Le Marche

Le Marche is an enchanted region where history and nature coincide. Take in medieval hill towns perched upon rolling hill slopes or experience the steep peaks of the Sibylline Mountains giving way to the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. The contrast is extreme: one moment you are steeped in the Renaissance grandeur of Urbino, UNESCO world heritage site, the next enjoying freshly-caught seafood in a picturesque fishing village. It’s not the Italy of over-crowded tour itineraries. It is the authentic Italy that is experienced, relished, and shared with the locals.

Le Marche’s beauty is found in its capacity to provide you with an enriching, un-rushed experience. It’s an area where time appears to stand still, letting you take it all in. From the history and culture located in towns such as Ascoli Piceno to its serene national parks, Le Marche offers an authentic taste of Italy. It’s the place you go when you want to experience Italy’s soul, off the beaten track.

Le Marche cuisine is a tribute to the land’s deep, dual nature, forged from the sea and the fertile, rolling hills of the hill country. Le Marche’s kitchens have long perfected a cuisine by which humble, native fare becomes memorable fare. Visit hill country’s Conero Riviera villages and you’ll see fisherman back from a morning’s fishing, whose catch becomes center stage of a “Brodetto all’Anconitana,” a fish stew so fresh, it defines the Adriatic. Go inland to hill country around Acqualagna, and you’ll see why its internationally recognized black and white truffles convert simple pasta and eggs to a taste of sheer luxury.

Each dish is the echo of this territory’s unique resources. The spreadable, creamy Ciauscolo salami is the result of generations of charcuterie tradition that belong to the countryside’s soul. In old Urbino, Casciotta d’Urbino cheese, dear to Michelangelo, still has its typical character, mix of sheep’s and cow’s milk, culinary heritage passed down over the centuries. But, it’s in an home trattoria where magic takes place, when in front of you, a slice of Vincisgrassi, Le Marche’s lasagna alla norma, arrives, with a ragù passed down over generations.

They are not simple recipes, but the essential, crucial traditions of Le Marche, nourishing body and soul because they are so elemental, so true.

Le Marche walks hand-in-hand with some of the world’s best wines! Its name spells worldwide fame due to high-quality vintages made from its diverse patchwork of hillside coasts and inner valleys. As Italy’s crown jewel of winemaking, its flagship Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOCG white, comprised mainly of native Verdicchio, has gained popularity as dry, elegant whites marked by prominent bitter, almond flavors. But whites aren’t everything from Le Marche, whose reds account for breathtaking specimens such as big, blockbuster-like Rosso Conero DOCG from mighty Montepulciano, and aromatic, rose-perfumed, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, adding some charming diversity to world palates.

Le Marche’s culture is an irresistible blend of ancient heritage, patrimony of the arts, and a vibrant modern personality. Its cities and towns, often perched on rolling hills which flow down onto the sea, are museums with a life of their own with unique characteristics. Ancona itself is an iconic example. A key strategic port city for over 3,000 years, the name Ancona derives from the Greek word “Ankon” (elbow) which describes its natural curved harbor. Its history is tangible in its buildings from the Roman theatre and the Arch of Trajan which still dominates the ancient harbor from 115 AD through the Romanesque Cathedral of San Ciriaco.

Its people are known for having had an overabundance of artists and intelligentsia such as Giacomo Leopardi, once a resident in Recanti, and handicraft culture still evident toda in shopping avenues of Corso Mazzini and Garibaldi in Ancona. Here you will discover anything from superior leather products to ancient ceramics. The strength of Le Marche’s people is brought into focus with festivals and recreations of history that intermingle past with present with an electric current that inspires you to desire knowing and learning even more about this legendary province.