Area: 9694 square kilometres
Population: 1,542,000
Regional capital: Ancona (pop. 100,000)
Main cities: Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, Pesaro and Urbino
Main lakes and rivers: River Tronto, River Metauro, River Chienti, River Esino, River Foglia, River Potenza
Main mountains: Vettore ( 2476m), Catria (1701m), Pennino (1570m), Carpegna (1415m), Conero (572m), Monti Sibillini
Make up of landscape:mountains: 31%, hills: 69%,
Main industries: agriculture:agriculture: 10%, industry: 37% other (including tourism): 53%
Le Marche Weather: The weather in Le Marche depends on where you are. In the interior it’s influenced by the mountains with cold, snowy winters and fresh summers. Near the coast it’s milder in the winter.
Le Marche’s western side borders the Apennines and the hinterland is hilly then gently extends to the coast. The Sibillini mountains and National Park are to the south west. In short, the area is a mix of mountains and hills which some short rivers and 11 valleys thrown in for good measure. The flat coastal area doesn’t have any special geological features, except for the rocky spur of Monte Conero around the regional capital of Ancona. Until recently, Marche felt relatively isolated geographically and if travelling north to south through the mountains, you really only have a choice of a few not particularly good roads through the passes. Most of Marche’s residents live in the flatter part of the region near the coast, the hinterland has quite a sparse population.
Inhabited since 6000 BC, many different peoples lived in Le Marche in ancient times, including the Piceni, Gauls and Greeks. The region came under Roman rule from the 3rd century BC and was then divided up between the Byzantines and the Longobards and in the 7th century AD was split into the ‘marche’ of Ancona, Camerino and Fermo. In medieval times the countryside was ruled over by a succession of feudal lords whilst along the coast independent maritime republics developed. The most powerful of these was Ancona which rivalled Venice for control of the Adriatic. From the 10th century until the Renaissance there was an ongoing struggle between the Holy Roman Emperors and the Popes for control of the region, with numerous changes of power between the ruling families, including the Borgias. In 1500 Marche entered its golden period, being ruled by the House of Montefeltro in Urbino. Federico the second Duke of Urbino whose patronage of artists, architects and the like ensured Marche became the centre of High Renaissance culture. Although the larger cities like Urbino changed hands several times, the smaller ones built walls around themselves and strengthened their defences. One of the features of Le Marche today is its 100 walled towns. In 1860, Le Marche was annexed to the newly created Kingdom of Italy. The region has many festivals and costumed events which hark back to its colourful past. Some famous figures from Le Marche include painter Raffaelo Sanzo (Raphael), the writer Giacomo Leopardi and the composer Giocchino Rossini.
Let’s start with an interesting fact. Ancona is the only Italian town where the sun rises and sets in the sea! It was founded by the Greeks and is a major Adriatic port with ferries to Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Crete, Turkey and Albania. Although Ancona was heavily bombed in the Second World War, which destroyed some of its medieval centre, it is still an interesting place to visit. Its main sights include the beautiful 12th century Romanesque Duomo San Ciriaco. This stands on Mount Guasco, on the site of a former temple of Venus and inside the cathedral are ten columns attributed to this temple. The Duomo was restored in the 1980s and gives you a great view of the whole of Ancona and the sea. The Loggia dei Mercanti is a 15th century hall by Giorgio Orsini intended for merchants’ meetings, while the Church of Santa Maria della Piazza is a little 10th century Romanesque church with a lovely façade.
Ascoli Piceno lies in the south of Marche and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. It was built on the Roman site of Asculum Picenum and the town retains the original Roman layout and has many Roman and medieval buildings. It is not ‘pretty pretty’ in the sense of many Tuscan towns, but has its own charm. The main square the Piazza del Popolo is surrounded by Renaissance arcades and Gothic buildings. The square is considered to be one of Italy’s finest and, as befits its name, is a popular meeting place for locals. It is also the scene of the famous ‘Quintana’ parade on the first Sunday in August where more than a thousand inhabitants of the town dress in traditional Renaissance costume. This parade is followed by the famous ‘Quintana’ where six knights, one for each of the six neighbourhoods of the town compete in palios and jousting tournaments. There are many street cafes to while away the hours, and admire Ascoli’s fifty towers, all that remain of the supposed 200 towers built during the Middle Ages.
If you have heard of the walled city of Macerata, then it is probably because of its famous international open-air opera festival in July with performances held in the huge 19th century Sferisterio Arena. Originally a Roman settlement, Macerata sits on a hill, south of Ancona, between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. Macerata’s historic centre lies within the city’s walls and its Piazza della Libertà lies at the very heart of the old town, the old streets radiating from it full of Baroque and Renaissance buildings, the most spectacular of these is the Loggia dei Mercanti with its double tiered arcades. The finest palazzi lie along the Corso Matteotti, while the Piazza Vittorio Veneto is home to the town’s civic museum and art gallery.
KThis thriving seaport and seaside resort lies on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the River Foglia and is capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino. With attractive wide streets and a medieval centre, Pesaro is an important furniture making town too although it was once a leading ceramics manufacturing centre, producing brightly coloured maiolica. Pesaro holds an annual opera festival dedicated to its most famous son the composer Gioacchino Rossini. The Rossini Opera festival takes place every summer (August) as does the Pesaro Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema - June). You can visit the composer’s house in via Rossini in the town and further along can marvel at the town’s cathedral with its amazing mosaic floor. In the civic museums in Piazza Toschi Mosca there is a fabulous collection of pottery and ceramics, including examples from the Renaissance. Another museum worth visiting is the archaeological museum in via Mazza which houses some relics of Pesaro’s Roman past. Not to be forgotten is one of the town’s main attractions the seaside with its relatively quiet beaches and range of great eating places.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this is another of Le Marche’s many walled cities. Set on a hillside, it still retains much of its medieval atmosphere and it is easy to imagine yourself back to the time of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino from 1442 to 1482. He was responsible for the city becoming a Renaissance centre for the glitterati of the day and his legacy is such that the city is counted as one of the most important in Italy for Renaissance art and architecture. The city Federico built has changed very little since then. Make sure to visit the groundbreaking and beautiful Palazzo Ducale, the building that set the benchmark for all other Renaissance palazzi that came afterwards. Overlooking the valley to the west, this massive, fortress-like building is adorned with the Montefeltro family crests and coats of arms as well as the letters F.D. – Federico Dux. Inside the Palazzo is the Marche National Gallery which has works by Piero della Francesca and, of course, Raphael, who was born in the city. You can visit the house where he was born and lived until he was 14 in via Raffaello. The Strada Panoramica which begins from Piazza Roma does what is says on the tin, giving you panoramic views of the lower town, the Palazzo Ducale and the cathedral.
You have several options, with airports at Ancona, Forli and Bologna (British Airways and Alitalia go to Bologna daily). Ryanair operate out of Ancona and Bologna Forli from Stansted, London.
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