General Information

Le Marche (mär´ka) region is located in central Italy , extending from the eastern slopes of the Apennines to the Adriatic Sea. The region enjoys a very varied landscape. Le Marche has a population of 1.5 million people and it has an area of around 10,000 sq km. The majority of the territory is made up of undulating hills and mountains. It also has around 200 km of beautiful coast. Ancona is the capital of the region, which is divided into the provinces of Ancona , Ascoli Piceno , Macerata, and Pesaro e Urbino.

There are hundreds of ancient medieval boroughs, enchanting towns with beautiful and ancient churches. In this region is to be found the district (network of small industries) of the shoes in Porto S.Elpidio, where 90% of Italian shoes are made. You can also find the musical instruments district of Castelfidardo and the world famous paper making area of Fabriano. There is an old Italian saying that sayse: "Rather a death in the family than a Marchesian at the door", this because the people of Le Marche were historically papal tax collectors. Statistics say that in this region, people live longer that anywhere else in Italy, and the quality of life is high. In the Marche hill towns, front door keys or car keys still sit trustingly in their locks. Marchesians are great meat eaters, particularly pork.

You cannot miss la porchetta ( roasted whole pig stuffed with wild fennel, rosemary, and garlic). Other specialties include olive alla Ascolana (deep fried olives filled with ground meat), piccione ripieno (Stuffed pigeon), coniglio in porchetta (rabbit cooked with fennel), vincisgrassi (a kind of lasagna) and agnello scottadito (charcoal-grilled Lamb), ciauscolo (soft spread salami), brodetto all'anconetana (a wonderfully rich and filling fish soup), polenta (the most original is the soft version which is poured onto a huge wooden board, and seasoned with a meat sauce, with everyone at the table eating from this common dish). Aperitivi is a serious affair in Italy and in the Marche, and you should experience one in a local bar. In the late afternoon, you should head to the "corso" (the high street) and enjoy the "passeggiata or vasca" where men and women people watch and show off their new clothes. Come to Marche if you want to enjoy the "simple life" and discover the real provincial life of Italy .

Park and Reserves

In the southwest of the region, you can find the National Park of Monti Sibillini , an impressive and treeless national park. There are other national parks like Monte conero park around Ancona , Sasso Simone and Simoncello, Monte San Bartolo and Gola della Rossa e Frassassi.