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'INSIDER TIPS' | |
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In Vino Veritas Verdicchio wine is the pride and joy of the Le Marche, one of Italy's best-known dry whites. It's an ideal accompaniment to the Adriatic's fish, or just drink it alone as an aperitivo. Especially good ones to look out for are Verdicchio di Matelica and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, both of which are D.O.C. (Denominazione d'Origine Controllata - the equivalent of the French A.C.,Appellation Contrôlée). For red wines seek out the deliciously perfumed Rosso Conero made from the Montepulciano grape, from the Conero peninsula, also the Sangiovese dei Colli Pesaresi from the Pesaro area.
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Holidays in Le Marche
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The lesser-known Marche (pronounced mahr-key) region is in the calf of Italy's long, tapering boot, next to the 'Chiantishire' of Tuscany and Umbria. Here towns are on a human scale where life is slow and gentle and where the shining star is Urbino - the model of courtly life.
Those in the know come to The Marches in search of authentic Italy, set in a rural idyll of snow-capped peaks, rolling hills and meadows cloaked with olive groves and vineyards, charming old villages and plenty of splendid walking and hiking country. With an Adriatic coastline of 180 kilometres there are beaches for everyone - from the big, lively seaside centres such as Pesaro, the region's provincial capital, to the smaller resorts, such as pretty Sirolo on the Conero peninsula.
'On the slopes of the Apennines, almost in the centre towards the Adriatic, is situated the little city of Urbino'. This jewel of a renaissance city remains little changed from the days when Duke Federico of Montefeltro set up his celebrated court here in the late 15th century. Urbino's rose-coloured buildings are bathed in golden light high up among the mountains as if in a time warp.
Just to the south is the courtly little town Cagli, framed by the twin peaks of Monte Acuto and Monte Catria, some of the highest peaks in the northern Marches - an unspoiled wilderness with views to sigh for. Cagli's fame dates back over two thousand years when it was an important staging post on the Via Flaminia, one of Ancient Rome's most travelled roads. You can still see the Roman grid plain in the town today where all roads lead to the central piazza.
Big, bustling Ancona is the administrative capital of Le Marche whose charms are less obvious, but this salty town is among Italy's most important ferry ports with regular boat crossings to Turkey, Greece and Croatia. And, while most of Italy's Adriatic coastline is flat, venture just south of Ancona to be delighted by the high limestone mountain, Monte Conero that plunges to the sea. Cradled beneath are a handful of delightful little beach resorts that make up the Conero Riviera - Portonovo, Numana and deliciously pretty Sirolo.
At the southern end of the region, Ascoli Piceno is a handsome old town where the marble-paved central piazza is among Italy's most beautiful. Another of the main centres is Macerata, famous for its annual outdoor opera festival and opera lovers should also make a beeline for the Rossini Opera Festival at Pesaro.
Fresh, finest ingredients are the hallmarks of marchigiano food and official statistics reveal that the locals eat more charcoal-grilled meat than any other Italians. But the cucina tipica also includes freshly gathered funghi,(mushrooms) game, nuts, field herbs and truffles. Fish lovers,too, will find delight in the bounty of the sea from the Adriatic where a speciality is brodetto - a rich stew made of 13 species of fish - no less and no more. Pasta dishes include spaghetti allo scoglio (on the rocks), liberally dressed with seafood. Buon appetito!