VADEMECUM FOR THE TOURIST OF THE THIRD MILLENNIUM

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Overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the centre of Italy, withslightly more than a million and a half inhabitants spreadamong its five provinces of Ancona, the regional seat,Pesaro and Urbino, Macerata, Fermo and Ascoli Piceno,with just one in four of its municipalities containing more thanfive thousand residents, the Marche, which has always beenItaly’s “Gateway to the East”, is the country’s only region witha plural name. Featuring the mountains of the Apenninechain, which gently slope towards the sea along parallel val-leys, the region is set apart by its rare beauty and noteworthyfigures such as Giacomo Leopardi, Raphael, Giovan BattistaPergolesi, Gioachino Rossini, Gaspare Spontini, FatherMatteo Ricci and Frederick II, all of whom were born here.

This guidebook is meant to acquaint tourists of the thirdmillennium with the most important features of our terri-tory, convincing them to come and visit Marche.

Discovering the Marche means taking a path in search ofbeauty; discovering the Marche means getting to know aland of excellence, close at hand and just waiting to beenjoyed. Discovering the Marche means discovering aregion where both culture and the environment are verymuch a part of the Made in Marche brand.

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MARCHE Italy’s Land of Infinite Discovery

Discovering THE MARCHE REGION

“...For me the Marche is the East,the Orient, the sun that comesat dawn, the light in Urbinoin Summer...”

Mario Luzi (Poet, 1914-2005)

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On one side the Apennines,on the other the Adriaticcoast, and in the middle anexpanse of gentle hills atopwhich sit century-old vil-lages protected bymedieval walls: this is theMarche, also called theMarches, the region withthe plural name, borderingto the north with EmiliaRomagna; to the south withthe Abruzzi and Latium; tothe east with the AdriaticSea, and to the west withUmbria and Tuscany. Withan area of 9,366 km2, theMarche is divided into fiveprovinces (Ancona, Pesaroand Urbino, Macerata,Fermo, Ascoli Piceno) with239 municipalities. Knownas “Italy in one region”, theMarche region containsthree types of territory:mountain, hill and coast.

THE CLIMATEThe region’s climate is asdiversified as the lay of theland is varied. The averagetemperature ranges from10°C to 15°C, with temper-ature changes of between5° to 13° C. Along the coast,the climate is subcontinen-tal north of Ancona withsharp shifts in temperaturebetween the seasons: sum-mers are hot but rarelyhumid, thanks to thebreezes and the cool airfrom the hills set back fromthe sea, while winters arecold, with the rains typical ofthe season. Due to theMonte Conero promontory,the climate south of Anconais subcoastal, presentingincreasingly Mediterraneanfeatures further south, inthe direction of the Rivieradelle Palme. The best peri-

od for beach tourism is Julyand August. The climate inthe inland areas is harsh inwinter, making it advisableto visit villages, parks andother sites in those areas inSpring and Autumn. Sum-mers in the mountain areasare cool, and the Wintersare rather brisk, with snow-fall that allows enthusiaststo take to skiing andengage in other wintersports.

MOUNTAINSAND PASSES More than 90,000 acres ofMarche, almost 10% of thetotal regional territory, areprotected. There are 2national parks (MontiSibillini and Gran Sassoplus Monti della Laga), 4regional parks (MonteConero, Sasso Simone e

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GEOGRAPHY

Simoncello, Monte SanBartolo and Gola dellaRossa plus Frasassi), 6nature reserves (Abbadiadi Fiastra, Montagna diTorricchio, Ripa Bianca,Sentina, Gola del Furlo andMonte San Vicino plusMonte Canfaito), more than100 protected plant andflower areas, 15 stateforests, and over 60 envi-ronmental education cen-tres. The forests still con-tain deer and wolves. Birdsof note include the goldeneagle, the lanner falcon, thechough and the eagle owl.The region’s mountainsinclude: the Montefeltrochain, the Catria chain, theSan Vicino chain and theSibillini chain. Listed fromNorth to South, the mainpeaks are: Carpegna(1,415 m), Nerone (1,526m), Petrano (1,091 m),

Acuto (1,668 m), Catria(1,702 m), Pietralata (889m), Paganuccio (976 m),San Vicino (1,486 m), Bove(2,169 m), Priora (2,334 m),Sibilla (2,175 m) andVettore (2,476 m).The highest mountain in theMarche is Vettore (2,476m); the lowest is the sub-Apennine Monte Conero(572 m), the only portion ofrocky coastline betweenTrieste and Gargano, divi-ding the Adriatic shore inexactly two portions. Ap-proaching from the North,this break is introduced byFocara, which faces out tosea and was once conside-red a very dangerous pas-sage (the name “Focara”would appear to derive fromthe fires that were lit on thehill to warn ships). Theroads that connect theMarche with the neighbou-

ring regions are routedthrough the Apennine pas-ses of Bocca Trabaria(Urbino-Arezzo), BoccaSerriola (Fano-Città diCastello), Passo dellaScheggia (Fano-Perugia),Colle di Fossato (Fabriano-Foligno), Passo di Colle-fiorito (Macerata-Foligno),Forca Canapine (AscoliPiceno-Norcia).

THE GENTLE HILLSThe hilly zone, whichaccounts for two-thirds ofthe territory of the Marche,is where the region’s natu-ral features and man-madeworks blend together best.The gentle hills that flowtowards the coast likewaves offer the eye-catch-ing patchwork of colourscreated by the differentcrops. The orchards andcornfields that cloak thesloping sides of the hillscause the landscape tochange from season to sea-son. The rural appearanceof the hills of the Marche isa result of tenant farmingand the planting of multiplecrops, now replaced byintensive, specialized plant-ing. The main crops are stillwheat, grapes and olives,while marked growth hasbeen recorded in agro-food

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products of certified quality,including nineteen differ-ent wines: 15 RegisteredDesignation of Origin(DOC) and 4 GuaranteedDesignation of Origin(DOCG). Many venerablevillas and landed estatehouses have preserved thearchitecture of the tenantfarming system and arenow agrotourism establish-ments where visitors canspend holidays or stop topurchase organic productsor taste the traditional dish-es of the Marche cuisine.No fewer than 18 villagesare listed among the “MostBeautiful Towns in Italy”,and 17 sites have beenawarded the Orange Flag,the prestigious bannergiven by the Italian TouringClub to towns whosepreservation of their culturaland environmental her-itage, along with their hospi-

tality and wine and foodofferings, prove especiallyoutstanding. The tools usedby the sharecroppers arekept as reminders of thepast in museums of peas-ant culture. The bestknown include the museumin Senigallia, named afterthe great economic histori-an Sergio Anselmi, Mon-tefiore dell’Aso, Morro d’Al-ba, Pieve Torina, Sasso-ferrato and the Birocciomuseum in Filottrano.

THE COAST From Gabicce Mare to SanBenedetto del Tronto, theforms and colours of thecoastal landscape are con-stantly changing. The whitecliffs facing onto the AdriaticSea alternate with the deepgreen of the hills, spottedwith the venerable villagesand the ochre hue of thelong beaches. The coast,

made up of fluvial depositsof sand and clay, runs alongin two straight and almostperfectly flat portions divid-ed by the Monte Coneropromontory. Some beachesare protected from erosionby breakwaters. There are180 kilometers of coast-line and 26 seasideresorts that face onto theAdriatic, together with thesea port of Ancona and 9tourist ports. 16 Blue FlagAwards certify the highquality of the waters andthe related services, whichoffer visitors a full range ofbeaches made of fine sand,gravel or rock, reefs andpalms. Many of the coastalvillages present an uppervillage, protected by thewalls of a castle perchedon a hill which was the ini-tial settlement, while the“marina”, a flat district run-ning along the shore, was

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only established later as aresidential and businessarea. In some of the sea-side towns, museums ofthe sea have been opened,such as the “WashingtonPatrignani” Museum inPesaro and the PicenoMussel Museum in CupraMarittima. Today, San Be-nedetto del Tronto has amuseum complex with fourdifferent sections: the FishMarket houses, theMuseum of Amphorae, theFish Museum and theMuseum of the MarineCivilization of the Marche,while the Palazzo BicePiacentini, in the old districtof the upper village, holdsthe Picture Gallery of theSea. Any number of sportscan be practiced along theMarche coast, includingwindsurfing, waterskiing,sailing, diving, kitesurfing,swimming and beach vol-leyball.

THE MAGIC OF THEWATER. THE RIVERSAND VALLEYS, THECAVES OF FRASASSIAND THE GORGES The region features aseries of harmonious hillsbounded by numerouswaterways that run parallelto each other, almost all ofthem flowing into theAdriatic, with the exceptionof the springs of the Nera,located near the Sibillinimountains. The region’smain rivers are the Conca,the Foglia, the Metauro -with its tributary theCandigliano - the Cesano,the Misa, the Esino, theMusone, the Potenza, theChienti, the Tenna, the Asoand the Tronto. Water land-scapes have marked theCossignano and Castigna-no areas, where the rainwater has carved charac-teristic gullies from thesandstone escarpments. Anumber of rivers include

waterfalls and rapids thathave created spectacularravines and gorges in thesurrounding territory, suchas the Furlo gorge, an areadeclared a National NatureReserve in the vicinity ofAcqualagna, and theBurano gorge in Cantiano,both found along the ViaFlaminia in the Province ofPesaro and Urbino. Rivershave also created theRossa gorge and that ofFrasassi, located inside theregional park of the samename, in Genga, in theProvince of Ancona, togeth-er with the Pioraco canyon,in the vicinity of the townthat bears its name, and theFiastrone and Infernacciogorges in the SibilliniMountains, to name just afew. The water, pure andcrystal clear, or muddy andboiling hot, with a rich loadof precious minerals, playsa key role underground aswell, where the riversdescend and show theirstrength, hollowing outunderground settings suchas the Caves of Frasassi,one of Italy’s most intrigu-ing and best known karsticcomplexes and a site thatdraws thousands of visitorseach year. In AcquasantaTerme there are under-

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ground caves carved outover the centuries by thesubterranean waters butopen only to expert speleo-logists.

LAKESThe only natural lake in theMarche, the Pilato, locatedinside the National Park ofthe Sibillini Mountains, hasinspired a number of le-gends. Four man-madelakes can be found in theChienti Valley, in the Pro-

vince of Macerata: the DelleGrazie Lake at Tolentino,the Borgiano Lake, alsoknown as Caccamo, inSerrapetrona and Calda-rola, the Polverina Lakenear Camerino and LakeFiastra in the foothills of theSibillini Mountains. TheAscoli Piceno area holdsLake Talvacchia, while theFurlo basin lies thirty kilo-metres from Fano, in thePesaro district. The magicof the water can be disco-

vered in perfect harmonywith nature by canoeing(kneeling in an open boat),kayaking (in a covered boatwhich is rowed sittingdown) or rafting over therapids. Enthusiasts of“streaming”, an increasinglypopular sport, can use dou-ble cords to descend intodeep ravines that some-times contain rushingstreams.

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The distinctive plural name, the Marches,traceable to a number of historical, geo-graphic and administrative factors (it isderived from the Germanic “Mark”, mean-ing borderland), is a tangible reminder ofthe different spirits that animate this region.Each city or town, large, small or tiny, hasits own story to tell, with the boundary linebetween memory and legend growinghazy in the ancient villages whose narrow,faithfully preserved streets, seem ready tobring the past back to life. Inhabited sincethe Lower Paleolithic period, the territorywas occupied by the Piceni, an Italic peo-ple originating from the Sabine area. Their

symbol, the woodpecker, is used today asthe region’s logo. Two names of two mod-ern-day towns have Piceni roots:Cupramontana (Province of Ancona) andCupra Marittima (Province of AscoliPiceno). Cupra was in fact a divinity of thePiceni Olympus. Further evidence of thiscivilisation can be found throughout theregion and in the numerous archaeologicalmuseums. Strongly influenced by Greekcivilisation, thanks to the intensive tradingactivity conducted by sea (Numana was athriving emporium; Ancona was colonisedby Greeks of Doric origin from Siracusa), aland chosen as home by a number of Celtictribes, such as the Galli Senoni, theMarche was made a full fledged part ofRome following the Battle of Sentino (295BC). The Roman presence led to the foun-dation of numerous municipia, as well asthe construction of major consular road-ways (the Via Flaminia and the ViaSalaria). In the wake of the barbarian inva-sions, the first “Marches” of Fermo andCamerino were established. Starting fromthe 4th century, the invasions of the Gothsgradually led the population to abandon thelowland areas for the hills, well defendedby forests and cliffs, giving rise to the posi-tioning of the villages atop these heights,where they still stand. The administrativeconfusion and the considerable distancefrom Rome, the centre of papal power,favoured the growing influence of theBenedectine order in the towns of Norciaand Farfa (8th-9th century): monasteries

THE HISTORY OF A TIME-HONOURED REGION

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and abbeys were built primarily along themain Roman roadways (the Via Flaminiaand the Via Salaria) and in the river valleysthat climb up from the Adriatic Sea to theApennines. In 1290 the first university wasfounded in Macerata. When the Greatplague ended in 1348, the Pope assignedCardinal Egidio Albornoz the task ofreclaiming the territory from the local lordsand vicars who had usurped power andbringing it back under the direct control ofRome. And so, in 1357 the ConstitutionesAegidianae was established, destined toremain in force until 1816. In the 15th centu-ry a number of feudal seigneuries flou-rished, including the splendid courts ofMontefeltro and Della Rovere in theDuchy of Urbino, which was deeded overto the Pontifical State in 1631, together withthe rest of the region. Other local rulingfamilies were the Da Varano in Camerino,the Chiavelli in Fabriano and theMalatesta in Fano. Between the 16th and18th century, four popes were born in theMarche, including Sixtus V (1585- 1590),who established the diocese of Montaltodelle Marche as the bishopric and capital ofthe district of the same name. The admin-istrative system created during his papacylasted until 1810. The arrival of Napoleonmarked the start of the modern era. TheNineteenth Century was marked by thestruggle for Italian unification (the battle ofCastelfidardo on 18th September 1860), aswell as being a period of major publicworks: in addition to the construction of theAncona-Roma railway and the Tronto line,the Sphaeristerium arena was designed inMacerata. The 1800s were also a time ofmajor cultural figures, including Giacomo

Leopardi, Gaspare Spontini and GioachinoRossini.Between the 19th and 20th century, the eco-nomic structure of the Marche was plaguedby readily apparent imbalances thatdelayed the start of industrial developmentfor years. With the establishment of tenantfarming, agriculture continued to be the pre-dominant activity, setting off large waves ofimmigration to America, Argentina,Belgium, Germany, Switzerland andFrance, a trend that did not stop until theFirst World War. The resistance during theSecond World War was also nourished bythe region’s strong set of underlying ideals,allowing the Marche to make a distinctivecontribution to founding the post-war repub-lic as well. Today the Marche is a highlycompetitive region, open to the challengesof the future while making the most of itscenturies-old traditions and history, as wellas its excellence in the fields of art and cul-ture, its natural surroundings and its highlycapable social and economic framework.

