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sirolo |
| SIROLO has an old centre of terraced cottages divided by neat
cobbled streets. The main square, Piazza Veneto, is on the clifftop,
with good views of the coast and Monte Cónero, and is home to a seasonal
tourist office and a couple of bar- gelaterie . In season, buses run
roughly every hour to the two beaches below, Sassi Neri and San Michele,
of which San Michele, just to the north, is the better, with a section
at the far end where nudism is tolerated. The town has won a blue flag
for its clean waters for several years running, and in 2000 was one of
only ten beaches in Italy to be awarded a "palma d'oro" for its
unpolluted waters. Particularly inviting is the small beach close to the
jagged mid-sea islets of the Due Sorelle, although you won't have it to
yourself in peak season. There is a good choice of accommodation : beach lovers should head for Arturo , Via Spiaggia 1 (tel 071.933.0975; L60,000-90,000/¬30.99-46.48; June -Sept), right on the white shingle strand, a yellow house with green shutters and just seven rooms. It's a bus ride from Sirolo proper (or a long walk down and then back uphill) but it's the least expensive option in town. It has its own restaurant and there are other places to eat and drink in the evenings down at the beach. At the other end of the scale is Rocco , Via Torrioni 1 (tel 071.933.0558; L200,000-250,000/¬103.29-129.11), built into the town gate and a short walk down the main street of Via Italia from the piazza. Once a thirteenth-century inn where St Francis is said to have slept, it's now a stylish seven-room hotel with an upmarket restaurant (closed Tues) serving refined, imaginative and very expensive food. Among more functional hotel alternatives, on Via Giulietti there are rooms at number 46 (tel 071.736.0593; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98) with good triple and quadruple rooms as well as inexpensive doubles. Across the road Stella , Via Giulietti 9 (tel 071.933.0704; L200,000-250,000/¬103.29-129.11) is a pleasant, modern hotel with large rooms. Other good choices are Il Parco , Via Giulietti 60 (tel 071.933.0733; L90,000-120,000/¬46.48-61.98), with more dated decoration and a garden, and Panoramic , Via San Michele 8 (tel 071.933.0659, hotelpanoramic.sirolo@katamail.com ; L150,000-200,000/¬77.47-103.29) just off Via Giulietti, a friendly place with a sun terrace and a stunning view of the coastline. Sirolo's most attractive campsite is the Internazionale (tel 071.933.0884; open May-Sept), set on tree-lined terraces at the bottom of the cliffs below Piazza Veneto, within sight and sound of the sea. If you can afford to splurge in Sirolo, do it on a meal at the hotel Rocco , or the equally expensive Il Grottino (closed Wed) on Via Ospedale, just off Via Italia, which serves Marche specialities in its stone-vaulted restaurant or outside on a terrace scented with jasmine plants. Otherwise you can eat more modestly at La Taverna , Via Italia 10, offering enogastronomia : local wine and salami, cheeses and bread, plus pizza by the slice. At Hostaria Sara next door at number 9 (closed Wed), diners can sample robust dishes in a no-nonsense atmosphere; the seafood antipasti, risotto and tagliatelle with fish sauce are especially recommended. Otherwise, during the day, the best eaterie by far is Bar Pepi down at the beach (daily May-Sept until 5pm), where workers from town go for lunch in summer. Back in town, for cocktails and ice creams with a sea view, head to Il Grillo , on Via Giulietti just below Piazza Veneto. |