Parco del Conero

At the top of the Conero, among holm oaks and strawberry trees, there is St Peter Church with the monastery, which has nowadays been transformed into a hotel. As a matter of fact, in the Middle Ages the Conero became a place of hermitage and of religious Communities. The Benedictine monks built two Churches: one at its foot, St Benedict, and the other one on the top, St Peter. St Peter Church fell into ruin and was rebuilt by the Camaldolese monks who settled there until 1861. St Peter still preserves the shapes and the style of the ancient structure, white and tiny as the Romanesque style wants. Inside, a central nave with barrel vault and cross vault; the columns and the pillars are adorned with decorated capitals. Acanthus leaves, pine berries, and floral subjects are woven into the stones. Under the chorus is hidden the crypt where the relics were preserved. The trails and avenues traced by the Monks can still be gone through and lead to wonderful tours.