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The Marche consists of anetwork of cities of art andhistoric villages setamidst a rolling expanse ofhillside farmland that over-looks valleys stretchingfrom the sea to theApennines: sites that holdmasterpieces by artistssuch as Raphael, Pierodella Francesca, LorenzoLotto, Giovanni Bellini,Carlo Crivelli and G.B.Tiepolo, as well as P.P.Rubens and Titian, plushistoric 18th C. theatres,Roman roads, amphithe-atres, historical librariesand renowned potterymanufacturers. Culturalevents enliven the region,including the RossiniOpera Festival (ROF) inPesaro, the Opera Fe-stival in the Sphaeriste-rium Arena of Macerataand the Pergolesi Spon-tini Festival in Jesi andVallesina. Along with theregion’s museums, libra-ries, archives and theatres,its cultural heritage includesa host of important religiousstructures such as abbeys,monasteries and church-es. As for civil construc-tions, the Marche boasts a

wealth of castles, walledtowns and fortressesharking back to a glorious,lively past: buildings whosekey features are still intactin all the cities and towns. InUrbino, a UNESCO Cityand a capital of the Re-naissance, Duke Federicoda Montefeltro commis-sioned the building of thePalazzo Ducale, one ofEurope’s most sumptuousnoble residences. TheMarche is a region whereculture is placed on thescale of values, havingbecome second natureover the centuries in theregion’s economic fabricand its way of life. For theMarche is a region withboth a millennial historyand an extremely modern,innovative outlook. It is aregion open to change, butalso firmly anchored in thevalues and traditions thatcontinue to inspire it, aregion whose quality of lifeand environmental healthmake its residents Italy’slongest-lived, a regionwhere the centuries-old tiebetween culture and theart of doing, creating,inventing and practicing

crafts has ushered in aMade in Marche systemknown worldwide. Cultureis the heart of the Marche“Brand”. A 2010 videomeant to promote theMarche region in Italy andthroughout the world star-red the American actorDustin Hoffman, shownwalking among the hillsand theatres of the regionwhile reading one of themost symbolic poems ofItalian literature, theInfinito by Giacomo Leo-pardi. With its unique,innovative vision of theMarche, the video met withgreat success.

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CULTURE,THE HEART OF THE MARCHE “BRAND”

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A stylised woodpecker dating back morethan 2000 years, to the Piceni civilization,appears on the crest of the Marche region,symbolising its cultural unity. According toFestus, Piceno was given that namebecause the symbol of the Sabines, whomigrated in the direction of modern-dayAscoli (Ausculum), was the woodpecker(picus) a bird sacred to Mars and one thathad perched on their banner during the jour-ney. This is said to be the reason for thename of Piceni or Picentes. The discovery ofnumerous necropolises in the area boundedby the Foglia River to the north and byPescara, in Abruzzo, to the south, point tothe existence, between the 8th and the 1st

century BC, of a zone whose culture wasreferred to as the “Piceno” civilization: a keyplayer in the history of that portion of centralItaly, until the Romans finally conquered theterritories once and for all. Between the 4th

and the 3rd century BC, the central-northernportion of the Marche, from Marecchia toEsino, was occupied by the Celtic tribes ofthe Galli Senoni (Gauls). The chief settle-ments of this people, which left behind splen-didly crafted gold ornaments that can beviewed today at the National ArchaeologicalMuseum of the Marche, were found inArcevia and Senigallia. After the Battle ofSentinum in 295 BC -pitting the Gauls andthe Samnites, on the one hand, against theRomans and the Piceni, on the other, in thearea between Camerino and Sassoferrato(Sentinum in antiquity)- the Romans occu-pied the Gallic territory, underlining the localculture by naming it ager gallicus. Over thenext two centuries, they penetrated through-out the rest of the region, founding colonies

and munici-palities, wide-spread evi-dence ofwhich hassurvived tothe present. Among these are: the ViaFlaminia consular road, which still connectsRome with Fano and the Via Salaria, whichserved as the route for bringing Adriatic Seasalt from Porto d’Ascoli to Rome, as well asthe artefacts of the archaeological muse-ums, many of which are state-run (inAncona, Arcevia, Urbino, Cingoli, Urbisagliaand Ascoli Piceno); the urban layouts of cer-tain cities (Pesaro, Fano, Senigallia, Jesi andAscoli Piceno); the monuments (Trajan’sArch in Ancona; the Arch of Augustus inFano, along the Via Flaminia, the Tunnel ofVespasian in the Furlo Gorge, nearFermignano, the Mallio Bridge in Cagli, theGrosso Bridge in Cantiano and in the town ofPontericcioli; the Gemina Gate along the ViaSalaria and the Solestà Bridge in AscoliPiceno), plus the many archaeologicalparks (Fossombrone, Sassoferrato, Castel-leone di Suasa, San Severino Marche, Urbi-saglia, Falerone and Cupra Marittima). In theRoman-age theatres and amphitheatres ofthe Marche, visitors can watch an ancientcomedy by Plautus or a classic Greektragedy: the archaeological sites of theMarche host theatrical performances du-ring the summer season.

www.archeomarche.itThe video on archaeology in the Marche can beviewed, together with additional, in-depth information,on the website: www.cultura.marche.it.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MARCHE

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Among the many firsts, setby the Marche, is that ofhaving been one of the firstregions in the Italian penin-sula to have accepted thephenomenon of Monasti-cism, a spiritual movementborn in the East in the thirdcentury A.D. and spread inthe West as early as the VIcentury, thanks to thecharismatic personality ofSt. Benedict of Nursia. Its“Rules” which amounted toMonasticism’s first writtenconstitution and were basedon the dignity of work andthe sanctity of prayer, gaverise to a new way of life thatwas to enjoy enormous pop-ularity in the West and wasto become one of the pillarsof the formation of Westerncivilization. Thanks to theeasily travelled valley rou-tes, between the Foglia andthe Tronto rivers, as early asthe VII and VIII centuries,monasteries and conventsbegan springing up in theMarche, often at a short dis-tance from one another,along the paths travelled bythe first pilgrims heading forRome. The Marche wasalso heavily influenced by

the figure of St. Francis ofAssisi, given the region’sproximity to Umbria and itselective affinities with theSaint, who was warmly wel-comed in the Marche fromthe start. St. Francis’ firstjourney to the region datesfrom 1209, when his desti-nation was the March ofAncona. By 1282, theprovince represented bythat March held no fewerthan 85 convents. TheFranciscan Order has writ-ten an extraordinary chapterin the history of the Marche,influencing the culture of thearea from the XIII centuryonward. Two more out-standing figures marked themedieval history of theMarche: emperor FrederickII of Swabia, (1194-1250),born in the royal city of Jesi,and Dante Alighieri, whoseDivine Comedy presentsreferences and descriptionsof sites and features of ourland, transforming them intofocal points in the narrative,as well as iconic figure ofworld literature. Just thinkabout the tragic love story ofPaolo and Francesca inGradara, the subject of one

of the best-known cantos ofthe Inferno. From unbridledlust to the silence of FonteAvellana, the focal point ofthe existence of St. PierDamiani, whom the readermeets in Paradise, Dantetravels through the Marchefrom Montefeltro to Urbi-saglia, from Senigallia to thepromontory of Focara; fromCastel della Pieve, wherehis exile was decreed, toFano, a town with ties to,among other stories, that ofJacopo del Cassero, whosesoul, which the supremepoet met in the fifth Canto ofthe Purgatory, describes toDante the places from whichhe comes, asking that he beallowed to go to “that coun-try which lies betweenRomagna and Charles’land”: the Marche. Withthese words, Jacopo delCassero provides one of theearliest, if not the first, histor-ical-geographical interpreta-tions of the cultural and terri-torial identity of the Marche.

Medieval itineraries in the Marche

www.turismo.marche.itwww.francescanesimomarche.it

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MEDIEVAL MARCHEFrom Monasticism to St. Francis of Assisi,from Frederick II to Dante Alighieri

«Whence I, who speak alone before theothers, pray thee, if ever thou dost see the

land that ‘twixt Romagna lies and that ofCharles, thou be so courteous to me of thy

prayers in Fano, that they pray for medevoutly, that I may purge away my grave

offences.»Purgatory V 67-72

The territory of the Marche, located betweenthe Apennines and the coast, is character-ized by gentle rolling hills, dominated by vil-lages surrounded by walls or protected bystrongholds. These places, less well knownthan the art cities, are appreciated not onlyby lovers of castles, medieval architectureand defensive military constructions.Splendid fortresses built for defence, or thedesire to rule, can be admired in the provinceof Pesaro and Urbino: the Castle of Gradaraand the Costanza Fortress by LucianoLaurana in Pesaro. In Mondavio, Sasso-corvaro and Cagli, instead, it is well worthvisiting the fortresses built by the militaryarchitect from Siena, Francesco di GiorgioMartini. Not to be missed is the imposing

Brancaleone Castle in Piobbico. In theprovince of Ancona it is also worth visitingArcevia and its nine “castles”, Corinaldo, withits impressive town walls, the Fortress ofOffagna, with its Museum of medievalWeapons, Sassoferrato with the AlbornozFortress and Senigallia with the RoverescaFortress designed by Baccio Pontelli. Closeto Macerata are Caldarola, with the PallottaCastle, and nearby the feudal castles ofPievefavera, Croce and Vestignano; Came-rino, surrounded by a defence system datingback to the time of the Varano family; SanGinesio, Tolentino with the Rancia Castle,and the Urbisaglia Fortress dominating thevalley. Ascoli Piceno boasts the Malatestaand Pia Fortresses, as well as the nearbyAcquasanta Terme, Castel di Luco andArquata del Tronto, which were already wellknown in Roman Times. Also worth visitingis Acquaviva Picena with its grand fortress,and Moresco, crowned by a 12th centuryhexagonal tower.There are many villas, such as the DellaRovere Villa also called “Imperiale” nearPesaro, and Villa Buonaccorsi with a splen-did Italianate garden located in PotenzaPicena.Tours of fortresses, castles and villas in the Marche

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FORTRESSES, CASTLESAND VILLAS

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Urbino, Fabriano, Fermo,San Severino Marche,Camerino were some ofthe cities at the centre ofthe cultural renewal bet-ween the 14th and 15th cen-tury, known as Inter-national Gothic. San Se-verino Marche is a sym-bolic city where Lorenzoand Jacopo Salimbeniwere born and worked,leaving important paintingsbehind them. The Salim-beni brothers also workedin Urbino, in the Oratory ofSan Giovanni Battista(1416), with frescoes dedi-cated to the life of thesaint. This work is consid-ered one of the Europeanmasterpieces of Internatio-nal Gothic Art.Gentile da Fabriano,“highly renowned in theVenetian world” (as point-ed out by Jacopo Bellini,1436) was born in theMarche. In Fermo, thechapter of Gothic Art is at-tested by the splendidMessale de Firmonibus(Museo del Tesoro), illumi-nated by Giovanni Ugolinoda Milano in around 1436,

and by the precious panelpaintings by Jacobello delFiore. The Gothic Stylewas also used in architec-ture and at the FermoOratory of St. Monicareached very high levels.Humanism in the Marchewas a fortunate period.With the birth of theSeigneuries such as Mon-tefeltro in Urbino, Da Va-rano in Camerino, DellaRovere in Senigallia, newconditions were set outand Figurative and Huma-nities Arts flourished. Thecultural revival of the areareached its artistic peakwith Federico da Monte-feltro, who made Urbinothe cradle of Italian Art. Inthe ducal court under thelast Duke of the Monte-feltro, Guidobaldo I andunder his successor Fran-cesco Maria I Della Rove-re, nephew of Pope JuliusII, elegant noble ladiesgathered, first of all Elisa-betta and Eleonora Gon-zaga together with otherpersonalities such as Bal-dassarre Castiglione, Giu-liano de’ Medici, Bernardo

Dovizi da Bibiena andBembo, who started writ-ing the Prose della volgarlingua. Famous artistsworking on the so called“città in forma di palazzo”- a town shaped like aPalace - (Il Cortegiano byBaldassarre Castiglione)were Donato Bramante,Luciano Laurana andFrancesco di Giorgio Mar-tini and illustrious painters,such as Piero della Fran-cesca and Paolo Uccello.Raphael, working with hisfather, the court painterGiovanni Santi, absorbedthe art of the palace. Theseigneury of Giulio Cesa-re Da Varano marked thehistory, the culture and theart of the capital, Ca-merino. So did the sei-gneury of the Malatesta inFano. Other Renaissancebuildings like Ascoli Pice-no’s Palazzo dei Capitani,the Loggia and the splen-did porticoed square, weredesigned by Cola diAmatrice and Bernardinodi Pietro.

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THE MARCHE OF THE SEIGNEURIESFrom International Gothic to the Renaissance

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Literature, painting, sculpture, teaching,architecture, scientific discoveries, music,sport, the Marche has given birth to interna-tionally famous personalities, who made itimportant in the world. Raffaello Sanzio(Raphael), for example, the genius fromUrbino (1483-1520), was the son of thefamous painter Giovanni Santi. Urbino is alsothe native city of Federico Barocci (1535-1612). Bramante (1444-1514), architect andpainter, was born in Fermignano. Fabriano isthe birthplace of Gentile da Fabriano (1370-1427), one of the most significant figures ofthe International Gothic. Rossini, Spontini,Pergolesi: the great musicians were born inthe Marche region and influenced Europeanmusic. Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) wasfrom Pesaro, Giovan Battista Pergolesi(1710-1736) was from Jesi; GaspareSpontini (1774-1851) was born in Maiolati,now called Maiolati Spontini. The MarcheRegion is also the land of poets and writers:Recanati was the birthplace of GiacomoLeopardi (1798-1837), the poet of thepoem ‘Infinito’ (the Infinite). Among thefamous personalities worth mentioningbecause of their legacy are: the grand emper-or Federico II di Svevia (Frederick II ofSwabia) (1194-1250) from Jesi; FatherMatteo Ricci, born in Macerata in 1552 anddied in Beijing in 1610; the educationalistMaria Montessori (1870-1952) was fromChiaravalle. From the Marche Region is alsoone of the greatest spiritual and mystical fig-ures of the 15th century: Camilla BattistaVarano of Camerino, canonized in 2010.Sports personalities include Valentino Rossi,Valentina Vezzali and Giovanna Trillini. Thefollowing personalities were not born in theMarche Region, but left an important legacy

here: San Ciriaco, San Romualdo, San PierDamiani, Guido d’Arezzo, Cecco d’Ascoli,Arcangelo di Cola, Federico da Montefeltro,San Giuseppe da Copertino, JohannWolfgang Goethe, Leonardo da Vinci,Stendhal, Torquato Tasso, BaldassarreCastiglione, Casanova, Carlo e VittoreCrivelli, Lorenzo Lotto, Luigi Vanvitelli,Montesquieu, Giulio Perticari, GiovanniBellini, Sibilla Aleramo, Franz Liszt, LucianoPavarotti, Arnaldo Pomodoro and LeonardoCastellani.

