Italy Panorama

Ripatransone

Ripatransone, Marche

Everyone has visions of narrow streets paved with stone or brick winding through a pretty hilltop hamlet, but there is one town that boasts the narrowest.

Only 43 cm wide!

Ripatransone is situated on a ridge above the Tesino Valley, just 12 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. It has incomparable views unfurling from Mount Conero to the Grand Sasso. Ripatransone is known locally as “il Belvedere del Piceno.” As you walk through the town you will notice a sign for the narrowest alley in Italy, Vicolo Stretto, a passageway that connects two pretty pedestrian streets and is no more than two feet wide.

We have been to two other towns trying to stake their claim on this same fame, but careful examination, and a measuring tape, proves that the Vicolo Stretto is the real deal, the narrowest alley in Italy.

Shoulder to shoulder with the walls.

Ripatransone is one of the oldest centers of the province of Ascoli Piceno. Walking through its streets you will note the numerous plaques attached to houses giving details of the important historic person orartist who once lived there, such as Luigi Mercantini, who penned the national anthem.

The town is crowned by Piazza XX Settembre where you will find the Tourist Information office as well as the opulent Opera House, the stoic Palazzo del Podesta and the municipal offices. A park on the very peak of the town offers stunning views, especially magical at sunrise.

Ripatransone has been awarded the Italian Touring Club Orange Flag due to its outstanding beauty and the facilities that it offers.  The town has also been awarded the Green Flag for its agriculture. Situated in the heart of one of the most important D.O.C wine and extra virgin olive oil-producing areas of Le Marche, agriculture remains important to the town. Excursions to nearby wine cellars and olive mills are enjoyable experiences.

View from Ripatransone