Festival of Fish of Marina di Montemarciano

A tradition that smells of the sea

The Festival of Fish of Marina di Montemarciano is one of the longest-running and most beloved seafood festivals on the Ancona coast. Organized since 1965 in the coastal hamlet of Gabella, in the Municipality of Montemarciano in the province of Ancona, it has become a benchmark for the Adriatic summer in the Marche region over the years, attracting thousands of visitors every evening, including residents, tourists, and lovers of good seafood cuisine.

Specialties on the table

The heart of the event is the food stalls, where the town's volunteers serve fresh Adriatic catch according to traditional Marche recipes. Among the most popular dishes are:

• Grilled sardines, a symbol of the festival and of simple seaside cuisine;
• Fish stew (Brodetto), the typical soup of the Adriatic coast;
• Mussels marinara and clams veraci;
• Fried calamari and cuttlefish and fried small fish;
• first courses such as spaghetti with clams and tagliatelle with fish.

All accompanied by local white wines, ideal for enhancing the flavors of the sea.

Not just gastronomy

In addition to food, the Festival of Fish offers a rich entertainment program: dancing evenings with live music, shows for families, games for children, and craft markets that liven up the streets of Gabella. It is a convivial occasion that unites the community of Montemarciano and welcomes the many holidaymakers on the Adriatic Riviera.

A local event

The event is entirely managed by the associations and volunteers of Montemarciano, with the patronage of the Municipality. This deep local roots are what give the festival its authentic and familiar atmosphere, far from commercial logic and close to the spirit of Marche village festivals. The Gabella hamlet, overlooking the Adriatic between Senigallia and Falconara Marittima, offers the ideal setting to enjoy fish just a stone's throw from the sea on early August evenings.