MUSEUM HOUSESMuseum houses are where important per-sonalities of the Marche Region were bornand lived. In Urbino the house whereRaphael was born is used as a museum andis next to the workshop of his father, GiovanniSanti, where the artist learnt the first paintingtechniques. In Pesaro it is possible to visitRossini’s house where he, known as the“Swan” from Pesaro, was born and lived thefirst eight years of his life. In addition to thismuseum house, which contains importantobjects and memorabilia belonging to thecomposer, Pesaro has dedicated to its illustri-ous citizen the Music Conservatory, with the“Tempietto Rossiniano”, a small casket con-taining the composer’s treasures. On displayin the house where G. Leopardi was born inRecanati is the most precious gift that thepoet’s family gave to the city, a huge librarywith 20,000 volumes. The Gaspare Spontinimuseum house is situated in the centre ofMaiolati, that owes its name and fame to themaestro. It contains treasures belonging tothe composer and his wife Celeste.

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ILLUSTRIOUS PERSONALITIES AND MUSEUM HOUSES

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In the artisan workshops inthe Marche Region, andnot only there, the “oldcrafts” still survive today.Among the oldest tradition-al crafts worth mentioningis leather working, thattoday boasts a number ofindustries from footwear toleather and handbagproduction, widespreadaround Macerata andFermo areas. The Fabrianopaper processing is inter-nationally famous and thecity hosts the Paper andWatermark Museum; thistradition is also present inPioraco. Another regionalhandicraft is the making ofterracotta, to be found lo-cally from Montottone nearFermo to Appignano nearMacerata. Fratterosa, inthe Cesano valley, is thehome of an important mu-seum dedicated to thisancient tradition. Majolicais produced in severalplaces: Urbino, Urbania(formerly Casteldurante),Pesaro and Ascoli Piceno.Each of these cities has amuseum displaying 14th to20th century masterpieces.Wrought iron and copper

work are present all overthe Marche Region. Thearea of Ascoli is one of themost flourishing centres, inparticular Force andComunanza, where today’scoppersmiths continue thiscentury-old tradition. InJesi, Fossombrone andFano goldsmiths’ work-shops can be found. InOffida another famouslocal tradition, pillow laceproduction, has been pas-sed down and both a spe-cial museum and summerexhibitions are dedicatedto it. The textile sector isimportant for the creationof rustic wool carpetsaround Cantiano and Mer-catello sul Metauro, nearPesaro. Furniture produc-tion, mostly in the Pesaroarea, is very famous allover the world. Restoringantique furniture is a fair-ly widespread activity, fromOstra to Corinaldo, fromPollenza and Amandola toFermo. The Musical in-strument sector is also im-portant. Musical instru-ments are manufactured inCastelfidardo, so famousfor its accordions, to which

the city has dedicated aninternational museum. Thearea is also important forthe saxophone and guitarmanufacturing. In Mace-rata, especially in Moglia-no, cane, bamboo and wi-ckerwork is popular. Hatsare manufactured fromMontappone to Massa Fer-mana, in the Fermo areaand some of them are dis-played in the Hat Museumin Montappone. Woodenpipes are carved in thearea from Pesaro to Cagliand from Loreto to Reca-nati. Lastly, we should notforget to mention the an-cient stone working tradi-tion, from travertine inAscoli Piceno to stonecut-ting in Sant’ Ippolito. TheMarche Region boasts asolid tradition in the resto-ration of ancient books:in particular in the city ofUrbino there is a nationallyfamous school.

The brochure dedicated to skilful

hands and old crafts with tours, cel-

ebrations and museums can be

downloaded from:

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SKILFUL HANDS

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The Marche, a land rich inculinary traditions, have acuisine where spices, fats,aromas from the sea andgems of the land, such astruffles, are skilfully blended.Promotion and preservationof brand productions areguaranteed through QualityAssurance and ProductCertification, such as DOP(DPO, Protected Designa-tion of Origin) and IGP(PGI, Protected Geogra-phical Indication).The Marche Region has ahuge gamut of wines pro-duced inside the region: 15DOC (RDO, RegisteredDesignation of Origin) wi-nes, and 4 DOCG (GDO,Guaranteed Designation ofOrigin) wines. To get toknow the oenological her-itage of the region it is wellworth visiting the regionalwine shops and wine

bars in Jesi and Offida;Wine Routes combine wi-ne aromas with charminghills and local specialities.There is a long tradition andan ample variety of spiritsproduced in the MarcheRegion. The best knownare the anise spirits. Aniseis of supreme quality and isproduced in huge quantitiesin the province of AscoliPiceno and Macerata. Fanois famous for MorettaFanese, a ‘caffè corretto’,laced with anise, rum andbrandy. Two wines comefrom rural traditions: VinCotto (cooked wine) inwhich the grape’s must isreduced by boiling, com-mon in the southern part ofthe region and Vin Santo(holy wine) that is producedafter drying the grapes. In Jesi and in the Pesaroarea, Vino di Visciole

(aromatized drink with wineand sour cherries) is well-known. It is made from wildcherries from the hills andthe mountains, fermentedtogether with local redwine.Pork is the main theme ininland cuisine, with deli-cious and tasty salumi(salami and cold pork meat,delicatessen). The mostfamous are the salame diFabriano, and the spread-able ciauscolo which ismostly produced in the areaaround Macerata. Carpe-gna ham is famous both inItaly and abroad. Severalkinds of cheeses are madefrom cow’s and sheep’smilk, goat’s milk and mixedmilk. Typical of this locationis the formaggio di fossa(pit cheese) (DOP) and thecasciotta di Urbino(DOP). The Marche is ap-

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MARCHE TASTE. FOOD AND WINE

preciated for its high qualitymeat. The meat of the cat-tle breed (IGP) ‘marchi-giana’ and of the sheepbreed are among the best,due to their authenticity andvalue.There is a rich production ofall major species of truffles,both white and black. Themost precious truffle is thewhite truffle (tuber magna-tum Pico). It is to be foundin Sant’Angelo in Vado andAcqualagna, but also in

other provinces. Among thevarious types of pasta, thesmall macaroni of Cam-pofilone are a specialitynow appreciated all overthe world. They differ fromother pasta products, beingmixed only with chickeneggs, 10 eggs per kilo ofdurum wheat flour. The olive oil of the Marche,known since 1228, is slight-ly fruity. The quality of theoil is inextricably linked tothe olive. Very valuable is

the tender Ascoli olive,which is unanimously con-sidered to be the bestgreen olive. Its natural habitis close to Ascoli Piceno. Allover the world it is knownnot only in brine, but alsofried and stuffed “all’as-colana” (Ascoli-style).

The brochure dedicated to typical

products, wines, itineraries and cel-

ebrations can be downloaded

from:

www.turismo.marche.it

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RELIGIOUSFESTIVITIESOver time, the Marche hascarried on intact a numberof events tied to specific reli-gious festivities. There arenumerous Nativity scenes,with the most impressive tobe found in Altidona, Genga,the dramatic setting of theFrasassi gorge, the castle ofPrecicchie (Fabriano), Co-munanza, Falerone, Pio-raco, Potenza Picena andPorchia (Montalto delleMarche). There are threemajor Nativity museumslocated relatively near eachother: Morrovalle, Macerataand Tolentino. Worth recom-mending is the mechanisedNativity scene in Fano in thecellars of the 18th centuryPalazzo Fabbri, and theNativity scene at San Marcoin Colmurano. “Nativities ina nativity town” can beadmired in Quintodecimo diAcquasanta. The Passionof Christ is evoked in the“La Turba”, an evocativehistoric re-evocation of theGood Friday Passion datingback to 1260 and held inCantiano; other such eventsare held in Mogliano, at Villa

Musone di Loreto, at PortoSant’Elpidio, Montepran-done, Monte San Pietran-geli, Pioraco, Recanati andRipatransone. Corpus Do-mini is celebrated with flo-ral street decorations inCastelraimondo, Corridonia,Cupramontana, Montefioredell’Aso, Monterubbiano,Ortezzano and Servigliano.On the night of December9th the Arrival of the HolyHouse is celebrated inLoreto.

PAGAN FEASTS ANDCARNIVALThe Fano Carnival is Italy’soldest, with giant floats anda bonfire where a large effi-gy (Pupo) is burned at theend. Along with the AscoliPiceno Carnival, one ofthe most thrilling is the two-phase Offida Carnival: theLu Bov Fint (on GoodFriday), with the zanyadventures of a fake steer,and the Vlurd parade (onShrove Tuesday). Alsoremember the Fermo Car-nival, the Ancona Carni-val (Carnevalò) and the

more recent witches’ feastof Halloween in Corinaldo.On January 6th, the Na-tional Epiphany Feast isheld in Urbania. The maincelebrations linked with thegrowing of grain are theCovo Feast, held yearly onthe first Sunday of August inCampocavallo di Osimo,and the Canestrelle pro-cession in Amandola (FM).

HISTORICAL PAGEANTSEvery year the magic of thepast is revived in theMarche with horse racesand costumed parades.The Historic Pageant As-sociation of the Marcheorganizes evocations ofhistorical events handeddown and dramatisedthrough centuries of localoral tradition. Numeroushistoric pageants are heldin the old town centres(including the famousQuintana in Ascoli Piceno).

www.rievocazionimarche.it

TRADITIONS

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Discovering the Marche is a multi-sensor-ial exploration that brings into play all fiveof the senses, thanks to the delights tobe found in the five provinces of theMarche, each very distinct from the other,and yet also quite similar, with every bor-ough, every hidden corner of the Marcheoffering visitors unfailingly new and sur-prising emotions.

The sense of sight is swept away by awide variety of intriguing landscapes and

a number of different coastal settings; theexpanse of hills with its unmistakable pro-file and masterful mix of natural coloursand the works of man, in the form of thecenturies-old villages, the sanctuaries, thecastles and the abbeys; the Apenninemountains, with their forests, valleys andpeaks, all still echoing with the legend ofthe Sybil, are waiting to be discovered.Visitors lingering in the towns and bor-oughs can discover a large number ofmuseums and churches preserved like somany gems, as well as a wealth of worksby artists such as Crivelli, Piero dellaFrancesca, Raphael, Bellini, Titian andLotto, just to mention the most famous,though the works of lesser known artists,as well as examples of folk art, combinewith the masterpieces to tell the story of aterritory whose past is filled with proudtowns and prestigious seigneuries.

The sense of touch is stimulated by thevast array of top-quality crafts products,including paper and parchment, hand-made pillow lace and traditionally manu-factured majolica and ceramics.

The sense of hearing will delight in theimmortal music of our composers Rossini,Pergolesi and Spontini, played during the“ROF, Rossini Opera Festival” and the“Pergolesi Spontini” Festival and duringthe numerous local opera seasons held in

MARCHE TRAVEL: TOURISM USING ALL FIVE SENSES

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Visiting THE MARCHE REGION

theatres and other sites in the Region,with the best known example being theseason at the Arena Sferisterio inMacerata. Also to be enjoyed is the morediscreet sound of the verses of Leopardi,a beacon from the past for all the modernand contemporary poets of the Marche.

The sense of smell is stimulated by end-less scents, each of which calls forth sen-sations of pleasure, wellbeing and joyfulliving. The Marche is a land of aromas: thesea breeze, the odour of freshly caughtfish, the vast fields of lavender and broomof Monte Conero, the bouquets of winesthat tell the history of the hills and the wide

selection of grapes in their vineyards, theintense aroma of the truffles ofAcqualagna and the mountain zones, thedelicate scents of the salami and othercured meats of Carpegna, Fabriano andVisso, plus the traditional local cheeses.

The sense of taste is coddled by a trea-sure trove of traditional local produce andwines. The culinary offerings of theMarche include traditional peasant fareand seafood, often reinterpreted for mo-dern tastes, but without losing sight of thegenuine, natural values we treasure, aswell as the emphasis on quality. In fact,the tastes and pleasures of fine diningextend beyond special occasions, fillingthe entire lifestyle of the Marche with anuncomplicated simplicity that revolvesaround a respect for tradition.

What the five senses take in during avisit to the Marche leaves behind both aphysical and emotional wellbeing, witha stay in the region proving the perfectway to refresh both body and soul.

