Villaggio Le Mimose

The beach by the site is a very handy thing, but if you'd like to see a bit more of this stretch of coast you can head into the centre of Porto Sant'Elpidio (five minutes' drive) for more beaches and watersports, or explore the Conero Riviera (45 minutes), taking in the beach and hiking trails around Portonovo, the two giant rocks at Due Sorelle beach or the wild and unspoilt Sassi Neri beach. Near to all of those is Ancona (35 minutes), where you can see the cathedral, the Arch of Trajan, the Roman amphitheatre and the National Archaeological Museum. Fermo (15 minutes), known for its Renaissance architecture, and the university city of Macerata (35 minutes) are also worth visiting. Heading inland, you might like to stop at Santuario della Madonna degli Angeli (10 minutes), an important religious site for the area, en route to the Frasassi Caves (an hour) for a guided tour of one of Europe's largest karst cave systems.