WORDS & PICTURES: Federico Ambrosini
Connect with Federico on Instagram
Whenever someone talks about summer destinations in Italy, the city of Ancona is mainly known for Monte Conero, or for the beautiful and suggestive shores of Sirolo, Sassi Neri, and Two Sisters. The latter is a beach known for crystalline sea, an incredible view which accompanies the traveller from the top of the mountain, where you have to park your car, through the path to the beach and… into a crowd of people.
These places are usually so crowded that, as soon as your feet touch the sand, you can’t actually see the waves, or the transparent water mentioned before. There are several ways to avoid these inconveniences, but the one I’d like to suggest today is to simply be alternative.
BE ALTERNATIVE
Within the city of Ancona, just steps away from the crowd of buildings and intertwined streets, there’s a hidden place created by those who love the sea: the Grotte del Passetto. A complex warren of more than 400 man-made caves, the Grotte del Passetto in Ancona were originally built in the late 1800s by fishermen as a safe shelter to moor their boats and find relief from the sun during the hottest hours of the day. Today, the caves are still used as a personal fishing base – but you’re more likely to see people relaxing, cooking, and enjoying the sea with their neighbours.
In fact, the Grotte del Passetto, Ancona, have almost become a series of one-bedroom apartments on the rocks, in which locals have installed small kitchens, balconies, and other amenities to relax just metres from the water. The most peculiar thing about the caves is that they have been built all across the coast of Ancona, where there was once nothing but rugged cliffs. Forget about any kind of beach; the landscape here is pretty rocky. Simplicity is the strength of this place. You won’t find parasols, fancy restaurants, or traditional riviera-style sun loungers: these grotte were made by humble fishermen for themselves and their families, and the current inhabitants strive to keep things simple – just like “the good ol’ times”.
Discover Italy with us | A Journey Around Maremma, Tuscany
ONE GROTTA FITS ALL
Okay, so there are no parasols, no beaches, no fancy restaurants and nothing has changed much since the 1800s… why would I visit this place? No need to worry! There are three groups of grotte, which suit every individual taste: the first is accessible following a short path from the small Laghetti del Passetto park. This cave is a middle-ground between traditional and modern fishing methods. Here, you can often find locals who have decided to turn their caves into the perfect chilling spot, and it’s not unusual to be invited inside for a glass of wine or a dish of pasta. The place is easy to reach, not extremely crowded during summer, and gives you a nice taste of Ancona’s hospitality, as well as a dip into the unique grottaroli lifestyle.
Alternatively, the central grottos are the most touristic and crowded ones: just beneath the Monumento ai caduti, you can find deckchairs, sunshades, and a small restaurant on the sea. It’s quite easy to get here through a fairly short stairway leading from the monument to the shore. There is also an elevator for those less inclined to climb the marble steps during the summertime.
The real grottaroli experience, though, can be found following a quite long and steep path called the sentiero della Grotta Azzurra, which leads, as the name may suggest, to the Grotta Azzurra. This, as well as the other caves here, are mainly populated by ederly fishermen who spend their time fishing, cooking, sailing, and telling stories to people passing by.
Graffiti is almost everywhere, decorating the caves, and the Grotta Azzurra – which is not particularly easy to reach – rewards those who venture to its entrance with a beautiful piece of art: the whole cave itself.
Love fishing villages? Take a look at our Marsaxlokk, Malta Photo Journal
SIMPLY, PEOPLE
However, it doesn’t matter which part of this unique attraction you choose to visit: the most incredible thing you’ll find here is the people. The locals created this place and made it what it is today: take all the legends you’ve heard about Italian hospitality and find them here, where the grottaroli are so proud of their caves that they love to show them off to curious visitors. Every cave is painted and decorated personally by its owner, and there are signs of this creativity everywhere you look.
Most likely, if you don’t own your own personal grotta, it wouldn’t be the place you would spend your summer . But if you’re tired of the usual “beach thing”, and you’re visiting Ancona, it’s here that you’ll find a slice of the Adriatic Coast where human beings and nature have found a strange sense of harmony. At the Grotte del Passetto, the sea is experienced in a completely different and entirely unique way by the inhabitants of the city. These locals work to preserve the intent of their ancestors, spending their summers in a simple yet meaningful way.
