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TravelTips24 : Europe : Mediterranean Europe : Italy : Marche

Marche

Marche is a central region of Italy on the east coast composed of rolling hills and fertile plains at the base of the Apennine mountains. It is bordered by Umbria in the west, Emilia-Romagna to the north, and Abruzzo to the south.

Beautiful Adriatic beaches and ancient towns perched on hilltops, or nestled deep between rolling farmland, give travelers to Le Marche a real taste of central Italy.

Two main highways traveling along the coast facilitate transportation to the larger cities. One of the most valuable parts of visiting Marche is driving through the interior, visiting smaller towns and exploring areas where there are virtually no tourists.

Recently a buzz word in Britian and a ex-pat destination for vacation home buying. The Marche has been compared to Tuscany as having all the attributes, with none of the hassles of high prices and large crowds.

Regions

Cities

  • Ancona - major port on the Adriatic Sea
  • Ascoli Piceno - often overlooked - attractive old town that is older than Rome with gleaming white stone and medieval towers
  • Fabriano - a city under the Ancona district, famous for its paper production story since XIII century
  • Fermo - once the most important town in Le Marche, and now again a provincial capital
  • Gabicce Mare
  • Jesi - walled city famous for its Verdicchio wine
  • Macerata
  • Pesaro - pleasant resort by the sea
  • Porto San Giorgio
  • Recanati - town of medieval origin, unusually built along the ridge of a hill and with great views towards the adriatic and the Apenines
  • Senigallia home of Michelin star restaurant Uliassi
  • Urbino - attractive university town up in the hills

Other destinations

  • Conero Riviera The only relief (572 meters) overhanging the sea from Trieste to Gargano, in symbiosis with the towns of Ancona and Camerano, and with the sea resorts of Sirolo and Numana, mount Conero is the heart of the homonymous Regional Park. Established in 1987, the Conero Natural Park is a protected envirnomental oasis covering some 5800 ha. of woodland and spectacular white cliffs plunging into the Adriatic sea.
  • Monti Sibillini National Park The Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini comprises over 50 mountain peaks over 2,000 metres high, that rise at the heart of the park area, stretching for no less than 40 kilometres from north to south between Umbria and the Marches. The highest of these peaks is Monte Vettore (2,476 metres), followed by Monte Priora, Monte Bove, Monte Sibilla and a number of others. In the 15th and 16th century popular belief maintained that the Monte Sibilla was the kingdom of the “illustrious prophetess”, while others thought it to be the dwelling place of “the seductress Circe in league with the devil”. The “demonic”Lago di Pilato on the other hand is said to be the place where the body of Pontius Pilate vanished off the face of the earth, dragged into oblivion by a herd of cattle.
  • Fiastra Abbey, Tolentino (Mc) The territory of the nature reserve sourrounding the medieval abbey of Fiastra presents the typical morphology of fluvial areas, and it is characterized by the valleys where the river Chienti and the river Fiastra run. The flora and the fauna of the area are very interesting, since they include some species which are typical of the hills of the Marches region and species which are rather rare in Italy. It is a popular among locals for walking and riding activities.

Culture and History

Talk

Travel to Marche & Visa Requirements

From the UK, Ryanair fly from either Liverpool or London Stansted to Ancona.

Tours & Getting around Marche

The railway that runs down the coast is excellent for exploring the region with fast and frequent trains running all day. Busses tend to be rather infrequent, especially if you are looking to explore inland, so hiring a car is essential if you want to explore a bit.

Marche attractions and sightseeing

  • Library of Casa Leopardi, Recanati The library comprises more than 20,000 volumes, most of which were collected and arranged by Monaldo Leopardi, the father of Giacomo, in the second half of the XVII century and includes rare volumes such as the first edition of the Encyclopedie by Diderot and Dalambert.
  • Roman temple of Monterinaldo, 2nd Century A.C.The temple is an impressive and unique example of a well preserved roman architecture in le Marche.

