I have been wanting to plan a trip for September but have been all over the map about where to go! Wanted some beach time because I missed Feb and March staying with a friend in Florida due to some pretty major surgery (mostly OK now), but it doesn't make good sense to me to go all the way to Europe just for the beach. A place that also had some culture would be good. There have been a couple of threads brought back up in the last few days about Senigallia and I then read all the other threads about it, and this seems to fit the bill, great food, too, which is definitely important when visiting Italy (although I can't afford Uliassi!). I realized that I would be happy to just go back to Italy instead of somewhere else.

Senigallia looks even better considering I did some checking about flights and found, much to my surprise, that I can fly into Ancona with only one stop. Couldn't believe it!

Started looking at hotels and liked the look of Hotel Palace, great location, I want to be on the beach yet close to town for restaurants and other stuff, and it appears this is (or at least almost on the beach). Only $115 per night including breakfast, and for just $129 I can get a balcony and sea view. This seems too good to be true. Anybody know a reason not to stay here? I would have preferred a pool, but it appears that the Adriatic is gentle enough that I could go in. Am I wrong about this? I don't go in oceans with big waves anymore because, with my knees, if the wave knocked me over, I would have trouble getting back up (I can't kneel).

Any recommendations for a shuttle from the airport? I won't be renting a car.
My plan is to maybe do Bologna after Senigallia and then Rome.
I'm sure I'll have more question later, but this is a start. ( I leave for Puglia/Rome tomorrow, so if you post stuff and I don't respond right away, that's why.

Whew! I was getting worried about your Puglia plans until your final paragraph, Susan!

I stayed at Hotel Cristallo and enjoyed it. Coffee at breakfast not the best, but otherwise an excellent beachy hotel within short walking distance to the historic center. I jogged every morning along the water.

Looks like maybe they have upgraded a bit and added a pool since I stayed there pre-Covid, so I would expect it's probably more expensive. I think Hotel Palace is nearby. In fact, I think I had my third coffee somewhere along that strip in the mornings.

Thanks, Leely, I took a look, but they don't have availability.

I live near Senigallia, so I have little experience with hotels there. I once stayed at the Universal, over 10 years ago, with a visiting friend who wanted to spend her time at the beach, not 20 minutes away. The Universal had a nice spa, which my friend and I took advantage of. The Palace is not far from the Universal, and it's a good location.

The Terrazza Marconi hotel, very near the Palace, has a wonderful spa. Someone once gave me a day pass for my birthday.

There are no big waves in Senigallia. Near the shore, the water is very shallow, too shallow for swimming. You would have to wade out farther in order to swim.

Just today I posted some photos of the beach for someone who was looking for a safe beach for toddlers.

Italy Beaches for Families with Toddlers

There was another recent thread about Senigallia, which I started, focusing on restaurants. With the money you save on the hotel, you can splurge on one of the Michelin-starred restaurants!
Let me know if you have any other questions.

(Edit: SusanP, I see that you already participated in the other thread.) For anyone else who wants to see it:
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/senigallia-italy-food-lovers-paradise-1716445/

Senigallia has been getting a lot of attention; visit now before the hotel prices go up!

SusanP!!

Guess what??...

On a never-ending mission to clean out my apartment I just found this card for a wonderful take-away rosticceria in Senigallia that I think BVLenci will know. They have an amazing array of wonderful take-out meals from roast chicken to rabbit to roast guinea hen to quali, to duck to turkey and all the potatoes and veg to go with these.....I would consider it a MUST if you feel like having a picnic on the beach or inn your hotel room or even a snack. The women who worked there were marvelous......do mot miss if you do go, and I hope you will!!! That entire area is an unsung treasure for Americans, especially.......

Oh, I wish I had more time in my life to go and go and go and to keep going.....!!!

Do not miss!!
How timely! I found this card today, wedged in a book I was reading when we were there, the Iris Origo memoir: WAR IN THE VAL D'ORCIA.

My next mainland trip will include Senigallia, (Urbino?,) L'Aquila, and more of Le Marche and Abruzzo. It's so easy..so close to Rome.....and the coast of Le Marche if you go near summer.......

And then you could scoot south to Molise, too!!



https://www.pollerianorma.com

eks, perhaps you remember--although I don't think you indulge in sweets to the extent that I do--an excellent gelateria in Senigallia, quite near to Nana Piccolo Bistró. I cannot recall the name, but it was so good I ended up finding a way to have a gelato every day. I'll google if you and/or bvlenci don't pop in.

ETA re: Urbino. I personally found it more difficult to discover excellent restaurants in Urbino, though the city itself is amazing. Perched on a hilltop, I didn't feel like venturing out for dinners after day-tripping (I was traveling solo). But there were at least a few good choices in the center, just not the riches of high-quality cooking found in Senigallia in my very limited experience. Perhaps because Urbino is a more touristy city, and/or perhaps because it's big university town so lots of quick and cheap options aimed at students and as a visitor it wasn't easy for me to discriminate. Or maybe I just prefer seafood.

We often go to the Foro Annonario, where that rosticceria Is located, but I don't think I've ever got anything there. We live about 20 minutes away from Senigallia, so it's not a place we would go for takeout.

The Foro (forum) is a large piazza where there is a daily produce market. Until fairly recently, there was a fish market under the portico. You should go through the passageway under the portico, to arrive in the Piazza del Duca, a beautiful piazza in front of the imposing 15th century Rocca (fortress) Roveresca, built on the foundation of an ancient Roman fortification.

The Foro Annonario Is situated on the River Misa, near where it flows into the Adriatic. Along the river there is a long portico lined with shops. There's a very nice housewares shop (called Fronzi, I think) which would be a great place to pick up a useful souvenir. We recently bought a kitchen scale there. The proprietor brought out his little box of bronze weights to test its accuracy a various levels of weight before he wrapped it up for us

***"*"**Edit

I just noticed that Leely had posted a photo of the Rocca Roveresca. You can visit the Rocca, which I'm ashamed to admit I've never done. It's typical of someone who lives near a tourist attraction.

At the moment (until tomorrow) there is an international Harley Davidson rally in Senigallia.The centro storico and part of the lungomare are closed to all vehicular traffic.

We were told that a couple from Australia had arrived with both of their Harleys. That must have been a hefty overweight baggage fee!

Today many of them have taken an excursion to the little medieval walled town of Corinaldo.

I haven't been checking in regularly because I'm busy enjoying myself in Puglia 😀, but thanks everyone for this additional information. Ek, now you have me interested in L'Aquila. Looks as though it might be a good stop between Senigallia & Rome. Have to look some more. So many places!