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Urbino was a focal point ofthe Italian Renaissance, aheritage still on display in itsarchitecture; since 1998 thecity has been a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. Thanksto Federico da Montefeltro,the medieval Montefeltroresidence was transformedfrom a “fortified castle to apalace city”. Expanded andbeautified by Luciano Lau-rana and Francesco di Gior-gio Martini, it became thesplendid Ducal Palace,with its “torricini” (“turrets”)and “cortile d’onore” (“honourcourt”) a masterpiece ofRenaissance art, and cur-rently the site of the presti-gious National Gallery ofthe Marche, whose collec-tion of great works includes“The Flagellation” and the“Madonna of Senigallia” byPiero della Francesca, plusthe “Muta” by Raphael. Theold city centre has a long his-tory of art and culture, asseen in the neo-PalladianCathedral and the magnifi-cent travertine door of theChurch of San Domenico, inthe copy of the lantern win-dow by Luca della Robbia,the medieval church of San

Francesco withits Gothic spireand the greataltar piece byFederico Ba-rocci, and in theoratory of SanGiuseppe, withthe famous “Pre-sepe” (Nativity)by Brandani,plus the Oratoryof San Giovanni,frescoed in 1416in a late-Gothicstyle by theSalimbeni broth-ers from SanSeverino Mar-che, not to men-tion the home ofRaphael. Higher up is theAlbornoz fortress, fromwhose walls the eye is drawnto the Ducal Palace, but alsoto the nearby hills, includingthe site of the 15th centuryChurch of San Bernardino,which holds the Dukes’ Mau-soleum. Further down, fromBorgo Mercatale, the mas-sive semi-cylindrical bastioncontaining the “RampaElicoidale” (Helicoidal Ramp)built in the 15th century byFrancesco di Giorgio Martini

can be admired, togetherwith the “Raffaello Sanzio”Theatre, built atop it, in the19th century. Always a schol-arly city, Urbino’s presti-gious university dates backto the 16th century, and italso has a National ArtInstitute (the ISIA), plusthe ‘Book School’, re-nowned for turning outaccomplished graphic ar-tists and engravers, and aschool of journalism.

www.comune.urbino.ps.it

The many Marvels ofURBINO, A UNESCO CITY

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Mention of Recanati brings to mind the greatpoet Giacomo Leopardi, who was born here in1798, and drew much of his inspiration fromthis charming town in the Marche. Obviousexamples are the “Il Sabato del Villaggio”(Saturday in the Village) square, just outsidethe poet’s own house; the “Passero Solitario”(Lonely Sparrow) tower, part of the cloister bythe Church of Sant’Agostino, dating back to the13th century; the hill of “The Infinite” on MountTabor, with the venerable garden of the PoorClare sisters and the World Centre of Poetryand Culture. Today the town of Recanati isknown worldwide, thanks to its poet and theNational Centre of Leopardi Studies. And letus not forget the other celebrated native son:the tenor Beniamino Gigli (Recanati 1890 -Rome 1957), in whose honour the city placeda museum in the 19th century in the PersianiTheatre. Visitors with a thirst for culture havecountless other reasons to visit: the LeopardiLibrary, open to the public since 1812, with its20,000 volumes, plus the noble residences andthe churches rich in works of art. Particularlynoteworthy are: the Church of San Vito, datingfrom the 11th century and completed accordingto the design by Vanvitelli, with a painting byPomarancio on its walls; the Church of Sant’Agostino (13th C), renovated and designed byBibbiena, with a handsome front door in Istrianstone by Giuliano da Maiano and works by Po-marancio, Fanelli and Damiani inside; to theleft, the Cloister with the venerable bell tower ofthe Lonely Sparrow, mentioned in the poem ofthe same name; the Cathedral of San Flavianowith its 15th century sarcophagi, including that ofPope Gregory XII; the Church of Santa Maria inCastelnuovo (1139), with its splendid

Romanesque crypt. Recanati is the startingpoint for tracing the works of Lorenzo Lotto inthe Marche: in fact, the municipal museum ofVilla Colloredo Mels, together with the Civic ArtGallery of Jesi hold the first works created bythe artist for the Marche.

www.comune.recanati.mc.it

RECANATI AND LEOPARDI. THEMARCHE, HOME TO INTELLECTUALS

Viene il vento recando il suon dell’ora dalla torre delborgo. Era conforto questo suon, mi rimembra, alle mienotti, quando fanciullo, nella buia stanza, per assiduiterrori io vigilava, sospirando il mattin. Qui non è cosach’io vegga o senta, onde un’immagin dentro non torni,e un dolce rimembrar non sorga.

G. Leopardi, XXII - LE RICORDANZE

Along with Leopardi, the Marche is the birth-place of poets, writers, artists, photographerswho, over time, have continued to “see” theregion as both a source of inspiration and avisual and intellectual metaphor for under-standing life, including: Adolfo de Carolis andOsvaldo Licini from the Piceno, Ugo Bettifrom Camerino, Libero Bigiaretti fromMatelica and Luigi Bartolini from Cupra-montana; in modern times, UmbertoPiersanti, Gianni d’Elia, Eugenio De Signo-ribus and Francesco Scarabicchi, plus thelate Franco Scataglini and Paolo Volponi, whowas honoured with a literary park. MarioGiacomelli made photography the most effec-tive and intriguing means of expression forinterpreting the countryside of the Marche,while Tullio Pericoli, with his paintings andillustrations, restored colour and dreams tothe region’s hills.

www.giacomoleopardi.it - leopardi.itwww.montefeltro-leader.it (Paolo Volponi)

www.mariogiacomelli.it

RECANATI AND LEOPARDI

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The town of Loreto devel-oped around the famousBasilica that contains the“Santa Casa” (the HolyHouse of Nazareth) where,according to tradition, theVirgin Mary was born, livedand received the announce-ment of the miraculous birthof Jesus. Tradition says that,when in 1291 the Muslimsfinally expelled the Chri-stians from Jerusalem andthen tried to regain Naza-reth, a group of angels tookcare of the House and, aftersome wanderings, spread-ing their wings took it toLoreto. For this reason, theMadonna of Loreto is vener-ated as the patroness of avi-ators. Studies highlight thatthe origin of the House isPalestine in view of both thearchitectural style and theuse of construction materi-als, unknown to the Marcheterritory and instead widelyused in the Holy Land at thetime. A recent theory, sup-ported by the discovery ofdocuments written after1294, asserts that the trans-fer was the work of theAngeli Comneno princes, abranch of the imperial familyof Constantinople, who car-

ried the stones by ship. Boththeories, in any event, con-cur that the House leftNazareth in 1291, passedthrough Dalmatia, remainingfor about three years in Trsat(now a district of the town ofRijeka in Croatia), andarrived in Loreto on the nightof December 9th-10th, 1294.In 1469, on the initiative ofthe bishop of Recanati,Nicolò delle Aste and laterwith Pope Paul II, the firstconstruction of the presentbasilica began, first withGothic and later Renais-sance forms. In 1586, PopeSixtus V appointed Loreto tothe diocese and the bronzestatue designed by AntonioCalcagni and Tiburzio Ver-gelli, that is placed in all itsmajesty next to the entranceof the Basilica, was dedicat-ed to him. The octagonaldome was the work of Giu-liano da Sangallo and wasbuilt in the years 1499-1500.The statue of the VirginMary, made of embossedand gilded copper, is on thetop of the dome’s lantern.Next to the white Istria stonefacade, completed in 1587,stands the elegant bell tower(1750-55) by Luigi Vanvitelli.

The shrine of the HolyHouse is positioned underthe dome, faced with marbleand with statues and reliefs,a masterpiece of 16th centurysculpture. The highly evoca-tive interior is a destinationfor pilgrims who come fromall over the world to praybefore the statue of theBlack Madonna. The Chapelof the Annunciation was dec-orated with frescoes byFederico Zuccari, the sac-risties of San Marco and SanGiovanni by Melozzo daForlì and Luca Signorelli, theceiling and the roof of theSala del Tesoro by Po-marancio. The Museum andPicture Gallery of the HolyHouse of Loreto, housed inthe Apostolic Palace, pre-serves paintings, sculptures,tapestries and majolicasfrom the Sanctuary anddonated to the Holy Housein the course of the centuries.The later works by LorenzoLotto, who died in Loreto inaround 1556, stand out in thecollection of paintings. TheHoly House Treasureincludes valuable works ofvery refined jewellery.

www.santuarioloreto.it

LORETO AND THE “SANTA CASA”

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The Basilica of Saint Nicholas of Tolentinois one of the most important sanctuar-ies of central Italy.St. Nicholas of Tolentino (1245-1305) wasan Augustinian friar, miracle worker andgreat preacher. He lived in the convent ofthe Hermit Friars of St. Augustine in thecity, from 1275 until his death. He reachedsuch a high notoriety during his life, espe-cially for his extraordinary miracle workingpowers, that he was venerated and canon-ized in a short time (1325). St. Nicholas isvenerated as the patron saint of the soulsin purgatory and the protector of mother-hood and childhood difficulties.The basilica was consecrated in 1465.The interior is a rectangular nave with apolygonal apse. The coffered woodenceiling and eight chapels date back to the17th century. It preserves important worksof art (S. Anna by Guercino, S. Tommasoda Villanova by G. Ghezzi). The great17th century chapel of the Holy

Sacrament, toppedby a cupola, is onthe left of the altar.The arms of St.Nicholas are pre-served in theChapel of the HolyArms (Sante Brac-cia). An attempt attheft was madeafter the saint’sdeath, but failedbecause the ampu-tated arms began

to gush blood. Themiraculous event isrepresented in the pain-ting by G. Foschi nearthe high altar. Two largepaintings are preservedin the chapel, ex-votoofferings, “L’incendiodel Palazzo Ducale aVenezia” by MatteoStom and “La Peste aGenova” (or in Venice,according to some) byGiovanni Carboncino.Of particular value isthe Cappellone (Chapel) whose frescoespainted by artists from Rimini (Pietro,Giuliano and Giovanni Baronzio) of theGiotto school, are the highest examples of14th century painting in the Marche. Thechapel floor plan is rectangular and has across vault. A Renaissance marble arch,with the statue of St. Nicholas above it, isin the centre of the Chapel. The Museumof the Basilica, that can be reached bystaircase, houses numerous paintingsand sculptures, precious ceramics, offer-ings and permanent Nativity exhibitions.The cloister is considered to be one of themost interesting in the Marche. Here theSaint’s cell is found, now converted intothe oratory of the Augustinian communitythat still preserves two early 16th centuryfrescoed lunettes, representing episodesof the saint’s life.

www.sannicoladatolentino.it

BASILICA OF SAN NICOLA DA TOLENTINO

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The Monti Sibillini are amountain range locatedbetween Marche andUmbria.Most of the Monti Sibilliniare protected by thehomonymous NationalPark, established in 1993;the protected area coversan area of about 70,000hectares, with a length ofabout 40 km, and includes18 municipalities in theprovinces of Ascoli Pice-no, Fermo, Macerata andPerugia.Legend has it that theSybil attracted errantknights in the cave locatedunder the mountain thatnow bears the same name.After going through manyordeals and after demon-strating their skill, theknights were accommodat-ed in the cave for one yearbut once that time hadelapsed they were doomedto eternal damnation. It isjust one of the many sto-

ries, almost all of medievalorigin, that envelop theSibillini mountains in magicand mystery. 1,800 floralspecies are present in thearea, including the edel-weiss of the Apennines;there are 50 species ofmammals, among whichthe wolf, the porcupine andthe wild cat, deserve to beremembered. The pres-ence of the golden eagle,the peregrine falcon, thedeer and the bear shouldbe remembered along witha rare case of endemism,the Chirocefalo del Mar-chesoni (Chirocephalusmarchesonii), a uniquesmall crustacean inhabi-ting Lake Pilato. There area number of peaksexceeding 2,000 metres inthe area, including theMonte Vettore (2,476 m)where the lake is located.According to legend, thebody of the Roman procu-rator in Palestine, whose

cowardice was responsiblefor the death of Christ, wasdragged into the lake by agroup of buffaloes. The-refore the stretch of waterwas for centuries a desti-nation for magicians andfollowers of the occult. At ashort distance, the impres-sive Cave of the Infer-naccio, the scene of ne-cromantic rites in the past,also deserves a visit. ThePark is full of importantarchitectural buildings,admirably set into the land-scape, such as abbeys,monasteries, churches,towers, castles, forts, millsand tower houses. Wesuggest, among the oth-ers, the Church of SS.Vincenzo e Anastasio ofAmandola and the Sanc-tuary of the Madonna dell’Ambro di Montefortino.

www.sibillini.net

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NATIONAL PARK OF THE MONTI SIBILLINIand the Myth of the Sybil

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Ancona is a seaside townwith a unique feature,shared by few other cities inthe world: it offers the spec-tacle of sunrise and sunsetover the sea. Capital city ofthe Marche region, it wasfounded by the SyracusanDori, in the 4th century BC. Itboasts an old town centrerich in churches and muse-ums, that culminates in theCathedral of St. Cyriacus,an extraordinary Romane-

sque monument that soarsover the harbour.Pesaro, with nearly onehundred thousand inhabi-tants, is the second largestcity by population in theregion after the capital city,

Ancona: with its old townthat still shows the splen-dour of the seigneury of theDella Rovere family and itsprecious museums, the citywas the birthplace ofGioachino Rossini. Theannual Rossini Opera Fe-stival is devoted to him andhis work is protected by theRossini Foundation. The cityhosts the International Fe-stival of the New Cinema. Urbino is considered theIdeal City because it com-bines the culture ofHumanism and the Re-naissance. The “city in theform of a building” becamethe privileged place of theelegant and refined societyof the 16th century, describedin the wonderful pages ofthe “Il Cortegiano” byBaldassarre Castiglione.Macerata, still surroundedby its sixteenth-century bas-tions, is crossed by manyroads that lead up to theheart of the old city wherethere are the “Loggia deiMercanti”, the Teatro LauroRossi and, at a short dis-tance, the civic museums ofPalazzo Buonaccorsi withthe renowned Aeneid Gal-

lery, an 18th century master-piece, and the Museo dellaCarrozza (Carriage Mu-seum). Birthplace of FatherMatteo Ricci (1552-1610),the city houses the popularSferisterio Opera Festival.Fermo is an ancient Romancolony where the top of thehill, the Girfalco, can bereached after crossing typi-

THE HEARTS OF THE MARCHE. ART CITIESWidespread Charm

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cally medieval hoops andcircles. From here, you canenjoy a spectacular viewthat sweeps from the sea tothe peaks of the MontiSibillini. Piazza del Popolo,the heart of the city, pre-serves the historic libraryand the civic gallery, with theNativity by P. P. Rubens. Afew steps away stands theTeatro dell’Aquila, one of themost beautiful - among theabout 70 - historical theatresin the Marche.Ascoli Piceno, according toa tradition mentioned inancient literature (Strabo,Pliny, Festus), was foundedby a group of Sabines, whowere led by a woodpecker, abird sacred to Mars, duringone of their so-called “versacrum” migrations. Theimpressive Roman ruins,evidence of the Roma-

nesque and Gothic influ-ence, remain indelible inwhat has been called thecity of the hundred towers.

AND ALSO ...Besides the capital cities ofthe province, the Marcheboasts a number of art citiesspread all over the region. InGradara, the fortress andthe ancient village are thebest preserved medievalstructures in Italy. The citywalls which protect thefortress, make it one of themost impressive. The castlewas home to LucreziaBorgia and Francesca diRimini, the protagonist,together with Paolo, of oneof the most famous love sto-ries narrated by Dante in hisDivine Comedy. Fano, governed by theMalatesta family and deeply

afflicted in Roman times,known for its Arch ofAugustus, is now home tothe Centro Studi Vitruviani;Urbania and the upper val-ley of the Metauro riverfeature many ducal monu-ments and their majolica.The environmental settingaround the nearby cities ofS. Angelo in Vado andMercatello sul Metauro isvery evocative.Well worth a visit are:Senigallia with its “velvet”beach, the nearby Jesi andits castles of the Verdicchio,Fabriano, famous for itspaper, the village of Serra S.Quirico with its Copertelle(copper lids) and the proudcity of Osimo, not far fromthe sea. S. SeverinoMarche, Tolentino, Cal-darola and Camerino, alllocated near Macerata, area cocktail of history and art.Other places not to bemissed are Offida, Ripa-transone and the neigh-bouring villages, all locatedbetween Fermo and AscoliPiceno.