Itineraries

  • Lorenzo Lotto Tour [1] It is possible to buy a single ticket which gives you access to several museums dotted around the centre of Le Marche displaying the works of Lorenzo Lotto, one of the finest painters of the Renaissance.

Marche city tours

Marche Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

  • Vincisgrassi A lasagna dish from Le Marche with an odd name. Vincisgrassi is the Italianization of the name of the Austrian general, Prince Windischgratz, who was commander of the Austrian Forces stationed in the Marches. The dish was allegedly created for the prince by a local chef.
  • Ciauscolo This unusual salami is originally from Le Marche, but it is also prepared in Umbria, especially in the area that borders the town of Macerata. It is made by kneading very finely ground pork with a good quantity of fat until the mixture is very soft. The meat is flavored simply with garlic, salt, and pepper, and it is often smoked. Ciauscolo is meant to be spread onto bread rather than sliced, given its soft consistency; Ciauscolo resembles the rillettes of France, which differ because they are cooked while ciauscolo remains raw unless it is smoked.
  • Olive all'ascolana (stuffed olives) The invention of these stuffed and deep fried olives dates back to the beginning of XIX century. Apparently created by an unknown chef who worked for an aristocratic family of Ascoli Piceno, they are a must on the table of locals during the festivities.

Marche cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels & lodging

Although many hotels can be found around the region, especially along the coast, the best way to enjoy a visit is to stay at an agriturismo (a kind of accommodation in which hospitality is offered on farms, usually on a 'bed and breakfast' basis) or rent a self-catering property, either in the country or in a town.

  • Hotel Gala Pesaro, [2]The Hotel Gala is situated in Pesaro sea front, in a quite area, only 30 meters from the beach. It is ideal for summer holidays and a point of reference to discover the culture, tastes and traditions of the Marches. Extremely quiet and wonderfully furnished, the spacious bedrooms offer tranquility to enjoy your holiday in the almost comfort. All the rooms are equipped with en suite bathroom and shower, sea view balcony, air conditioning, fridge, safe, satellite tv and telephone

Marche nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

  • Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, one of the strongest Italian white wines;
  • 'Falerio dei colli ascolani, A white wine whose millennial history is written in the name itself, typically Roman, which, in turn, was derived from that of the ancient city of Faleria. It is produced in the rolling hills between Fermo and Falerone and it is excellent with fish and white meats.
  • Rosso Conero, A red wine produced in the Conero area, south of Ancona and it is made from the Montepulciano grape. It is a rich, perfumed wine that often reaches greatness. From 2006 it boasts the coveted DOCG description
  • Rosso Piceno, is a red wine produced in the south of the region (the "Piceno" area), made from at least 60 percent Sangiovese (the Chianti grape), plus some of Marche's native Montepulciano and, optionally, small amounts of the local red grape Passerina and the white Trebbiano. Legend has it that Hannibal used the hearty red wine of Piceno as a rubdown for his army's horses.
  • Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, An intensely-scented red wine produced in the area around Morro d'Alba. The principal vine variety is Lacrima, with the possible addition of Montepulciano and/or Verdicchio (but only up to 15% of the blend). Why the variety and the wine obtained from it have the name Lacrima (tear) is not clear. The denomination may be derived from some legend or simply from the nearly oval shape of the grape or the pyramidal form of the cluster, both resembling tear drops. The wine is almost a varietal, for all "correction" is limited to the addition of 15 per cent of Montepulciano and/or Verdicchio grapes.
  • Vernaccia di Serrepetrona, an extraordinary sparkling red wine.

Stay safe

Le Marche is probably one of the safest Italian regions. Violent crimes or even robbery or mugging are unheard of.

Get out

  • Green Door, Recanati (Mc) An American bar serving good cocktails in a vaulted cellar space. Via di Porta San Domenico, Recanati (Mc)

This page was last edited at 17:05, on 11 November 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by David, Tom Holland and Marilee Taussig, Wikitravel user(s) Episteme, Morph, Texugo, Emoemo and W66LinkBot, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

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