Genga, the mystery of San Vittore and the “chiuse”

The name of the Borgo di Genga derives from the feudal counts, to whom we owe the legacy of the medieval walls and the mighty palace, this structure stands above Mount Ginguno and its origins are still hidden in history. To access this characteristic but enigmatic village, you can go through a single door where you can still admire the original guards’ housing to defend the town.

Genga, however, hides much more, its nature and history are shrouded in archaic and indecipherable mysteries, one of which is the Abbey of San Vittore delle Chiuse.
Many scholars have sought answers over the years in the architectural structure of the building, which according to the latest considerations, could have Nordic origins, Norman styles belonging to Lombard and German churches make up its structure, but how these have arrived in our territories is still to be discovered.

Some theories place the structure in 295 BC thanks to the name with which the territory was indicated, Victorianum in which the temple of Jupiter Victor stood, but this is a hypothesis unfortunately not yet ascertained. Inside the church, however, there are also symbolisms that evoke little of the current and attributed to religion, a symbol of infinity in the shape of an inverted 8 is clearly engraved in its walls.

This symbol clearly derives from distant peoples and beliefs, and what is engraved in the stone, time preserves it… Genga is also home to the famous hypogeum complex, one of the largest and most spectacular in the world, namely the Frasassi Caves, a mandatory stop when visiting these places. Throughout the territory of Genga and the Red Throat Natural Park you can take wonderful hiking trails, mountain bike routes, climbing or even walk the gorges of the Sentino river aboard canoes.

Walking along its paths, you reach the temple of Valadier, one of the most evocative sanctuaries of the Marche, set between the rocks, as emerging from its impervious gorges, this white temple, thanks to the travertine marble of which it is composed, tells the magic that places like this manage to transmit to those who know how to listen.

These places contain history and legend, here you can find the charm of discovering and getting to know peoples and traditions, without moving too far away from our native civilization.