"San Claudio al Chienti" Macerata Off The Beaten Path Tip by tim76

A road lined with cypresses leads to this Romanesque church, one of the hidden gems of the Chienti valley. It doesn't look like any other church in the region, leading some historians to believe it was the work of an Arab architect, one Abd Allah ibn Sulaym. Having served as a farm for a long time (grain was stored in the towers), the church is beautifully restored.
The church has two storeys, connected by stairs in the bell-towers. The portals in marble are well preserved, but both interiors are bare nowadays, except for some small frescoes in the lower church.

Directions: The church is signposted on the SS 485, about a kilometre after the village of San Claudio (in the direction of Civitanova Marche).