Each hill embraces a bit of history. The old hamlets conserve the atmosphere of days gone by and do not be surprised if you see the doors of the houses standing wide open, or keys hanging in the locks. In
Piceno this is all quite normal. The soft, balanced landscape is characterized by Mediterranean maquis, holm - oaks, laurels, cluster and Aleppo pines, and oaks, plane trees, elms, and mulberry trees that flank the roads leading to towns that have been inhabited for over a thousand years. At
Acquaviva Picena,
Monteprandone,
Ripatransone,
Offida and
Campofilone, time seems to have stopped. These
villages, surrounded by a mosaic of fields, tended by loving hands, conserve intact the charm of old - style country life. Here, the passing of seasons is marked by changing colors. In the spring, golden wheat, cornflowers, tulips and red poppies dominate the countryside, and blooming capers sprout from the cracks in old walls. In the autumn, black and white grapes peep out from rows and rows of vines. Each hamlet has its own history and traditions, but they all share one common feature: an infinite view of the
sea...