The Marches

Le Marche, Italy in one region

Sssshhh, can you keep a secret?

There is one region that the crew of  "KiiiU.com" is a bit extra-specialized in. Marche is like a dear old friend to us.

More and more people find their way to this region and we cannot help the pang of jealousy with which we watch the enthusiastic visitors. But obviously the joy of sharing a special place shouts it down.

Marche consists of a strip of land, tightly embraced by Tuscany and Umbria on the West and by the Adriatic Sea on the East. Matter of fact is that this small region is blessed with the best that Italy has to offer.

The inland is a perfect mix of snow clad mountains and eccentric hills and the coast shows of picturesque bathing resorts like a string of pearls.

Marche is also a paradise on Earth for us food lovers. The cuisine varies as the landscape. The coastal area serves fish dishes like nowhere else and the inland area all the specialities of the mountains: truffles, mushrooms and wild asparagus with local fine wines.

There are plenty of historical sights worth mentioning. In our Top Ten list, there are, for instance, Urbino, the birth town of Raffael and one of Europe's most dynamic cultural centres during Renaissance; the medieval Fabriano with its tradition of 700 years of making paper; and Loreto, a little town that each time of the year welcomes tons of tourist thanks to the appearances of Holy Mary.

On the South of the regional capital, Ancona, lies Monte Conero with its slopes which melodramatically fall into the turquoise water. Do not tell anyone, but this mountain hides small beaches with bright white sand and caves in its crevices.

From the square (Piazza) in charming Sirolo, a town virtually clinging to Monte Conero, one can overlook the entire coast and, on clear days, have the chance to see all the way to Croatia.

Down South in Marche there are the “Monti Sibillini”, with peaks as high as 2000 m above the sea level and a touch of the alpine flora and fauna. Here, it is still possible to ski in late spring and during summer the area is a never ceasing source of adventure sports and trekking routes.

Have you not been to Marche yet?
Go, you have a new friend waiting for you.