The brochure dedicated to art cities in

the Marche can be downloaded from:

www.turismo.marche.it

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The Caves of Frasassiare underground karstcaves inside the NaturalRegional Park of “Goladella Rossa e di Frasassi”in the municipality ofGenga, in the province ofAncona. The Caves ofFrasassi were discoveredon 25th September 1971,by the CAI speleologicalgroup of Ancona. In 1972the municipality Gengaand the Province of Anco-na set up the FrasassiConsortium with the aim ofprotecting and enhancingthe Caves of Frasassicomplex. Within the karsticformations, you canadmire the natural sculp-tures shaped by layers oflimestone deposited over190 million years, thanksto the force of water carv-ing the rock. The waterflowing over limestone dis-solves small amounts oflimestone and falls to the

ground and through a con-tinuous dripping, whichhas lasted for millennia,deposits and shapes con-cretions of considerabledimensions with some-times curious forms. Thesenatural shapes are dividedinto stalagmites (conicmasses formed on theground, projecting upward)and stalactites (hangingfrom the roof of caves).Forms and dimensions ofsuch natural works havestimulated the fantasy ofspeleologists, who aftertheir discovery “baptised”them with curious names;the most popular stalag-mites include “The Giants”,the “Camel” and the “Dro-medary”, the ”Great Bear”,the “Madonnina”, the“Sword of Damocles” (a7,4 m high stalactite with adiameter of 150 cm), the“Niagara Falls”, the “Sliceof bacon” and the “Slice of

lard”, the “Obelisk” (a 15 mhigh stalagmite located inthe middle of Room 200),the “Organ Pipes” (cone-laminated concretions thatresonate when struck), the“Witches’ Castle.”Inside the caves are alsopools of water where thedripping water stagnatesand “pozzi”, cylindrical hol-lows up to 25 m deepwhich may collect waterand convey it to the karstlayers below. The visit ofthe cave has a duration of70 minutes. The groupsare accompanied by pro-fessional guides providedby the Frasassi Con-sortium. The route is 1,500m long and is well equip-ped and easily accessible.The temperature inside isa constant 14 °C.

www.frasassi.com

THE CAVES OF FRASASSIMillenary Charms

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The Marche offers tourists an extraordinaryseries of routes and monuments thatpoint to the deeply felt spirituality which,since the arrival of Christianity, has charac-terised this land. Camaldolians, Cisterciansand Franciscans studded the territory withmonasteries, abbeys and convents,some of which take in guests and visitorstoday, the way they used to take in pil-grims and wayfarers.After the fall of the Roman Empire, theMarche region was dominated by theByzantine Exarchate and by the Longo-bards of the Duchy of Spoleto; later it wasfought over by the Emperor and the PapalState, until the latter finally became thesole ruler. The lengthy period of administra-tive uncertainty, together with the consider-able distance from the centre of papalpower in Rome, favoured the spread of theBenedictine Order in the 8th- 9th centuries,starting from the towns of Norcia and Farfa.The monasteries and abbeys arose prima-rily along the main Roman roads – the ViaFlaminia and the Via Salaria – and alongthe river valleys that climb toward theApennine mountains from the sea, such asthe valleys of the Marecchia, Metauro,Esino, Potenza and Chienti rivers.The region boasts two magnificent exam-ples of Romanesque-Gothic Cistercianarchitecture: in Chiaravalle, the Abbey ofSanta Maria in Castagnola, founded by themonks of Clairvaux, and, in the towns ofUrbisaglia and Tolentino, the Abbey ofSanta Maria di Chiaravalle in Fiastra,

founded by the friars of the homonymouschurch in Milan. The church is a model of the transition fromRomanesque to Gothic architecture. It isbuilt using the stones taken from theancient Roman city of Urbs Salvia. Theentrance to the abbey church faces westand the apse is east-facing. The east sideof the church borders the north side of theadjacent cloister, set in its turn among aseries of buildings which completed themonastery: the chapterhouse, auditorium,dormitory, scriptorium and refectory.San Romualdo, the founder of theCamaldonian Order who died in theMarche in 1027, in the powerful abbey ofSan Salvatore in Valdicastro near Fa-briano, founded by him in 1006, inspired inthe monks of Fonte Avellana, in the MonteCatria foothills, the first form of organisedliving. In this remote place of meditation,immersed in the solitary woods and men-tioned in the XXI Canto of Dante’s Para-dise, Pier Damiani took monastic vows in1035, after having stopped there. Thebuilding complex conserves a treasure ofinestimable value for the national andEuropean cultural tradition, with a largevariety of art forms, from the harmoniousarchitecture to the precious collections ofbooks (15,000 volumes) and sculptures.Places to visit: the church, the crypt, thescriptorium, the parlour, the library and thecloister.Itineraries in Monasticism and in the spirit of the Marche:

www.turismo.marche.it53

S. MARIA DI CHIARAVALLE IN FIASTRAFONTE AVELLANAand the great Abbeys of the Marche Region

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The following summariesillustrate the diversity andexcellence of the provincesof the Marche Region.

PROVINCE OF ANCONAThe Province of Ancona isbordered by rivers alongthe Adriatic coast, to thenorth by the River Cesanoand Musone to the south,and to the west by MonteCatria and Monte Strega.Its total area is approxi-mately 1,940 Km2, with apopulation of 478,319inhabitants. The capital of the Region,Ancona, is located on thepromontory of Monte Co-nero perching over the sea.This is the only high part ofthe coast of the Marche full

of grottoes, cliffs, coves andsmall sandy beaches. Theoriginal vegetation of theregion was almost every-where deciduous forestswith a prevalence of theDowny oak that is foundwidely today in the Bay ofPortonovo. Ancona has anairport and a port for pas-senger connections to theBalkans and Greece. It is

divided in two parts: the his-torical centre on MonteGuasco and the modernsection on the coast. Thecity is full of charm with theCathedral of San Ciriacoand the Arch of Trajan thatrecall Graeco-Roman ori-gins. The paper industry isamong the most famousproductions in the district ofFabriano. The Caves ofFrasassi, located in Genga,is one of the area’s majorattractions. The entire pro-vince is a tale in the mak-ing, passing through Jesi,

Arcevia, Sassoferrato, Ca-merano, Loreto, Corinaldo,Osimo, Castelleone di Sua-sa, Senigallia, Sirolo andNumana but also throughvillages, towers and ham-lets. Of the many culinarytraditions of the provincenot to be missed the stock-fish and the ‘brodetto all’an-conetana’ (fish stew An-cona style).

PROVINCE OF PESAROAND URBINO The Pesaro and UrbinoProvince is located bet-ween the River Foglia tothe north and Cesano tothe south and to the westby Monte Catria. It covers atotal area of approximatelya 2,564 Km2 and has a po-pulation of 365,788 inhabi-tants. The territory, com-prising 60 municipalities,corresponds to the histori-cal and geographical regionof the ancient Duchy ofUrbino.

Living in the TerritoryDISCOVERING THE PROVINCES OF THE MARCHE REGION

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The Regional Park ofSasso Simone e Simon-cello was set up in theMonte Carpegna area forits flora, vegetation andzoological aspects and forthe landscape. The FurloGorge, near Acqualagna, islocated between MontePietralata and Monte Paga-nuccio where an excellentproduct grows: the truffle.This precious tuber is abun-dant in the entire Apenninearea around Pesaro. The splendour of natureand history is reflected inthe coasts of the so-called“Riviera of the hills”. Theseaside town of Pesaro isan unmissable destinationfor tourism lovers, sur-rounded by two importanthills that guarantee a mildclimate all year round; S.Bartolo to the north andArdizio to the south, sepa-rating it from Fano. A stayin these areas will lead tothe discovery of the rela-tionship between the cityand the sea, between ruraland urban landscape.Pesaro is famous forGioachino Rossini’s musicand the voice of RenataTebaldi. Urbino is home toan ancient university thatattracts thousands of stu-dents from Italy and therest of the world. A com-

mon feature of the twocities is the ceramic crafts-manship.

PROVINCEOF MACERATAThe province of Maceratastretches between RiverPotenza in the north andRiver Tenna in the southand, to the west, theSibillini mountains. Its totalarea is approximately2,774 Km2 , and its popula-tion counts of 324,369inhabitants. The area pres-ents the typical character-istics of the Apennine land-scape: a flat coastal strip,gentle hills shaped by theagricultural labor and themountain that has becomea destination for wintersports. Mountains, hills,valleys, forests and culti-vated fields lead towardsthe Adriatic coast, where anatural setting of a thou-sand faces is outlined –Porto Recanati and Civita-nova Marche – that havegiven rise to plentiful fish-ing, touristic and seabathing activities. The cap-ital, Macerata, stretchesbetween the valleys ofPotenza and Chienti set ina vast and harmoniouslandscape surrounded bynature’s colours. A neo-classical building, the

Sferisterio, can be found inthe city and is consideredto be one of the mostbeautiful monuments inItaly. In the province lieRecanati, the birthplace ofGiacomo Leopardi andBeniamino Gigli, Cameri-no, home to one of the old-est universities, Tolentino,a religious and tourist cen-tre, and San Severino, acity of art. But culture hasbeen the protagonist of theMacerata territory sincethe time of Father MatteoRicci who left Italy forChina, thereby opening adoor from Europe to theOrient.

PROVINCE OF FERMOThe Province of Fermo lieson the Adriatic coastbetween the rivers Chientito the north and Aso to thesouth and to the west bythe Sibillini mountainrange. Its total area isapproximately 860 Km2

and it has a population of177,480 inhabitants. The

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area has the typical char-acteristics of the Apenninelandscape with peaks over2,000 m , deep gorges andravines, a flat coastal strip,and a rich, hilly hinterland.In 1993 the Monti SibilliniNational Park was foundedowing to the presence offlora and fauna of particu-lar conservation interest(endemism). Along the main valleys,Valtenna, Valdete and Val-daso, agriculture is dyna-mic and industrial produc-tion thrives. The presenceof rivers and the gentle cul-tivable hills made this areaparticularly suited to settle-ments back in Picenes andRoman times. The charmof the province of Fermovanishes among villagesand abbeys, the images ofthe face of the Virgin Maryby Carlo and VittoreCrivelli and the paintingsby Osvaldo Licini. Profes-sions that were thought tobe forever lost are found inthe Fermo area; qualityproducts and footwearmanufacturing is wide-spread. Nearly all of therelated industry is concen-trated in the capital wherethere are thousands ofsmall designer footwearfirms, designer shoes bythe major Italian and for-

eign designers. But theheart of the territory isFermo, an ancient Romancolony, later a Seigneury ofcastles and today a univer-sity town. The Theatredell’Aquila deserves a visit.

PROVINCE OFASCOLI PICENOThe Province of AscoliPiceno is bordered byrivers along the Adriaticcoast, to the north by RiverAso and to the south byRiver Tronto and to thewest by the Sibillini Moun-tains. Its total area isapproximately 1,228 Km2,and it has a population of213,586 inhabitants.Ascoli Piceno is the south-ernmost province of theMarche region. The landslopes down from theApennines to the sea withmountains and hills fromthe Sibillini mountains thatrise high to the south-west,delimiting the border withUmbria. The Ascoli side isinaccessible and for thisreason many toponyms ofthe area refer to hell. Thehills are made of brittlerocks, where the phenom-ena of erosion is frequent,sandstone, calanche cliffs,down to the gravel andsandy terraces by the sea.The capital city, even after

the Roman conquest,retained its name (AscoliPiceno) owing to its bondwith its founding fathers.The narrow and sandycoastline is full of seasideresorts of great touristicinterest such as SanBenedetto del Tronto, whi-ch has an important role inthe regional economy intourism, as well as in fish-ing activities with the con-sequent development ofthe frozen fish industry.The mild climate of Grot-tammare and Cupra Marit-tima has favoured thegrowth of rich tropical ve-getation and the develop-ment of the tourism indus-try. Among the typicalproducts are Olive Ascola-ne (fried olives stuffed withmeat), also marketed out-side the region.

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Art, History and Culture pro-vide the Marche region witha network of thematic itine-raries made up of places,times and absolutely uniquefeatures that make theregion an open-air muse-um, where big-name artistsappear: Raphael, CarloCrivelli, Giotto, Lorenzo Lot-to and Francesco di GiorgioMartini. Cities such as Ur-bino, rich in historical won-ders and the Holy House ofLoreto, the destination ofreligious pilgrimages, areimportant tourist attractions.

THEME ROUTESThe Architecture ofFrancesco di GiorgioMartiniFrancesco di Giorgio, anengineer and designer, leftadmirable civil, religiousand military architecture inthe Marche territory.

Giotto ItinerariesGiotto’s figurative modelsentered the Marche thanksto the Franciscans and theAugustinians who becamepromoters of new artisticachievements.

Paintings by Carlo CrivelliCarlo Crivelli was commis-sioned painting works in theMarche, in Camerino, Fa-briano, Ascoli Piceno, thattoday are largely preservedin major museums aroundthe world.

Paintings byLorenzo LottoThe Lotto itinerary is dividedamong various cities andtowns in the Marche thathouse masterpieces.

Fortresses and CastlesThe birth of autonomousmunicipalities gave a start tofortified military constructionwith the participation of well-known architects of the time.

International Gothicin the MarcheThe region was among thecapitals of figurative Gothicin Italy and in Europebetween the fourteenth andfifteenth centuries.

Monasticismin the Marche:Abbeys and MonasteriesIt is a journey back to theroots of European civiliza-tion to rediscover the phe-nomenon of Benedictinemonasticism.

Franciscan Itineraries inthe Marche RegionThe tours include stops inhistoric towns and villages inthe Marche where convents,churches and museums re-lated to the Franciscan ori-gins are found.

Ancient Librariesin the MarcheThe libraries are located inhistorical buildings. Theycontributed to the architec-tural, artistic and decorativedevelopment of the city.

The Places of the Order ofSan Filippo NeriThe Marche Region provid-

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Marche open-air MuseumGRAND TOUR. ART AND TRAVELLING

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ed fertile ground for the SanFilippo Neri movement inthe centuries-old relationswith Rome.

