MARCHE
Between the Apennines and the Adriatic, in a succession of green hills that slope gently towards the sea like a natural staircase towards the water, the Marche is perhaps the most secret and authentic region of Italy. A land that it was the birthplace of Raphael, Leopardi and Rossini, which boasts a concentration of art, nature, and flavors among the highest in the peninsula, without the crowds that throng Italy's major destinations. It is the land of Urbino, the ideal Renaissance city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; of Loreto, one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the Christian world; of Ascoli Piceno with its travertine squares; of Macerata with its Sferisterio, an open-air theater of international renown.
beaches
The Marche coast extends for approximately 173 kilometers from the Foglia estuary to the Tronto River, offering pebble and sandy beaches, rocky promontories, and small coves. Mount Conero is the main feature of the coastline: the Monte Conero Natural Park, with its white limestone cliffs plunging into the Adriatic Sea, and the wild beaches of Portonovo, Due Sorelle, and Mezzavalle, accessible only on foot or by boat, offer a slice of Mediterranean coastline of extraordinary beauty. Further south, the beaches of Civitanova Marche, Porto San Giorgio, and San Benedetto del Tronto, with their long palm-lined avenue and vibrant seaside scene, are the region's most popular.
Landscapes
The Marche hills, cultivated by man for millennia and planted with vines, wheat, and sunflowers, offer landscapes of serene beauty in every season. Inland, the Sibillini Mountains and the Sibillini National Park are the wild heart of the Marche: the Infernaccio Gorges, Lake Pilato with its unique shellfish, the plains of Castelluccio di Norcia with the flowering of lentils and poppies in June, painting the landscape with unreal colors. The Frasassi Caves, with their enormous underground chambers and forty-meter-high stalactites and stalagmites, are among the most spectacular karst caves in Europe. The inland villages—Gradara, Mondavio, Corinaldo—preserve perfectly preserved city walls and authentic community life.