Visite Date：May 3, 2019, approximately 11 a.m.
San Ginegio was our second visit of the day, only 30 minutes to Sarnano, our first stop. The weather was cloudy when we arrived. The parking lot was located outside the village walls. It was large and very easy to park, but there was only our car there.
The location is in the south of the Marche region, in the mountains.
The village itself was a very beautiful place with a strong medieval atmosphere. There were many churches, from a big one in the center of the village to an old one from around the 12th century and a Baroque one, which was typical of the most beautiful villages in Italy, but I still felt that this one was quite large.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get into those churches. The reason is that there was an earthquake three years ago.
On 24 August 2016, a massive earthquake hit the central Italian region. Its epicenter was in Umbria, next to the Marche region. As a result, parts of the inner central and southern regions of this region have also been severely damaged.
In fact, in Materica, where we stayed the day before, many buildings were undergoing restoration. The church in the square in Sarnano, which we visited first, was also under restoration and we were not able to enter inside.
As you can see from these pictures, these types of reinforcement could be seen throughout the village.
There were so many repairs that we decided to take a break at a cafe in the village, where I asked the owner, “Were these repairs caused by the earthquake three years ago?”
He didn’t speak English and I don’t speak Italian. So, I said in French, such as “Ce reconstruction est influencé par le trimbalement de tarre il y a trois ans?”, while pointing to the church under restoration in front of me. The owner said he could understand a little French.
Even though it’s been three years, I can’t imagine how to fix such an old building.
In addition, the boundary of the central square, the interior seems to have been so beautiful. It is a pity.
Nevertheless, the city of San Ginegeo was very pleasant and a wonderful place with beautiful streets still existing.
I would love to revisit this place when it has been restored to some extent over the years.