Andrea Vici. Architectand hydraulic engineerin the Marche in the18th CenturyThe guided tour illustratesand highlights the works ofthe architect Andrea Vici inthe socio-historical contextof the Marche.

Discover the art itineraries in theMarche in:

www.turismo.marche.it

DISCOVER THE MARCHEAND ITS MUSEUMS WITHTHE ‘MARCHE MUSEUMCARD’The dissemination of finearts is so widespread thatthe Marche truly deserves

the definition of “open-airmuseum”: 500 squares,more than 1,000 significantmonuments, more than 100art cities, 33 strongholds,106 castles, 15 fortresses,170 towers, numerous his-torical homes with gardens,many of which provide ac-commodation, thousands ofchurches of which 200 areRomanesque, 90 well-pre-served abbeys, 183 sanctu-aries, 34 archaeological sites,over 70 picturesque historicaltheatres. There is the highestdensity in Italy of mu-seums, art galleries andmuseum collections, about400 out of 239 municipalitiesand an impressive 315 li-braries, including the ancientHermitage of Fonte Avel-lana (Province PU), theOliveriana in Pesaro, or theone in Palazzo Leopardi in

Recanati (Province MC),not to mention the NationalGallery of the Marche inUrbino, a UNESCO Heri-tage City. The MarcheMuseum Card allows you tovisit museums and archaeo-logical sites, providing freeaccess to each without re-striction during openinghours. The Marche MuseumCard also provides dis-counts and special offersfor events and exhibitionsand other benefits in thearea of tourism and culture.The updated list of stipulatedagreements and their char-acteristics can be consultedin the “Strutture Conven-zionate”, Agreed Facilitiessection, or by calling thefreephone number 800439392 (Italy only).

www.cartamusei.marche.it

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From Gabicce Mare to SanBenedetto del Tronto thecoastal landscape of theMarche is ever-changing inshape and colour. The whitecliffs plunging down to thesea, the deep green of therolling hills on which ancientvillages rise and the ochre-coloured beaches areamazing. The urban land-scape of the numerous littletowns on the sea varies justas the scenery does. Whe-re the terrain allows it, thesettlements are laid out indifferent ways, often with adouble function, both defen-sive and commercial. Thehistorical borough of Mon-dolfo, with its extension onthe coast of Marotta, is atypical example of “two citiesin one”, representing theblending of two cultures,from land and sea. A differ-ent model, from sea to town,can be seen in Monte-marciano, founded by thecoastal inhabitants followinga fire in the fifth century. It istherefore often possible todistinguish among the coastalboroughs the “upper vil-lage”, well-protected by thewalls of a castle perchedhigh on a hill, which was theoriginal settlement and the“marina”, the flat land alongthe shore which was usually

developed at a later date forcommercial and residentialpurposes. This kind of com-posite pattern is typical ofthe medieval “castra” ofGabicce Monte (the ancient“Castellum Ligabitii”), Cas-teldimezzo and Fioren-zuola di Focara in theprovince of Pesaro andUrbino, like those of Fal-conara Alta north of Anconaand south of Sirolo andNumana. Recanati, Poten-za Picena and Sant’Elpidioa Mare on the other handare important little towns, afair distance from the sea,with “marine” which grewfrom simple mooring facili-ties along the coast intoports: Porto Recanati, PortoPotenza Picena and PortoSant’Elpidio.Civitanova Alta is a fasci-nating fortified boroughoverlooking the sea, whilenearby Porto San Giorgio,the ancient “Navale Firma-norum”, is divided into twoparts with the Castle and itssurrounding district aboveand the “marina” below,beyond the main road.Nearby is the splendid cas-tle of Torre di Palme,perched on a cliff with asheer drop to the sea.Other Picentes centres fol-low: Cupra Marittima and

Marano, Grottammare andGrottammare Alta and SanBenedetto del Tronto withits panoramic terrace domi-nated by the Torre deiGualtieri. As a defenceagainst such terrible ene-mies as pirates, corsairs,Turks and Saracens, about60 watchtowers were builtalong the coast of theMarche in the eighteenthcentury. They were placedat intervals of 3 km and usedsmoke signals during theday and fires at night to raisethe alarm. Of this complexsystem of communicationthere remain the beautifulTorre di Montignano, southof Senigallia, the Torre diPortonovo, in the bay of thesame name south of Anconaand the so-called TorreGuelfa at the mouth of theTronto at Porto d’Ascoli. TheTorre di Sant’Andrea atCupra Marittima, the Torredel Castello at Grottam-mare and the Torre deiGualtieri at San Benedettodel Tronto were also part ofthe whole system.

Download the brochure on the uppervillages above the sea from

www.turismo.marche.it

Living by the SeaHILL TOWNS BETWEEN NATURE AND CULTURE

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In the Marche there are 12 protectedareas: 2 national parks (Monti Sibilliniand Gran Sasso plus Monti della Laga),4 regional parks (Monte Conero, SassoSimone e Simoncello, Monte San Bar-tolo and Gola della Rossa plusFrasassi), 6 nature reserves (Abbadia diFiastra, Montagna di Torricchio, RipaBianca, Sentina, Gola del Furlo andMonte San Vicino plus MonteCanfaito), more than 100 protectedplant and flower areas and 15 state fo-rests.

PROTECTED AREASIn the Marche more than 90,000 hectaresof the territory, almost 10% of the region,are protected as parks and naturereserves, 15 state forests and more than100 protected plant and flower areas.Among the National Parks, that of theMonti Sibillini (50,000 hectares www.sibillini.net) has high mountains which aremostly over 2,000 m and reach 2,476 mwith Monte Vettore, and the legendaryMonte Sibilla (2,173 m) not far away. To thesouth the Monti Sibillini meet the NationalPark of the Gran Sasso and Monti dellaLaga (www.gransas-solagapark.it), whichis characterized by marly sandstone rocks,dense woodlands and wonderful waterfallslike the Volpara and the Selvagrande. TheRegional Park of Sasso Simone and Si-moncello (www.parcosimone.it), in theheart of Montefeltro, has beautiful walking

country with incredibly tall beech trees, realliving “patriarchs” of nature, while in theNature Reserve of Gola del Furlo(www.riservagoladelfurlo.it), the rocky wallsseem almost alpine and the rocky landscapeis quite spectacular. In the Park of MonteSan Bartolo (www.parcosanbartolo.it), bet-ween Gabicce Mare and Pesaro, the cliffscreate a wild landscape. In the province ofAncona, the Regional Park of MonteConero (www.parcodelconero.eu) has so-me enchanting spots with beautiful walkingroutes winding through the magicalMediterranean maquis. In the Gola dellaRossa plus Frasassi Regional Park(www.parcogolarossa.it) the river Sentinohas carved its course creating a complex

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system of underground caves known asthe Grotte di Frasassi. Here you can mar-vel at the little lakes, carved stalactitesand gigantic stalagmites crowned by themajestic Abisso Ancona which is over 240metres high. Near Jesi, on the RiverEsino, is the Nature Reserve of Ripa Bian-ca (www.riservaripabianca.it) with a typi-cal fluvial landscape, which is home to thebiggest flock of herons in the Marche.In the province of Macerata, the NatureReserve of Abbadia di Fiastra (www.abbadia-fiastra.net) preserves an agrarianlandscape which over the years has notlost its typically mediaeval landmarks,including historical Selva and the monu-mental abbey built by Cistercian monksin 1142, taking the ancient stones from

the Roman city of Urbs Salvia.The Nature Reserve of Torricchio(web.unicam.it/botanica) preserves a typi-cal landscape of the upper hills of theMarche and was designated a BiogeneticReserve by the Council of Europe.Recently reserves have been createdincluding the Sentina Nature Reserve(www.riservasentina.it) in San Benedettodel Tronto, north of the mouth of the RiverTronto, an interesting wetlands area ofgreat importance from a biological point ofview and for birdlife. There is also theMonte San Vicino plus Monte CanfaitoNature Reserve which covers 1,500hectares of land with protected plant andflower areas and biotypes of geologicaland landscape interest.

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A“Blue Flag” means not onlythat the sea is clean in thatarea, but also that many othercriteria have been met. Thesecriteria include the presence ofwater treatment plants, therecycling of urban waste, theorganisation of environmentalinitiatives such as limited trafficin urban areas, extensive pe-destrian areas, cycling lanes,courses on environmental edu-cation for young people andcare of the urban environment.In 2011 a total of 16 “BlueFlags” were assigned to theregion of the Marche: GabicceMare, Pesaro, Fano, Mon-dolfo (loc. Marotta), Senigal-lia, Ancona (loc. Portonovo),Sirolo, Numana, Porto Re-canati, Potenza Picena (loc.Porto), Civitanova Marche,Porto Sant’Elpidio, PortoSan Giorgio, Cupra Maritti-ma, Grottammare and SanBenedetto del Tronto.Among the tourist ports men-tioned are the Marina deiCesari in Fano, the tourist portof Numana, the marina ofPorto San Giorgio, Tiziano,the tourist port of San Bene-detto del Tronto and MarinaDorica ofAncona.

www.bandierablu.org

The “Orange Flag” is aquality award for tourismand the environment con-ferred by the Italian TouringClub. It is awarded to smallmunicipalities inland whichoffer outstanding servicesand hospitality. The townswith this award have fulfil-led strict criteria for the eva-luation of the protection ofboth the cultural and envi-ronmental heritage, hospita-lity, access to information,the availability and efficiencyof public transport, ac-commodation, catering andthe support of local opera-tors, wine and food quality,cultural entertainment andstreet furniture. 17 “OrangeFlags” fly in the region of theMarche: Acquaviva Pice-na, Camerino, Corinaldo,Gradara, Mondavio, Mon-tecassiano, Montelupo-ne, Monterubbiano,Ostra, Ripatransone, SanGinesio, Staffolo, Urbisa-glia, Genga, Mercatellosul Metauro, Pievebo-vigliana and Sarnano.

www.bandierearancioni.it

To be part of the club of“The most beautiful vil-lages of ItaIy” there areseveral structural require-ments, such as the archi-tectural harmony of theurban area, the quality ofboth private and publicbuildings and generalstandards with regard to thequality of life in the town interms of activities and publicservices. In the Marche 18villages have been admit-ted to this club: Cingoli,Corinaldo (EuropeanDestination of Excellen-ce in 2008 and officiallynominated “The mostbeautiful village of Italy”in 2007), Esanatoglia,Gradara, Grottammare,Matelica, Montecassia-no, Montecosaro, Monte-fabbri, Montefiore del-l’Aso, Montelupone, Mo-resco, Offagna, Offida,San Ginesio, Sarnano,Treia and Visso.

www.borghitalia.it

QUALITY BRANDS

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There are many opportunities to experiencethe Marche and to practice sport in a regionthat changes scenery and landscape injust a few kilometres. In a single day it ispossible to combine scuba diving, horse rid-ing or mountain bike excursions, or take partin a beach volley tournament and then tryfree climbing on the white cliffs near the sea.And if that is not enough, it is also possible totry canoeing, bowls, skating, flying, bowling,golf, potholing and archery. There are end-less opportunities to enjoy nature fully andto use your free time enjoyably, getting toknow other people and improving your fit-

ness. A deep relationship links the Marcheand sport. In some sports such as motorcy-cling, fencing, swimming, basketball, gym-nastics, volleyball and table-tennis, theMarche excels at an international level withchampions worthy of Olympic gold medals.This shows the dedication to competitivesport of a hardy people used to putting them-selves to the test. In our region sport repre-sents an opportunity for growth and anexcellent means of personal developmentand solidarity, because everyone, includingthe disabled, can practice any kind of sport.

ACTIVE HOLIDAYS AT THE BEACHBeach volleyball, cycling holidays, golf…there are many different possibilities tomake your seaside holiday in the Marcheenjoyable and fun. The great variety ofbeaches and their close proximity to hillsand mountains, allows the coast of theMarche to offer a wide variety of differentsports in a short space of time: fromscuba diving to horse riding or moun-tain biking, from beach volleyball tour-naments on the finest of sandy beachesto free climbing on the white cliffs plung-ing down to the Adriatic Sea.

HOLIDAYS IN THE HILLSFor anyone who enjoys walking and closecontact with nature, horse riding, canoe-ing, golf, fishing, jogging, mountain bik-ing, trekking… the hills of the Marche offerthe opportunity to do different kinds ofleisure activities immersed in the myriad

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colours of the cultivated fields or thegreen grass, beneath the blue sky with theview of the sea or in the shade of themountains rising not far away. Visiting theMarche is an ideal opportunity to keep fit,recharge your batteries or just have fun.

ACTIVE HOLIDAYS BY BICYCLEThe hilly landscape of the Marche slopesgently down to the Adriatic sea, immersedin nature with occasional small villages,castles and fortresses. Despite the slo-pes, one of the most enjoyable ways toexplore the region is by bicycle. It offersthe tourist the chance to appreciate thenatural beauty, the history and the art andto try the local wine and food specialities.Cycle tourism itineraries and bike hotels:

www.turismo.marche.it

www.bikesporthotels.comwww.gabiccemarebike.it www.pesarobike.itwww.happybike.itwww.picenobike.it

ACTIVE MOUNTAIN HOLIDAYSThe mountains in the Marche offer enthu-siasts of high peaks a unique experienceall year round. The white mountain peaksof the Apennines offer slopes that are idealfor winter sports. Spring encourages youto enjoy all the scents, sounds and coloursof fresh uncontaminated landscapes to beexplored during relaxing walks or in thethrill of rafting, white water canoeing orfree flight. The high peaks in the summeroffer coolness and well-being, while inOctober the smell of truffles, mulled wine

and chestnuts make you want to join thelocal mountain festivals.

www.turismo.marche.it

SKIING IN THE MARCHEIn winter it is possible to go skiing thanks tothe modern ski-lifts at Monte Catria inFrontone, Monte Nerone in Piobbico,Villagrande and Eremo Carpegna in Monte-copiolo, Sassotetto and Maddalena inSarnano, Pintura in Bolognola, Frontignanoin Ussita and Monte Prata in Castelsan-tangelo sul Nera, that give access to slopesof different difficulties and lengths. ForcaCanapine di Arquata del Tronto and MontePiselli are located further south in the areaof Ascoli. Lovers of cross-country skiingcan head to Piani di Ragnolo di Acqua-canina. Environments suited to more tech-nical disciplines such as ski-trekking andski-mountaineering are found in theMonti Sibillini.

www.scimarche.it

Province of Pesaro UrbinoMonte Catria at Frontone

www.montecatria.com

Monte Nerone at Piobbicowww. scioviemontenerone.it

Eremo Carpegna at Montecopiolowww.eremomontecarpegna.it

Province of MacerataSassotetto - Maddalena at Sarnano

www.sarnanoneve.it

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Pintura at Bolognolawww.lasibillina.it

Piani di Ragnolo at Acquacanina

Frontignanowww.ussita-frontignano.com

Monte Prata near Castelsantangelo sul Nera

Province of Ascoli PicenoForca Canapine near Arquata del Tronto

www.forcacanapine.com

Monte Piselli near Ascoli Piceno

HORSEBACK RIDINGGreen woods and hills with beautifulviews are the backdrop for experiencingthe thrill of horseback riding in the Marchecountryside. Horse riding is not only asport, but it is a way of getting in touchwith nature and the animal world, discov-ering their secrets in total freedom.There are many opportunities to try theseactivities ranging from small local ridingschools in the many holiday farms forpassing visitors, to the larger riding cen-

tres that offer quality courses and trekkingaccompanied by an “equestrian guide”.The Marche region is known for its eques-trian traditions, shown by the presence ofthree racecourses (San Marone in Civita-nova Marche, Martini in Corridonia andSan Paolo in Montegiorgio), the famousCarriage Museum of Macerata and theHistorical Harness Racing Museum ofCivitanova Marche next to the racecoursestables, with equestrian memorabilia,documents and trophies on display.

