Distilleria Varnelli

Founded in 1868 by Girolamo Varnelli, an herbalist and alchemist who gathered medicinal herbs on the Sibillini mountains, the distillery began with Amaro Sibilla, made from gentian and cinchona bark as a remedy for shepherds. His son Antonio later introduced Anice Secco Varnelli, based on the Marche region's mistrà recipe, which in 1950 in Rome was awarded best dry anise in Italy for its dry, unsweetened taste, rare among Mediterranean anise liqueurs. Today the distillery, on Via Girolamo Varnelli in Muccia, still produces following family tradition and can be visited by appointment with guided tours for groups.