 Introduction
The region is divided into five provinces: Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata (all part of the ancient territory of Picenum), and Pesaro e Urbino which is composed of the traditionally separate provinces of Pesaro and Urbino, that were part of ancient Umbria. In 2004, a fifth province, the province of Fermo, was voted to come into being in 2009. The provinces of the Marche have distinct histories, largely owing to the geography of the region: except for the river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. In the 19th century a railroad from Bologna to Brindisi linked the Marche along the coast-line of the entire territory: inland, the mountainous nature of the region even today allows little communication north and south, except by rough roads over the passes.
The people earn their living from agriculture and horticulture (wheat, barley, maize, fruit, vegetables, vine) and from stock raising (cattle and pigs). Along the coast fishing and shipbuilding are of some importance. The production of majolica is a traditional industry, particularly at Pesara and Urbino and new industries are being developed including both light and heavy engineering. Tourism makes a major contribution to the economy in the seaside resorts along the Atlantic coast. While in the past a small number of towns in the region, particularly Urbino and Ancona, gained prosperity and influence.
History and Culture
During the empire of the Ottoni dynasty (10th century), the region was divided into various territories called “Marches”, governed by autonomous signiorities until the 16th century. The Vatican, during this period, tried, with the cardinal Egidio Albornoz, to keep the region united and under its power.
From that moment on, the region's history parallels the one on the Vatican. Only in 1860 did the region finally establish its independence from the Vatican. The “new” region was then annexed to the Reign of Italy thanks to the intervention of the troops from Piedmont and to the plebiscite that gave the title of king of Italy to Vittorio Emanuele II.
Places in the Region of Marche
Except from along the coastal highway (A14) from Brindisi to Bologna, north-south travel is restricted to a myriad of secondary and tertiary highways and local roads, on which you will encounter a countless number of small villages and towns, sitting at the edges of rivers, nestled in valleys or perched improbably on the sides, and sometimes the top of mountains.
Ancona is the only really sizeable commercial harbor along the Adriatic coast, although there are other smaller ports, especially Fano, that are the homes to small fishing fleets. Ancona is also an important Italian naval station, and The Marche have long been supplying sailors to the Italian navy.
In Ancona, Ascoli, Fano, Fermo, Urbisaglia and Macerata, there are numerous ruins from the era of the Roman empire. Architectural styles for churches, public buildings and the palaces of the wealthy range from Romanesque to Byzantine and Gothic. In Urbino, the Ducal Palace is a stupefying testimony of Renaissance grandeur. The Renaissance style also reached The Marche, and one will encounter both Renaissance buildings, and art works by Raphael (born at Urbino) and Bramante (born near Urbino).
Camerino, a hill-side city now home to a small university, and Matelica, a walled valley-town, in the central southern part of the Region also have a few architectural gems worth going out of the way to see. Fabriano, on the SS76 from Rome, is also a sizeable medieval city, surrounded by industrial plants. However, just to the east and north of the city is the Grotto di Frasassi, an extraordinary cave system high in the mountains.
The agricultural lands in The Marche, a delightful checkerboard of small vineyards, olive groves and fields ranging across the valley floors, up the gentler slopes of the mountains, and even on small plateaus and other level areas higher up. The checkerboard effect, however, was the result of an oppressive near-feudal land use system - mezzadria - that broke the land up into small holdings and tied peasant farmers to lands owned in large part by the aristocracy, the church and city dwellers.
If you find yourself in Macerata during the summer it is an unpardonable not to book a seat at the majestic Sferisterio theatre for a play or musical performance. At Ascoli Piceno the blend of medieval and renaissance architecture (S. Francesco, Loggia dei Mercanti, Piazza del Popolo, etc.) arrests the attention of even the most distracted visitor. But in almost all the centres of Le Marche, even the smallest, there are many genuine artistic treasures. It is difficult to single out one without doing the others an injustice. We will make an exception for Recanati, the birthplace of the most beloved Italian poet of all time: the tender, bitter, unhappy and sublime Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837). It is difficult not to feel moved when visiting the building where the poet spent his childhood and adolescence. An emotion which is felt, in a rather different way, by the visitor to the Santa Casa at Loreto, the destination for continuous crowds of pilgrims.
Events
Grazzano Visconti Medieval Outdoor Banquet (2nd Saturday in July).
Medieval Parade and Jousting Tournament (last Sunday in May).
Faenza Niballo Palio Jousting Tournament (June).
Brisighella Various Medieval Feasts and Pageants (last 10 days of July).
Ferarra Palio di San Giorgio Medieval Parade and Race (last Sunday in May).
Cesenatico Reenactment of Garibaldi's Embarkation (August).
Forlimpopoli Medieval Parade and Horse Race (September).
S. Piero in Bagno Palio dei Fuochi Neighborhood Pageants (September).
Modena Week of Festivities in Honor of the d'Este Family (July).
Bardi Banquet in the Castle (August).
Ravenna Carnival Parade (February).
Reenactment of a Medieval Town (July).
Links
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
Transport
|
Home 
Marche Travel Guide
Apartment - From 80€
Double room - From 92€
Single room - From 58€
Appartamento Gines - From 45€
Single room - From 40€
Double room - From 75€
Single room - From 50€
Single room - From 50€
Double room - From 60€