MOTOCROSS AND MOTORCYCLINGThe thrill you get from a motorbike, ridingon a road full of bumps and rises, trying to“take off” and then landing on the shockabsorbers is unique. On such occasions itis inevitable to feel your heart leap whileyou wait for the wheels to land safely onthe ground again. In the Marche it is pos-sible to try this in many locations with well-equipped facilities. Motocross is done onclosed circuits with natural surfaces (mo-todromes) approved by the Italian Motor-cycle Federation on the basis of specificsecurity regulations.

www.pistedellemarche.com/crossdromi.html

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The Marche, an ideal placefor relaxation, locatedbetween the ApennineMountains and the Adriaticcoast, and interspersedwith gentle, rolling hills andvalleys, is crossed by nu-merous rivers, parallel toeach other, that give rise towaterfalls and rapids, mar-king the territory with im-pressive gorges and spec-tacular canyons such asthose of Furlo, Burano,Rossa and Frasassi, Pio-raco, Fiastrone and theInfernaccio, just to name afew. The water, pure andcrystal clear, or muddy andboiling hot, with a rich loadof precious minerals, playsa key role giving rise to a

widespread thermal sys-tem throughout the territo-ry. A wide range of spasscattered from north tosouth provide waters withbeneficial and healingproperties for bottling andmaking hydropinic curesand aesthetic medicinetreatments. The thermalactivity, known as “waterculture”, now has a majorrole in modern medicineproving crucial in a keysector for health protec-tion: that of prevention.The spa-goers want tohave complete check-ups,fight stress and detoxifywhile taking care of theirphysical appearance. Forthis reason, the spas, while

maintaining the supply oftraditional therapies, arebecoming true wellnesscentres with solariums,gyms, whirlpool baths,aesthetic treatments andpools, which can turn theirholiday into a uniqueopportunity for the mainte-nance of psychophysicalwellbeing. The imperativebehind the success of theten spas scattered throu-ghout the region is that ofbringing people to ahealthy lifestyle. A trip tothe Marche is a journeyinto wellbeing, which herebecomes synonymous wi-th feeling good, good livingand attention to the qualityof life.

WELLNESS: THE SPAS

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The Terme di Monte Grimano are in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, in the townthat bears their name (www.montegrimanoterme.com), the Pitinum Thermae are inMacerata Feltria (www.pitinumthermae.com), the Terme di Raffaello in Petriano(www.termediraffaello.it) and the Terme di Carignano in Fano (www.termecarig-nano.it); seated in the province of Ancona are the Terme dell’Aspio in Camerano(www.termeaspio.it) and the Terme San Vittore in Genga (www.termesanvittore.it);the Terme Santa Lucia (www.termesantalucia.it) are in the province of Macerata,in Tolentino, and the Terme di Sarnano in the same locality that bears their name(www.termedisarnano.it); the Terme di Palme in Torre di Palme are in the provinceof Fermo, and the Nuove Terme di Acquasanta in Acquasanta Terme are in theprovince of Ascoli Piceno (www.termeacquasanta.it).

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The main road system is theA14 motorway, which links upto state and regional highways toreach the typical villages andinland towns, which are in turnconnected by an efficient net-work of bus services. The rail-way line is well-structured andorganised. A strategic role isplayed by the Raffaello Sanzioairport and the port of Ancona.For a brief overview, please con-sult the map and the relative keyon the cover of this brochure.

GETTING AROUNDTHE MARCHECar, bus, train, plane, boat...every means is good to move inthe Marche. A road network anda railway line connect the majortowns of the territory, allowingvisitors to move within a regionthat has retained the magic ofbeing known through its streetsand roads in an untouchedenvironment of rare beauty. Theregion’s panoramic roads climbup the mountains and then gen-tly descend towards the sea.The sinuous topography of theregion reminds the traveller thatthe spirit of the journey is not justto arrive at his destination asquickly as possible but also to lethimself be enchanted by thebeauty of the surrounding land-scape.

TRAVELLING BY CARIn the Marche, we go from northto south, and vice versa, alongthe A14 Bologna-Taranto tollMotorway or along the parallelSS16 Main Road. The provincialseats and the major cities canbe reached along roads that fol-low roughly parallel routes inlandfrom the sea.

TAKING THE BUSThe urban and suburban bussystem, in the Marche, is effi-cient and reaches the areas notserved by major road or raillinks. The Marche Region hascreated a website speciallydevoted to bus lines, that can beconsulted by users, with updatesand information on schedulesand destinations within individualprovinces.

www.trasporti.marche.it

About the area:Province of Pesaro and UrbinoFreephone 800 664332info@adriabus.euwww.adriabus.euProvince of AnconaTel. 071 2837468www.atmaancona.itProvince of MacerataFreephone 800 089410www.contrammobilita.itProvince of Ascoli PicenoTel. 0736 338028Freephone 800 443040info@startspa.itwww.startspa.it

Province of FermoFreephone 800 630715info@trasfer.euwww.trasfer.eu

RENTAL CARS ANDTAXI SERVICESRental facilities are provided inall major centres, at the airport ofFalconara Marittima, at the sta-tion of Ancona and in the provin-cial capitals. Taxis can be practi-cal and fast means to move inthe region. Here are the mainreferences:Falconara Marittimawww.ctftaxi.itAnconawww.taxi-ancona.itwww.noleggiailtaxi.itPesarowww.taxipesaro.itFanowww.radiotaxifanopu.comMacerataTel. 0733 240353Ascoli PicenoTel. 0736 42444FermoTel. 338 4920102

GETTING AROUND BY TRAINThe area of Macerata is servedby the Civitanova-Fabriano line;that of Fabriano by the Fabriano-Pergola line and the area ofAscoli Piceno by the SanBenedetto del Tronto-AscoliPiceno line. The train-bus inter-change is almost always in thestation yards, to reach placesthat are not connected by rail,

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THE MARCHE. Identification CardGETTING THERE AND GETTING AROUND THE MARCHE

such as Urbino (from Pesaro),Cagli (from Fabriano), Cingoli(from Jesi), Fermo (from PortoSan Giorgio), Arcevia (fromSenigallia) or Camerino (fromCastelraimondo).

www.ferroviedellostato.it

SEA TRAVELIt is possible to moor in the ninetourist ports distributed alongthe 180 km of the Marche coast-line. The province of Pesarohosts the tourist ports of GabicceMare, Pesaro and Fano; theprovince of Ancona the ones ofSenigallia, Ancona and Numana;the province of Macerata the oneof Civitanova Marche; theprovince of Fermo the one ofPorto San Giorgio and theprovince of Ascoli Piceno the portof San Benedetto del Tronto.

www.turismo.marche.it

Province of Pesaro and UrbinoBaia Marina di Vallugola ofGabicce Mare, Tel. 0541.967918also 0541.958134www.vallugola.comvallugola@gmail.comTourist port of PesaroTel. 0721.33420 (Main seat)Tel. 0721.400016 (Port office)Fax 0721.21711www.pesaro.guardiacostiera.itpesaro@guardiacostiera.it;Tourist port Marina dei Cesari ofFanoTel. 0721.801329Fax 0721.803681www.guardiacostiera.it/fanofano@guardiacostiera.it

Province of AnconaTourist port of SenigalliaTel. 071.64780Fax 071.7915266

senigallia@guardiacostiera.itTourist port of AnconaTel. 071.227581 - Fax 071.55393www.guardiacostiera.it/anconaancona@guardiacostiera.it;Tourist port of NumanaTel. and Fax 071.7360377numana@guardiacostiera.it

Province of MacerataTourist port of CivitanovaMarche, Tel. 0733.810395Fax 0733.815497civitanovamarche@guardiacostiera.it

Province of FermoTourist port of Porto San GiorgioTel. 0734.676304Fax 0734.676304portosangiorgio@guardiacostiera.it

Province of Ascoli PicenoTourist port Tiziano ofSan Benedetto del TrontoTel. 0735.586711Fax 0735.5867280sanbenedettodeltronto@guardiacostiera.it

TOURIST INFORMATIONwww.turismo.marche.it - websiteavailable in Italian, English andGermanFreephone 800 222111www.italy-marche.info - websiteavailable in Chinese andJapanese

LOOK AT AND LISTENTO THE MARCHEVideo “Marche, Land of Magic”with the Winx in English:http://www.sprintmarche.it

Video “Infinito Marche” (theDVD is also available inEnglish):

www.turismo.marche.it/tabid/762/Default.aspxAudio “Inno delle Marche”(Hymn of the Marche) byGiovanni Allevi:www.regione.marche.it/portals/0/inno.swf

ON LINE MATERIALThe online material in the pdfversion is available in Italian,English, German and French:www.turismo.marche.it/tabid/479/Default.aspx

TOURISTINFORMATIONOFFICESThe “Tourist Information Offices”(IAT - Uffici di Informazione eAccoglienza Turistica), scat-tered all over the Marche region,provide useful information onlocations, with the support of the“Proloco” and the Local TouristSystems.

Province of Ancona:

IAT CENTRE ANCONAVia della Loggia, 50 60121 AnconaTel. 071.358991Fax 071.3589912iat.ancona@regione.marche.it

IAT CENTRE FABRIANO Piazza del Comune, 460044 Fabriano (AN)Tel. 0732.625067Fax 0732.629791iat.fabriano@provincia.ancona.it

IAT CENTRE SENIGALLIAVia Manni, 760019 Senigallia (AN)Tel. 071.7922725Fax 071.7924930iat.senigallia@provincia.ancona.it

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IAT CENTRE LORETOVia Solari, 3 60025 Loreto (AN)Tel. 071.970276Fax 071.970020iat.loreto@provincia.ancona.it

Province of Pesaro e Urbino:

IAT CENTRE PESARO Viale Trieste, 16461121 PesaroTel. 0721.69341Fax 0721.30462iat.pesaro@regione.marche.it

IAT CENTRE URBINOVia Puccinotti, 35 61029 Urbino Tel. 0722.2613Fax 0722.2441iat.urbino@provincia.ps.it

IAT CENTRE GABICCE MAREViale della Vittoria, 4161011 Gabicce Mare (PU)Tel. 0541.954424Fax 0541.953500iat.gabicce@regione.marche.it

IAT CENTRE FANOVia Cesare Battisti, 1061032 Fano (PU)Tel. 0721.80353 Fax 0721.824292iat.fano@regione.marche.it

Province of Macerata:

IAT CENTRE MACERATAPiazza della Libertà, 8/9 62100 MacerataTel. 0733.234807Fax 0733.266631iat.macerata@provincia.mc.it

IAT CENTRECIVITANOVA MARCHECorso Umberto I, 19362012 Civitanova Marche (MC)

Tel. 0733.813967Fax 0733.815027 iat.civitanova@provincia.mc.it

IAT CENTRE SARNANOLargo Ricciardi, 162028 Sarnano (MC)Tel. 0733.657144Fax 0733.657343iat.sarnano@regione.marche.it

Province of Fermo:

IAT CENTRE FERMOPiazza del Popolo, 6 63023 FermoTel. 0734.228738Fax 0734.228325iat.fermo@provincia.fm.it

Province of Ascoli Piceno:

IAT CENTRE ASCOLI PICENOPiazza Arringo, 7 63100 Ascoli PicenoTel. 0736.253045Fax 0736.252391iat.ascoli@provincia.ap.it

IAT CENTRE S. BENEDETTODEL TRONTOVia Cristoforo Colombo, 5 63039 S. Benedetto del Tronto (AP)Tel. 0735.781179Fax 0735.573211iat.sbenedetto@provincia.ap.it

LOCAL TOURIST SYSTEMSThe enhancement and promotionof the territory in the fiveprovinces is also entrusted to the“Local Tourist Systems” (STL -Sistema Turistico Locale):

STL PESARO URBINO TURISMOViale Gramsci, 4 61121 PesaroTel. 0721.3592507 - 3592504Fax 0721.33930i.pucci@provincia.ps.itf.motta@provincia.ps.itwww.turismo.pesarourbino.it

STL MARCA ANCONETANAV.le Leopardi, 660019 Senigallia (AN)Tel. 071.6629434Fax 071.6629435info@marcaanconetana.it www.marcaanconetana.it

STL MARCA FERMANARegistered office: Via Oberdan, s.n.63017 Porto San Giorgio (FM)Operational office: P.zza Dante, 2263023 FermoTel. 0734.511197Fax 0734.221621segreteria@marcafermana.comwww.marcafermana.com

STL PICENOC.so Mazzini, 39 63100 Ascoli PicenoTel. 0736.2771 Fax 0736.277547a.zocchi74@gmail.comwww.provincia.ap.it

TOURIST WEBSITES OFTHE FIVE PROVINCESFor detailed information on toursand events, please visit thetourist websites provided by thefive Provinces:Province of Pesaro and Urbinowww.turismo.pesarourbino.itProvince of Anconawww.libertadivacanza.itProvince of Maceratawww.turismo.provinciamc.itProvince of Fermowww.provincia.fermo.it/servizi-on-line/turismoProvince of Ascoli Picenowww.provincia.ap.it

PRO LOCOThe “Pro Loco” are non-profitassociations, set up by volun-teers, which promote the flow of

