Magical Borgo Bazzano

The Borgo di Bazzano was the first settlement of the Picenes in the upper Macerata area of which there are certain historical traces. The building of the Borgo can be dated around the end of the 13th century. The stone used to construct the buildings, a wonderful white limestone, came from the same quarry, no longer extant today, that, a couple of centuries later, was used for the construction of the fabulous Sanctuary of Macereto (Visso). In fact, the two buildings are just over 4km apart as the crow flies. Another building of great value located a short distance from the Borgo is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Casoriano, the third and last building for which that stone was used. The architectural peculiarity of the Borgo is to present, within the wall boxes that delimit the various buildings, a play of staggered lofts that reaches the number of three per single housing body. In addition, the upstream and downstream housing portions of the Borgo are placed in communication by a building body that acts as a bridge. Almost all the rooms are communicating since in the past, and according to the traditions of the rural families who lived in the hamlet, they tried to light a few hearths in the various dwellings in order to save wood, the fact that many rooms were communicating made it possible for the heat to spread evenly. A small consecrated church is present within the Borgo; its use, including private use, is permitted by agreement with the local Curia. The valley on which the Borgo rests, at an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level, is rich in the native flora and fauna of the upper Macerata area; the surrounding land is well tilled with rotations of organic crops such as cereals, grasslands and pasture meadows. One of the most valuable features of the Borgo is that of being in a sort of space-time suspension: the complete absence of any modern artifacts in the surroundings, the silence accompanied only by the sounds of nature, make Bazzano an inimitable jewel, unique in its kind, where spirituality, harmony and peace reign supreme. The Borgo has undergone multiple conservative restorations since the 1970s until about a decade ago. These interventions, which have allowed the survival of the Borgo to this day, consisted mostly of the consolidation of the wall boxes, the restoration of some of the floors, and the partial interior and exterior finishing of the ironing of the exposed face. Without these interventions probably today of the Borgo would remain nothing but a pile of rubble. Potable water and electricity subservices are present. There is also a private water subservice that allows spontaneous or rainwater that accumulates downstream to be taken and transported to the center of the Borgo. The properties are in a raw state, so there are no active services, nor consequently the certificate of habitability.