Beautiful Adriatic beaches and ancient towns perched on hilltops, or nestled deep between rolling farmland, give travelers to Le Marche a real taste of central Italy.
Two main highways traveling along the coast facilitate transportation to the larger cities. One of the most valuable parts of visiting Marche is driving through the interior, visiting smaller towns and exploring areas where there are virtually no tourists.
Recently a buzz word in Britian and a ex-pat destination for vacation home buying. The Marche has been compared to Tuscany as having all the attributes, with none of the hassles of high prices and large crowds.
'''Geography''' Le Marche is described as "all of Italy in one province", a visit there uncovers an unspoilt, pretty, friendly, and extremely civilised area of Italy. The region is bordered by neighbours Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo and Emilia Romagna and shares many of their best geographical features, yet is relatively undiscovered and surprisingly accessible.
To the West of the region Sibillini Mountains which are one of the highest sections of the Appenines. They are 40km long, contain 10 peaks in excess of 2000m- the whole area is home to many species of rare wildlife and is protected by the Sibillini National Park. The geography of Le Marche between mountains and sea consists of vine-clad hills, medieval villages and a rich mosaic of farmland.
The Sibillini Mountains and the Marche countryside below are laced with paths and old mule tracks and are home to a stunning array of flora and fauna. It is a paradise for those who enjoy Mountain holidays, hiking, walking , or cycling.
'''The People of Le Marche''' The Marchiaghiani, or people of Le Marche, remain closely linked to the land and life here still revolves aroundn the family and on self-sufficient communities of farmers and craftsmen, where the local Le Marche market consumes most of the produce.
'''The Marche landscape''' The wonderful medieval Le Marche towns offer the visitor an amazing range of <a title="le marche history" href="http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/history.htm" target="_blank">history</a> and historic architecture, that ranges from Art Nouveaux villas to characteristic stone cottages, and are home to wonderful art, over 1000 working theatres, fantastic markets and year round festas where you can sing and dance, eat and drink great local fayre, and enjoy the <a title="le marche customs" href="http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/customs.htm" target="_blank">local crafts and customs.
'''Get around''' The railway that runs down the coast is excellent for exploring the region with fast and frequent trains running all day. Busses tend to be rather infrequent, especially if you are looking to explore inland, so hiring a car is essential if you want to explore a bit.
''' Sightseeing''' Make sure you make time to visit the wonderfully preserved medieval villages that decorate this bucolic region. Here are some highlights in and around the Macerata province;
'''Sibillini Mountains''' If you travel to the South West, the landscape a stones throw away from the villa becomes far more dramatic as the hills are dominated by the Sibillini Mountains. This area, which is protected by the Sibillini National Park, is accessed via some great roads and paths which allow the visitor to discover lakes, rivers, some amazing gorges and wildlife.
'''Theatres''' Le Marche is also the land of a thousand theatres including the grand 'Sferisterio' amphitheatre in Macerata, which holds 7,000 people and is second only to Verona in Italy's summer open-air opera calendar and a venue for the Macerata festival.
'''Abbadia-di-fiastra''' The Cistercian monastery of Fiastra was founded in 1142, the building material was taken from the near Roman city 'Urbs Salvia' whose farmland stretched 30km to the coast in medieval times. Today the surrounding parkland is still cultivated by the monks and wines and other produce is on sale to the public, there are two very good well priced restaurants, and the medieval monastery, an archeological museum and beautiful nature reserve are open to the public.
'''Urbisaglia''' Adjacent to Abbadia di Fiastra, the impressive Roman site of Urbisaglia provides free tours of its frescoes, theatre and amphitheatre, which was water filled and battles were fought on boats
'''Sarnano''' The bustling and perfectly preserved medieval town of Sarnano, named one of the most beautiful in Italy, has a wealth of character in the ancient, cobbled streets that wind up through carefully restored centro storico and the impressive towers of the centro Storico that dominate the amazing local landscape. It has a famous Terme or Spa which offers pampering and health treatments. Its is a focal point for walkers and cyclists and lovers of the great outdoors and even has its own ski resort which was completely restored in 2008.
