Parco del San Bartolo - Parco Simone e Simoncello

The Parco naturale del San Bartolo is a natural park covering more than 1600 hectares of land in the Pesaro and Gabicce Mare districts, rising from the beaches along the Romagna and Marche border up to a series of hilly spurs and valleys and punctuated with sheer cliff faces of great beauty. The two main peaks, Monte Castellaro and Monte Brisighella, reach a height of 200 metres, giving grandstand views along the coastline and out over the sea, while the rugged cliffs provide an unusual feature in this stretch of flat sandy coastline. Its cliffs contain fossilised fish and rare chalk crystals of great geological interest. Below them are narrow pebble beaches created from the erosion of the cliff walls above. The Parco del San Bartolo also has interesting rare examples of flowers, vegetation and animal life. In May the hill slopes overlooking the sea are covered in yellow broom (spartium iunceum). Most of the vegetation is relatively sparse but there are also small woodland areas of Adriatic oak. The bird-life here is another important feature, particularly in winter time, with various marine species including the red-throated diver, members of the merganser family, the crested cormorant, wild goose, long-tailed duck, common scoter and many others.

Continuing on inland from Pesaro there is another natural park which is rich in natural delights both for those who are interested in nature as well as for those who are rarely able to discover its attractions. The Parco naturale regionale del Simone e Simoncello lies in the heart of the Lands of Montefeltro, in an area which is rich in history and of particular natural interest.
It covers an area which includes the areas of Carpegna, Frontino, Montecopiolo, Pian di Meleto, Pennabilli and Pietrarubbia. The park, established in 1996, has a modern visitors centre with a science laboratory and learning centre for children. The park has a great variety of wildlife, including birds of prey, wolves, deer and wild boar. It also provides a thriving habitat for flowers and vegetation, with specimens that are hard to find elsewhere.