MORE GUIDES: Abruzzo Amalfi Coast Calabria Campania Emilia Romagna Florence 
Franciacorta Friuli Lazio Liguria Lombardia Marche Molise Paris Piemonte Puglia Rome Sardegna Sicilia Toscana Trentino Umbria Valle d'Aosta Veneto Venice


LOCATION AND TERRITORY

The Marches are situated in the central-eastern area of the Italian peninsula.
The region offers a varied and rich territory from the cultural and naturalistic points of view. Beautiful Adriatic beaches, ancient towns perched on hilltops, rolling farmland; national and natural parks characterize the territory.

Along the coasts you can find sandy beaches, pebbly beaches, palm trees or rocky cliffs. Near Ancona, lie the “Riviera del Conero” where the limestone cliffs from the rocky coves, with green pine forests above and the picturesque towns of Sirolo and Numana.
If it’s a lively resort you want, try Civitanova Marche, or San Benedetto del Tronto, famous for it’s palm free lined shore.

ACTIVITIES

Apart from the do-it-yourself activities such as walking, trekking, sunbathing etc. there are lots of activities in the Marches at the disposal of tourists to the region.
Walking, hiking, trekking, mountain climbing and biking with able and professional guides through the Sibillini mountains; skiing in the ski resort like Sassotetto, Ussita e Bolognola in the winter.
Sailing and windsurfing school in Civitanova Marche and Porto Sant’Elpidio in the summer. There are also flying clubs with micro-lights and hang gliding offering courses for beginners.
If you love shopping you can go in many outlets of clothes and shoes and especially in the famous Tod’s shoes of Della Valle in Sant’Elpidio a Mare.

WHAT TO VISIT

When you arrive in Marches you have to explore the hilltop medieval villages with their local art and architecture, many having fiestas and outdoor parties in the summer and autumn months.
There are the larger provincial towns such as Urbino, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno with a mixture of impressive architecture ranging from Romanesque, Gothic, medieval to renaissance, museums, grand piazzas, bar and café and their own special festivals. Innumerable churches, abbeys, monasteries and sanctuaries have ancient frescoes, painting, panels, statues and sculptures of the Renaissance period.

DON'T MISS: 

Urbino’s Ducal Palace
Italy’s finest Renaissance architects worked on Dukes Palace, which also homes the “Ideal City”, painting by Piero della Francesca and Raphael’s “The Silent One”.

Loreto
Here you can find the Sanctuary of the Holy House, one of Italy’s most important Religious places. Also works art by Lorenzo Lotto in the museum.

Macerata
Dignified town, famous for its annual outdoor opera festival. Among the major sights: the Cathedral (12th cent.), Loggia dei Mercanti (Renaissance) in the central Piazza della Libertà, Palazzo dei Diamanti, Palazzo Ricci housing an important museum and art gallery, Palazzo Buonaccorsi, and Arena Sferisterio which is venue for Macerata Opera Festival, major city's event held in July and August.
Outside the city center lies the remains of the ancient Roman settlement Helvia Recina.

Grotte di Frasassi
One of Italy's largest and most famous complex of caves (karst phenomena). Some 13 km of limestone caverns have so far been explored and it is reckoned that they may run for up to 35 km.
Only one and a half km of this crystalline wonderland is open to the visitors: Grotta Grande del Vento, Europe's largest single cavern, which is 120 mt high and all the charming galleries that wind in the subsurface. 


Roman Temple of Monterinaldo (2nd Century A.C.)
The temple is an impressive and unique example of a well - preserved roman architecture in Marches.

Castello di Gradara
Seven hundred meters of sturdy towers, and the imposing profile of this famous castle, provide one of the most picturesque landmarks along the Adriatic coastal strip and a popular destination for many thousands of tourists staying in the nearby resorts.

FOOD SPECIALTIES

Vincisgrassi. A kind of lasagna called 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, especially in the area that borders the town of Macerata.
Kneading very finely ground pork with a good quantity of fat until the mixture is very soft makes it. The meat is flavored simply with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Ciauscolo can be spread onto bread rather than sliced, given its soft consistency.

Olive all’Ascolana. Green olives (by Ascoli Piceno) stuffed with pork meat, breaded and deep-fried.

Porchetta. Roast pork, which is flavored with fennel and fennel seeds, sliced and eaten with a hunk of bread. It’s very good if it’s served warm.

CLIMATE AND TRAVEL SEASON

The climate is temperate and ranges from an average of 4°C in winter to 28°C in summer, but it’s not unusual that the summer temperature surpass 28°C.
While it can be hot between mid-July to mid-August, it is rarely overcrowded and up in the mountains the breezes are cooling.
May, June and September are the ideal months to tour Le Marche if you can't take the heat; the landscape is clothed in spring green or the first tints of autumn, any rain tends towards brief showers rather than endless drizzle, and it's usually possible to find a bed without booking.
The wettest seasons are mid-February to mid-April and mid-October to mid-December when days of grey mist and rain can set in up in the mountains. It can also be cold in mid-winter, particularly when the bitter northerly tramontana winds blow.

SPECIAL EVENTS

La Quintana, Ascoli Piceno’s jousting tournament, is one of the most authentic and exciting of these Medieval shows in Marches and takes place in the main square on the first Sunday of August.
The high point of the games is when riders from the city's six districts tilt with lances for the target. The day also includes a massive procession with around 1,400 town's people dressed in 15thC costume and plenty of sideshows and open-air eating places.

Fiera nazionake del tartufo. Acqualagna (truffle fair). Last weekend in October and first three weekends in November in the village that calls itself the 'truffle capital'.

Sagra dei Maccheroncini di Campofilone (food event). Maccheroncini are a type of “pasta fresca”, typical product of the small village Campofilone. It takes place on the first August’s weekend.

Opera season in the magnificent Sferisterio arena in Macerata. It’s an open-air opera festival during every summer.

hotels in Rome - florence - venice