Italy Guide
Marche
Lying between the Apennines and the Adriatic, Marche (sometimes anglicized as The Marches) is a varied region, and one you could spend weeks exploring. The most appealing – and best known – of its sights are the small hilltop town of Urbino, with its spectacular Renaissance palace, and the dramatic fortress of San Leo, just across the border from San Marino. Further south, Macerata is a sleepy university town surrounded by lovely countryside, and, right on the regional border, the fascinating city of Ascoli Piceno is a worthy stop-off on the way into Abruzzo.
Of Marche's old-fashioned and slightly forgotten seaside resorts, Pésaro is the largest, with a Renaissance centre maintaining its dignity behind the package-tour seafront. For more interesting sunning and swimming, head south of Ancona to the Cónero Riviera, a dramatic stretch of coast, with small beaches nestling beneath the craggy cliffs of Monte Conero. San Benedetto del Tronto has 6km of sand, five thousand palm trees, and numerous discos, but is not exactly a happening place compared with say Rimini.
Highlights
1 Urbino "Ideal city" and art capital created by Federico da Montefeltro, the ultimate Renaissance man.
2 Macerata and the road to Sarnano Catch a summer opera in this appealing old university town before driving south through some of central Italy's most beautiful countryside.
3 Monti Sibillini A hiker's mountain paradise.
4 Ascoli Piceno Interesting food and architectural gems in this relatively undiscovered medieval town.
Read more ▼
- Sight(s) ▼
- City/Town ▼
- Region(s) ▼