Population: 1.450.879
Surface (Kmq): 9694
Density (inhabitants/Kmq.): 150
Main city: Ancona (AN)
Other towns: Ascoli Piceno (AP); Macerata (MC); Pesaro e Urbino (PU).

The magical setting of Marche inspired poets such as Leopardi, Stendhal, Goethe, Montaigne and Montesquieu, thanks to a mixture of gentle hills with small settlements located on towering peaks. The Italian Marches (Marche) are bounded by the Adriatic Sea to the east, the region of Umbria to the west, the region of Emilia-Romagna (and the Republic of San Marino) to the north. It borders the beginnings of southern Italy to the south, where it meets Abruzzo. A narrow coastal plain forms the eastern seaboard of central Italy, rising sharply to the Apennines, the backbone of Italy, so there is some spectacular sightseeing here with the limestone peaks pitted by deep gorges and caves and dramatic torrents of water pouring into stone pools beneath. There is180km of coastline full of beautiful beaches with resorts such as the elegant old town of Pesaro and Fano in the north, Grottammare, Pedaso and San Benedetto del Tronto in the south.