'''Ascoli Piceno''' The city of Ascoli Piceno is dominated by numerous medieval towers and the Piazza del Popolo which is tiled with travertine and undoubtedly one of the most elegant squares of Italy. An amazing array of gothic architecture, great riverside walks, shopping and art galleries, plus some wonderful bars to sample the local Piceni wines. Oh, make sure you do some people watching in the Art Nouveaux Bar Meletti in the main Piazza.
'''Caldarola''' Caldarola is dominated by the well preserved Pallotta castle, where building started in the 9th Century and which was transformed in the 16th by the Pallotta family, who still own the castle and now open it to the public, there are also 3 other castles in the surrounding Marche countryside.
'''Camerino''' The panoramic university hill town of Camerino has a history that goes back to Neolithic times. It has remained unchanged since its Renaissance heyday, when the local Da Varanno family governed much of surrounding Le Marche. Imposing churches, palaces and art plus lovely gardens, museums, outdoor cafes and some great shops.
'''Amandola''' This touring centre for the Sibillini national park has a wonderful gothic piazza, sit in one of Amandola's bars there and watch the world go by, or try getting up and sampling the museum of rural history.
'''Macerata''' Macerata has a number of central piazzas with stunning architecture, a beautiful theatre, Duomo, art gallery and museum of carriages and the unification of Italy/ wartime resistance. There are also a variety of tempting shops and some lovely bars and ristorante. Macerata is also home to the Sferisterio, a grand open air opera house that hosts a fantastic "season" of themed opera performances each Summer
'''Tolentino'''
Tolentino is a vibrant medieval city home to the shrine of St Nicola, and some amazing architecture including an ancient roman bridge and a bizarre clock tower in the main square and the nearby 12th century Castello della Rancia. Wander round the museum of caricature and humour in art, or simply enjoy the shopping, cafes and trattorie.
'''Montemonaco'''
A pretty walled town with an information centre for the Sibillini National Park. From here you can walk in a couple of hours to the 'Cave of the Sibyl' (the lair of Tannhauser's Venus), or more striking, follow the River Tenna up the amazing limestone Gola dell'Infernaccio, 'Little Hell Gorge', a three-hour walk from the road.
'''Frasassi'''
Frasassi has an awesome network of underground limestone caves that is the largest in Europe and a must see for any visitor. Tours every hour in most languages
'''Le Marche Festas & Events'''
Le Marche hosts 'festas' or outdoor celebrations, games, concerts and dancing most weekends from spring to Christmas. During the summer these also occur on most weekdays as neighbouring villages compete in throwing the best party.
The common theme is a Marche festa that allows the visitor to sample local produce, food and wines. For detailed information on the numerous events visit the tourist office, the Marche tourism site, look for roadside posters, or buy the Corriere Proposte in the local tabacchi (newsagents).
'''Hiking, Walking and outdoor pursuits in Le Marche, Italy'''
To get a proper feel for Le Marche you should try hiking off the beaten track and immersing yourself on an italian walking holiday in the heart of Le Marche's stunning countryside.
There are a range of maps available, especially and the whole area is dissected by networks of hiking trails and old mule tracks; which are well marked on the maps (one for the Monti Azzuri and another for the Sibillini Mountains National Parkt) hat open the whole area up for independent walking holidays. Sarnano and the area nearby is a good base for walking, has marked circular walks and some accommodations offer maps and itineraries [http://www.villasanraffaello.com/free-time/marche-hiking-walking.html] The dramatic landscape, with a highest peak of 2500metres, flower filled plateaux and the rolling hills below, offer an ideal location for walking holidays, cycling holidays, bird watching, photography, drawing and painting.
The Sibillini National Park has organised tours and treks throughout the spring, summer and autumn months and has numerous predefined itineries for walking and cycling available. There is parascending ["http://www.limanhouse.com/home.htm"], white water rafting["http://www.raftingumbria.it/rafting%20e.htm"]and extreme sports["http://www.umbriaoutdoor.it/"] on offer nearby and two of Italy_fs most stunning gorge walks and mountain lakes with beaches and trattorias.