Camerino is a small town in the Marche region, now principally renown for its University.
Located in the mountains near Macerata, Camerino does have a glorious past.
During the Renaissance and the rule of the powerful Da Varano family, the place flourished, becoming a bustling centre of trade.
Giulio Cesare da Varano built the Ducal Palace which back then was one of the most sumptuous palazzos in Italy.
Fortunately the palace has been well preserved and undoubtedly deserves a visit, along with other famous monuments such as the Duomo or Camerino’s Cathedral, the Archbishop’s palace and the Rocca dei Borgia or Borgia Castle.
Besides these historic beauty spots, the town also has a wonderful culinary tradition that here in Italy is second to none.
If you love good food, you must then taste the Ciauscolo, a spread made of pork meat: it’s absolutely superb, though one of Camerino’s most famous specialities is the white torrone or nougat which is made of honey, sugar, toasted almonds and egg whites.
This speciality is a great favourite with the locals so much so that every year Camerino hosts a torrone festival; it takes place on 6th January.
Last year they even broke the world record for the longest torrone .
It was 448 metres long, thus defeating the nougat made by the rival city of Cosenza.
By the way, if you want to spend a few days in Camerino, there’s a nice hotel just on the outskirt of the town called Villa Fornari; a room will cost you only 90 euros per night.