted all the time wonderful views of the sea and the Appenine Mountains.