The
Gola della Rossa e di
Frasassi Regional Park in the province of
Ancona has another interesting area in the charming
Valle di Scappuccia. The river Sentino has carved its way through the
Frasassi George, producing a complex system of underground caves called the
Grotte di Frasassi, considered among the most interesting in the world. Thousands of visitors come to see these caves every year. Not far from
Jesi, along the Esino river, you enter the
Ripa Bianca protected area. Further south, in the province of
Macerata, are the nature reserves of
Fiastra Abbey and
Montagna di Torricchio. The firt of these conserves a farm landscape that has retained aspects of its medieval past, including the monumental abbey erected by Cistercian monks in 1142 by
quarrying stone from the ancient Roman city of
Urbs Salvia. The woodland area planed mainly with turkey oak (Quercus cerris) provides naturalistic interest. The
Torricchio Nature Reserve on the other hand, near the
Sibillini Mountains National Park, covers an area of 317 hectares and landscape that is typical of high
Marche hill country. It has been recognised as a Council of Europe biogenetic reserve.