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tourism, improve the quality oflocal tourist resources andenhance the environmental her-itage, promoting and organizingattractions for tourists, in cooper-ation with public and private bo-dies. The list of local touristoffices can be downloaded fromthe regional website

www.unplimarche.info

FRIENDLY MARCHE.ACCOMMODATIONA multi-faceted region, theMarche appears reticent andreluctant on one side and wel-coming and tourist-oriented onthe other. The tourists whochoose to spend holidays in theregion are offered a wide varietyof accommodation facilities,which aim to satisfy the needs ofeven the most demanding visi-tors: hotel and camper vanreception is most developed inseaside resorts, while farm holi-day houses, country-houses, his-toric residences and hotels areplentiful inland; in the mountains,visitors can stay in shelters andB&Bs are scattered throughoutthe region. Whether you choosea hotel or an alternative accom-modation, the hospitality serviceis attentively looked after, whichmeans attention to details, forpleasant and memorable staysfor guests. The Marche boasts936 hotels and well-advancedtourist residences, providedwith beauty farms and confe-rence rooms. 108 camp sitesand resorts with entertainmentand theme nights are locatedespecially on the coast.Approximately 1,038 B&Bs

account for an important seg-ment of the region’s tourist inte-grated supply. In a B&B you canbe given a friendly, favourablewelcome, thus bringing you clos-er to the culture of the Marche.Traditional dishes and breathtak-ing landscapes are offered bythe 709 farm holiday housesand the 252 country houses,where sport, cultural and wine-and-food courses are alsoorganized. In the villages and onthe hills, a variety of hotels pro-vide visitors with hospitality facili-ties, assistance, restoration andcommon areas. Guests areaccommodated in houses androoms that are located no morethan 200 metres from the “heart”of the main building, with thehotel reception, the commonareas and the restaurant. 207 rooms for rent are alsoavailable for those who wish toextend their holiday for studypurposes. 34 hostels are avail-able for teenagers and families.About 100 parking areas areavailable for the enthusiasts ofopen-air vacations; 15 sheltersare available in the mountainsand foothills for hikers; thosewho want to go back in time canstay in historic residences,castles and mansions; con-vents scattered all over the terri-tory offer their hospitality tothose more inclined to meditationand reflection.For the database of the accom-modation facilities present in theMarche:

www.turismo.marche.it

THE “OSPITALITÀ ITALIANA”SEALThe Marche Region has started tocooperate with the Provinces andthe Chamber of CommerceNetwork to enhance the qualityof the accommodation facilities,allocating regional Italian QualityTourism Seals to attract tourismon both the national and foreignmarket. The Italian QualityTourism Seal - Marche Regionproject has achieved considerablesuccess, involving a total of 142hotels, with the allocation of 112seals and has been extended toguarantee full accessibility anduse of facilities to tourists with dis-abilities. The seal also conveysinformation on important socialissues such as environmental pro-tection and sustainability on thebasis of the European UnionEco-label Scheme. Among otherthings, the aim of the seal is topromote sustainable actions, withan eye to enhancing the richnessand variety of the territory.

www.10q.it

GUIDED TOURSFor visitors eager to discover thebeauty of the Marche, a multi-faceted region, guided tour serv-ices are available throughout theregion providing experiencedguides who are fully qualifiedunder Regional Law No 4/96, aguide service in museums andexhibition areas, support andassistance to groups, hostessingat trade shows, conferences andcultural events, advice andassistance to tour operators andindividual guides, production ofstandard and theme routes forgroups, schools and individual

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travellers. The updated list ofguides is available on the provin-cial websites.

TOUR GUIDE ASSOCIATIONSOF THE MARCHE REGION

Tourist Guide AssociationAnconaVia Martiri della Resistenza, 6860125 AnconaTel. 071.2801161Fax 071.2801161 Mobile 346.0864725info@anconaguide.comwww.anconaguide.com

Association of NaturalisticTour Guides, Area of PicenoAscoli PicenoTel. 0736.341945 info@picenoguide.itwww.picenoguide.it

AGAP – Association ofAuthorized Guides,Area of PicenoVia E. Totti, 463100 Ascoli Piceno Tel. 0736.261171Fax 0736.261171info@agap.itwww.agap.ap.it

Provincial AssociationTourist ProfessionsConfcommercioStrada delle Marche, 5861100 PesaroTel. 0721.698261Fax 0721.69559ascom@ascompesaro.it

Isairon - Tourist GuidesProvince of Pesaro and UrbinoViale Venezia, 87 - 61121 PesaroMobile 338.2629372info@isairon.itwww.isairon.it

Federagit MarcheVia Giuseppe Mazzini, 5561029 UrbinoTel. 0722.2584Fax 0722.327777 domenico.passeri@confesercentipu.itcarlarossi.urbino@libero.it

Guide AssociationUrbino Ducale61029 UrbinoTel. 0722.350310info@guideurbino.itwww.guideurbino.it

Association M.A.G.I.A.Abbadia di Fiastra, 362010 Urbisaglia (Mc)Tel. 0733.33081Fax 0733.33081info@magiaguide.comwww.magiaguide.com

USEFUL TELEPHONENUMBERS

SAFETY AND SECURITYCivil Defence Service,Marche Region: 840 001111Health Emergency Service: 118Road Emergency Service,ACI: 116Police Rescue Service: 113Carabinieri EmergencyService: 112Fire Emergency Service: 115Environmental Emergency,State Forestry Corps: 1515Financial Police Service: 117Road Safety InformationCoordination Centre, CCiSS: 1518

PHARMACIES, PHYSICIANSON CALL AND HOSPITALSPharmacies have similar open-ing hours to businesses, from

9am to 1pm and from 4pm to8pm. In seaside resorts, openingextends to the evening with fes-tive closing rounds. Informationon pharmacies on duty (nightsand holidays) can be found atthe same pharmacies.The medical service ensuresbasic health care at home for sit-uations that are urgent andwhich occurs at night and onSundays and public holidays. Insummertime, an on-call medicalservice is provided to tourists.

www.salute.marche.it

INFORMATIONMarche Region press releasesand a web TV service are avail-able on the Region’s official web-site www.regione.marche.it.Three main newspapers areprovided throughout the region:Corriere Adriatico(www.corriereadriatico.it),Il Messaggero(www.ilmessaggero.it)and il Resto del Carlino(www.ilrestodelcarlino.it/).

INTERNET POINT AND WI-FI(CAPITAL CITIES)

AnconaInternet point Vip pointVia Carducci 6/cTel. 071 203009

Ascoli PicenoInternet point at Libreria CattolicaPiazza ArringoTel. 0736 259679

UrbinoInternet pointSala Giochi Big BenCorso Garibaldi, 31Tel. 0722 2266Wi-Fi available in the city centre.

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Passwords must be requestedat the Secretariat of theUniversity of Urbino

PesaroInternet point Sala GiochiGalassia, Via Napoli 89 Internet point TelephonyDiscount, Via Leopardi 7 (next toP.le Carducci) Tel. 0721/65662Internet point Max 3DInternet & GamesVia Passeri 177Tel. 0721.35122

Wi-Fi available at the municipallibrary San Giovanni, Via Passeri102 Tel. 0721.387770

MacerataInternet point Via 4 novembreTel. 0733.080068Internet Point Piazza Mazzini

Wi-Fi available at the café inPiazza della Libertànext to the town hall of Macerata

FermoInternet point at the libraryin Via Sabbioni Tel. 0734.284310 Wi-Fi available in Piazza delPopolo - passwords available atthe town hall

ITALIAN LANGUAGE COURSESA number of Italian languagecourses are organized all overthe Marche region.

www.turismo.marche.it

CONGRESSESHigh-profile conference centresare spread throughout theregion. Conferences and semi-nars are often hosted in histori-cal theatres.

www.turismo.marche.it

AMUSEMENT PARKSAND SHOWS FORCHILDREN ANDYOUNG PEOPLE

The Marche Region offers awide selection of entertainmentvenues, with different proposalsfor all visitors: from water parksto children’s playgrounds, fromzoo theme parks to historicaland natural museums.

Grotte di FrasassiConsorzio Frasassi Largo Leone XII 160040 Genga (AN)Tel. 0732.90090 – 90080grotte@frasassi.com www.frasassi.com

Parco Zoo FalconaraVia Castello di Barcaglione, 1060015 Falconara Marittima (AN)Tel. 071.911312Fax 071.912463parcozoofalconara@libero.itwww.parcozoofalconara.com

KinderlandLocated in CotalineMonte Catria61040 Frontone (PU)Tel. 0721.786107montecatria@gmail.comwww.montecatria.comwww.asmontecatria.com

Museo del Balì Located in San Martino61030 Saltara (PU)Tel. 0721.892390Fax 0721.896611info@museodelbali.orgwww.museodelbali.org/

Holiday Centre Verde AzzurroLocated in S. Faustino62011 Cingoli (MC)Tel. (in summer) 0733.615262(in winter) 0733.570035Fax (in summer) 0733.615309(in winter) 0733.400191info@verdeazzurro.itwww.verdeazzurro.it

Malibù AcquaparkVia Scarfiotti, 4762017 Porto Recanati (MC)Tel. 071.9798567vacanzemare@vacanzemare.com

Water Park EldoradoPiani di Apiro (MC)Tel. 0733.611432www.parcoeldorado.com

Park of the Dinosaurs“Le Pietre del Drago”Located in Felceto62024 Matelica (MC)info@lepietredeldrago.itwww.lepietredeldrago.it

The Children’s Art Museum(Museo Pinacoteca dell’artedei bambini)Via A.C. Nobili, 163020 Smerillo (FM)Tel. 0734.79423info@smerillo.comwww.smerillo.com/bamby/benvenuto.html

STAGE PERFORMANCESFOR CHILDREN ANDTEENAGERSInformation on stage perform-ances for children and teenagersavailable at:www.cultura.marche.it

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THE MARCHEFOR THE YOUNG

YOUTH HOSTELSAmong the existing forms ofaccommodation in the Marcheregion, the youth hostels are cer-tainly among the favourite, andnot only by young people.Although they are commonlyreferred to as youth hostels, theyare actually open to everyone. Anumber of hostels also providefamily rooms at attractive pricescompared with other accommoda-tion facilities. The Marche regionhas a total of 34 hostels: 10 inthe province of Ancona, 8 in theprovince of Pesaro and Urbino, 6in the province of Ascoli Picenoand 8 in the province of Macerata

www.turismo.marche.it.

YOUTH AGGREGATIONCENTRESThe Youth AggregationCentres (Centri diAggregazione Giovanile) arespecific spaces that includespeakers and animators, whereeducational, recreational, sport,art and cultural activities are car-ried out to foster and promotethe socialization of children andteenagers; the activities are car-

ried out on a public, private orself-managed basis, with theactive participation of young peo-ple. The centres are spreadthroughout the Marcheprovinces. For information,please visit the “websites of thefive provincial governments”.

YOUTH INFORMATIONCENTRESThe Youth Info Centres (the so-called Informagiovani) aremunicipal or provincial centresthat offer free services of va-rious kinds to young people.Young people can find informa-tion support for their training andprofessional courses, to betterorganize their leisure time, theirvacation in Italy and abroad or toengage in social activity and vo-lunteering.A list of the existing“Informagiovani” centres in theMarche, broken down intoprovinces, head offices and rela-tive contact information can befound in the section “YoungPeople in the Marche”, on thewebsite: www.pogas.marche.it.

CONCERTS - DISCOSThe Marche is a double-sidedregion as to concerts and enter-

tainment. In summer, the maincentres of attraction for livemusic are along the coast, withchalets particularly active formJune to September. In winter, thehinterland offers the best oppor-tunities to listen to good music.All provinces are extremely lively.Many facilities host major con-certs in the region with interna-tionally renowned artists per-forming in such places as sportsarena or convention centres.There are also several alterna-tive clubs where music showsare combined with tastings ofwine and typical products of theregion. Night entertainment issynonymous with discos andmore … The new generationclubs have abandoned the oldconcept of the disco, expandingtheir range of offerings with livemusic, shows, concerts andcabarets. Aperitif, dinner anddance have become the keyingredients of a 360-degreeentertainment capable of satisfy-ing everyone’s wishes. For infor-mation on concert schedulesand nightlife, contact the munici-pal and provincial info pointsscattered throughout the Marcheregion.

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DISCOVERING THE MARCHE REGION

MARCHE Italy’s Land of Infinite Discovery

GeographyThe ClimateMountains and PassesThe Gentle HillsThe CoastThe Magic of the Water. The Rivers and Valleys, the Caves of Frasassi and the GorgesLakes

The History of a time-honoured Region

Culture, the Heart of the Marche “Brand”

Archaeological Marche

Medieval Marche

Fortresses, Castles and Villas

The Marche of the Seigneuries.From International Gothic to the Renaissance

Illustrious Personalities and Museum Houses

Skilful Hands

Marche Taste. Food and Wine

TraditionsReligious FestivitiesPagan Feasts and CarnivalHistorical Pageants

VISITING THE MARCHE REGION

Marche Travel: Tourism using all five Senses

The many Marvels ofUrbino, a Unesco City Recanati and LeopardiLoreto and the “Santa Casa”Basilica of San Nicola da TolentinoNational Park of the Monti Sibillini and the Myth of the SybilThe Hearts of the Marche. Art CitiesThe Caves of FrasassiS. Maria di Chiaravalle in Fiastra,Fonte Avellana and the great Abbeys of the Marche Region

Living in the Territory.Discovering the Provinces of the Marche Region

Marche open-air MuseumGrand Tour. Art and TravellingDiscover the Marche and its Museumswith the “Marche Museum Card”

Living by the Sea. Hill Towns betweenNature and Culture

Living in Nature. Parks and protected Areas,between Nature and CultureProtected Areas

Quality Brands

Active Holidays in the MarcheActive Holidays at the BeachHolidays in the HillsActive Holidays by BicycleActive Mountain HolidaysSkiing in the MarcheHorseback ridingMotocross and Motorcycling

Wellness: the Spas

THE MARCHE. IDENTIFICATION CARD

Getting there and getting around the Marche

Getting around the MarcheTravelling by CarTaking the BusRental Cars and Taxi ServiceGetting around by TrainSea Travel

Tourist InformationTourist Information OfficesLocal Tourist SystemsTourist Websites of the five ProvincesPro Loco

Friendly Marche. Accommodation The “Ospitalità Italiana” Seal

Guided Tours

Useful Telephone Numbers

Amusement Parks and Shows forChildren and Young People

The Marche for the Young

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Contribution to the translation: Anna Maria BarbadoriWith the cooperation of: Andrea Giordani

Free Distribution, Edition 2011