Marche Experience

Duomo: the church of Santa Maria dell’Assunta in Cielo is the cathedral with Gothic architectural elements conferring the typical austerity of the Romanesque period. Its structure is lightened by the facade covered with pale Istrian stone. Cisterne Romane: built around 40 A.D. represent one of Italy’s best preserved archaeological sites, a desired and fascinating tourist destination. In perfect conditions and of impressing dimensions, it is placed among the largest archaeological sites of Europe. Piazza del Popolo: situated between two magnificent rows of loggias is a place of extraordinary beauty and architectural charm. Here stands the Palazzo dei Priori, seat of the city Hall and of the municipal art gallery and house of the Sala del Mappamondo.

The city of Sant’Elpidio a Mare stands on a hill overlooking the valleys of the rivers Chienti and Tenna and it is a centre of historical and cultural testimonies. Its origins, uncertain and controversial, have been dated back to the ancient Roman city of Cluana (from the name of the river Cluentum, nowdays Chienti), destroyed by the Goths in the year 410 A.D. The central nucleus is from the XI century and evolves around what was called Castello di Sant’Elpidio (Castle of Sant’Elpidio) situated in the territory of one of the largest and powerful Benedictine Abbey of the Marche Region, Santa Croce al Chienti. The Abbey, according to the legend, was founded by the knight Lotario from Ascoli, in love with Imelda, to expiate the killing of her father who was obstructing their love. The will to promote the huge productive heritage and so to safeguard an essential part of the city’s history has found the right recognition in an important exhibition space, inside the ancient convent of the Filippini friars, in the city centre, entirely dedicated to the Museo della Calzatura (Museum of the Footwear).

Torre di Palme, from the top of the hill overlooking the coast, offers to the visitors a unique sight of the sea and of the underlying towns. The town is particularly suggestive and if you are in the Marche region it absolutely deserves your visit! Please walk in the alleys overflowing with flowers during the beautiful season. From the panoramic terrace you can look out to the sea or discover the hiking trails stretching inside the dense vegetation in the grove of Cugnolo surrounding Torre di Palme.

Offida is another of Italy’s most beautiful town, of ancient origin, imbued with strong folkloristic traditions of handcrafts, food and wine. The craftsmanship is led by the merletto a tombolo, (bobbin lace) a refined and precious art carried on by the women of Offida. Seated near the house door, they move the spindles with surprising manual skill realising incredible weaving of flowers and animals. During Carnival, which in Offida starts on 17th January, the day of Saint Anthony, the people are involved in many traditional events and gather in the square and in the streets of the historic centre to attend among these: La Domenica degli Amici (Sunday with Friends), La Domenica dei Parenti (Sunday with Relatives), i Veglionissimi (Big Dance Parties) at the Serpente Aureo Theatre, Lu Bov fint( the fake ox) and the parade of Vlurd (revelry).

Member of the club “i borghi più belli d’Italia” (the most beautiful old towns of Italy), Moresco is a little jewel set in the midst of the hills of the province of Fermo. From the peak of its hill, you catch the sight of a wonderful landscape with the light blue background of the Adriatic Sea, 8 km as the crow flies. Tight inside the medieval walls, the historic centre is a built up area of characteristic alleys to be discovered and where you find the heptagonal Torre dell’Orologio (clock tower) and the Piazza Castello (castle square). The Sanctuary of Madonna della Salute is located about a hundred meters before Moresco.

Macerata preserves the traces and documents of three thousand years of history and it is marked by the memory of the past and of the civilisations that have formed its present shape. The territory’s archaeological areas preserve under our feet the vestiges of prehistoric settlements and of Piceni, Romans and Barbarians civilisations. The historic centres talk to us of the Middle Age; the places of cult preserve the highest examples of Gothic painting of the Marche Region. The Renaissance is told by the painters from Camerino Giovanni Boccati and Girolamo di Giovanni, the Sixteenth Century by Lorenzo Lotto and the painters of Caldarola. The Sferisterio was built thanks to the “generosity of a hundred associates” of Macerata for the game of palla col bracciale (ball ( sphaera) with the bracelet), a fashionable sport in the Marche from 1500’s to mid 1800’s. Since 1967, every summer, the Stagioni Liriche dello Sferisterio (lyric operas) recall the most demanding audience to applaud original proposals and prestigious casts in a cheerful structure, monumental but intimate that guarantees perfect viewing and excellent acoustics.

Straddling two regions, Umbria and Marche, the mountain chain of the Sibillini is a coffer of nature, traditions and legends in the reign of the mythical Sibilla: the oracle that according to the legend lived in this area. Inside the Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini (National Park of the Sibillini Mountains ), it is possible to take the many paths by trekking, by mountain bike or on horseback, while the lovers of more extreme activities can enjoy the magnificent landscape from the height of hang gliders, paragliders or climbing.

Also called the Town of Travertine, characteristic material used to build several palaces, monuments and churches, Ascoli Piceno is a little city rich with works of art and architecture. According to an ancient legend there were the Sabini people, led by a woodpecker sent by the god Mars, who erected the first settlement along the banks of the river Tronto. But the city became a center of great commercial and military importance during the Roman domination, as testified by the main edifices of the time: Gemina Gate, the Theatre, the Amphitheatre and the Augustan bridge over the river Tronto. Ascoli Piceno is curiously famous for its olive all’ascolana (olives the Ascoli’s way), a typical dish of the area, celebrated during the traditional festival of Fritto misto all’Italiana (mix of fried food the Italian way) and it is a classic people-friendly town of central Italy, half way between sea and mountains, a little coffer of medieval and renaissance works of art. The Piazza del Popolo (People Square) is the symbolic place of the city, seat of the palace of Capitani del Popolo (Captains of the People) that was for centuries the residence of the Podestà (Civic Authority) and of the Papal Governors.

Loreto is famous for being the seat of the Basilica della Santa Casa, one of the most ancient and important places of Marian pilgrimage in the catholic world. The Sanctuary of Loreto, thanks to the collaboration of a group of talented artists, among them Bramante and Sansovino, was erected to host the pilgrims. The majestic building houses the “walls of the Holy House of Mary of Nazareth” that, according to the tradition, was carried in flight to Loreto by the Angels. Inside is preserved the statue of the Madonna Nera. (www.santuarioloreto.it)

The ancient city, known to be the birthplace of the poet Giacomo Leopardi, is rich with suggestions related to this writer and also preserves the heritage of the tenor singer Beniamino Gigli and of the painter Lorenzo Lotto. Let you be overwhelmed by the city of Infinito (infinity) by its charm of art, poetry and music; walk in the old alleys, discover the glimpses over the sweet hills towards the sea, visit the places of the heart of Leopardi. Exhibitions, theatre and events: there is always something to do throughout the territory of Recanati.

The Grotte di Frasassi (grotto of Frasassi) is a site you surely cannot miss during your holidays in the Marche region. In the underground of Genga, in the province of Ancona, are concealed these karst caverns of incredible beauty, shaped by the action of the calcareous water that stratifies creating suggestive stalactites and stalagmites. It is a subterranean wonder not to be missed! Furthermore, not far away, stands the Romanesque Abbey of San Vittore delle Chiuse, one of the most important testimonies of the Romanesque architecture in the Marche Region.