San Benedetto Del Tronto, Italy

Overview

The Italian Grand Prix of the Sea has moved home for 2008, and takes a new slot in the calendar as the season-opener. After a successful stint in Naples, Italy’s round of the Powerboat P1 world championship now takes place in the equally alluring harbour town of San Benedetto del Tronto on the eastern Adriatic coast.

Enthusiasts will know San Benedetto del Tronto as the home of Metamarine, the P1 Powerboat P1 constructor owned by Marco Pinesse, who has been instrumental in bringing this event to San Benedettor del Tronto, but famous fishing port is equally well known on the international tourism scene as an emerging holiday resort of note.

With 50,000 residents, San Benedetto del Tronto is the second-most populated city in the Ascoli Piceno province, so lively bars and restaurants are an integral part of the scene. So, too, are the eight kilometres of welcoming sandy beaches, lined by more than 7000 palm trees along the wide promenade. Beach volleyball is a popular sport here – there are more than 50 tournaments over the summer – and the sea is a playground for watersports fans of all ages and backgrounds.

On May 9-11, San Benedetto also plays host to the opening round of the Italian Powerboat Series, with teams from both championships expected to cross over, making for a truly great weekend of racing.

Don’t leave San Benedetto del Tronto without…
* Visiting the medieval castle and Torrione, a 32m tower in the charismatic old part of the town that sits above the main centre. From here, you can admire panoramic views of the whole city.
* Watching – or playing – beach volleyball. It’s one of the city’s biggest sports.
* Eating brodetto alla Sambenedettese – a local fish stew speciality that, traditionally, is made using 13 different types of fish.
* Taking a walk round the harbour at night, when the fishing boats return with their catches and sell them to waiting restaurant owners. Some go to Milan, Rome and Bologna, where restaurants boast proudly of serving fish fresh from San Benedetto del Tronto.
* Finding a good bar among the brick houses that line the narrow streets of the old quarter, enjoying a post-race drink and watching the evening unfold before going in search of San Benedetto del Tronto’s buzzing nightlife.

San Benedetto del Tronto/Italy fact file
Time zone: GMT +1hrs winter, GMT +2hrs summer
Location: Europe
Neighbouring countries: France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia
Capital city: Rome
Language: Italian. English is spoken, but not as widely as in some European cities.