The village

Located on the ridge between the Tennacola and Salino valleys, Penna San Giovanni has a well-preserved historic centre within its ancient walled perimeter. Here you can admire churches, remains of fortifications, and also the town hall and the monastery: in short, there are many architectural riches that will attract the eye of the tourist, while at the same time being able to enjoy the healing effects of the sulphurous waters present here.

Walking around

Those who visit Penna San Giovanni for the first time are always pleasantly surprised and enchanted by its landscape and climatic characteristics, by the atmosphere in which it is enveloped and by the friendliness of the citizens, which is why they fall in love with it and return often.
Penna retains a stretch of the primitive walls of the 13th century and the renovations of the 15th century with its protruding quadrangular tower and doors. Among the most important monuments is the parish church of San Giovanni Battista (Saint John The Baptist), built between 1251 and 1256 by Giorgio da Como, known for the construction of the cathedrals of Fermo and Jesi. Inside it preserves the wooden statue of the Baptist, a work of the 15th century of considerable artistic importance, the result of the work of Silvestro dell'Aquila, a sculptor from Abruzzo who followed Donatello, and an interesting Crucifix from the same period by an excellent Neapolitan sculptor. In the Palazzo Priorale, dating back to the 13th century, there is the elegant Municipal Theatre, built around 1780, quite unique for its rare beauty; it is the only example of a theatre made entirely of wood that remains in the province of Macerata, and one of the few remaining in all of Italy. The Pinacoteca Comunale (Municipal Art Gallery) was created inside the former Church of Sant’Antonio Abate (St Anthony the Abbot), of which today only remain the sturdy bell tower on the side, built on the base of an ancient medieval tower-house, and an open gallery with a colonnade that gives access to the building. Inside it houses a rich collection of contemporary and ancient art of great value.
Do not miss a walk to the Park del Monte, located on the top of the town from where you can enjoy a breathtaking 360° panorama, the view can reach from the nearby Sibillini Mountains to as far as the sea. The smell of grass, pine and lime trees, inviting benches and sky open to the horizon are the frame of the ruined central building, better known as "CHALET", built on the remains of the church of Santa Elisabetta (Saint Elizabeth), and the "ROCCA" , an ancient structure of a solid watchtower now in ruins.
Outside the inhabited centre, two small churches, among the oldest in Penna: the church of San Bartolomeo (Saint Bartholomew) and the Romanesque church of San Biagio (Saint Blaise).
Let yourself be captivated by the beauty of walking paths through a network of evocative nature trails. A few minutes from the village you can discover one of the most enchanting and certainly the most characteristic places of Penna San Giovanni:
the SALINE PARK, whose territory extends to the sources of the synomynous Salino river. A splendid park with green meadows, lush aquatic vegetation, natural ponds, with special areas equipped for excellent picnics. Overlooking the Salino stream is the imposing bridge that rises above the original "wells" for the extraction of salt, famous for the so-called “Pozzo Poderoso”, so called for its dizzying depth.