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Marche

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.


The Frasassi Caves
In the heart of the Gola della Rossa-Frasassi national park, this series of limestone gorges conceal the caves, a huge complex with a 240-metre high central chamber at its heart. The national park is home to eagle owls, peregrine falcons and golden eagles.

Monte Conero
Sticking out from the smooth, sandy beaches that characterise the Marche coastline, Monte Conero is a limestone promontory rising 500 metres out of the sea. Also a protected natural habitat for rare flowers and birds, with terrific views too.

Urbino
One of the many city states which rose during the Italian Renaissance, Urbino wrote the book on courtly behaviour during the 16th century, when ruled by Federico da Montefeltro, who brought Europe’s greatest architects and artists to build his model city. Today, it’s an elegant, relaxed and very pleasant town, with good restaurants and fine museums and galleries.

San Leo
A defensive fortress, clinging impossibly to a peak in the north of Marche, San Leo has been a pull for tourists for centuries. Menacing, beautiful, stunning, it has evoked praise from Machiavelli and Dante, and proved impregnable to the invading Cesare Borgia.