A Marche Itinerary
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So you get to the villa,
you get up the next morning, and you wonder: Well, now
what? There’s no Florence and Siena to cling to
like a crutch. You can’t look at a map and find
50 places you’ve heard of. In fact, you can’t
even find a single one. Uh-oh. You need a good guidebook
and a willingness to make some personal discoveries.
Here are some ideas:
Day
1
Get to know Sarnano and San Ginesio, the two villages
closest to the villa. Check out the local food shops.
Pay visits to the tourist offices in the two villages,
as well as the headquarters of the National Park of
the Monti Sibillini, for hiking maps and details of
other park-related activities
Day
2
Choose an corner/trail/mountain/lake in the National
Park and explore.
Day
3
Day at the coast: Civitanova Marche, its beach and its
shops.
Day
4
Ascoli Piceno, one of the most charming provincial capitals
in Italy. Get there via the inland roads; explore; have
lunch; then zip back on the highway to the coast, a
quick stop at San Benedetto del Tronto for the beach,
then up the coastal highway towards home.
Day
5
Relax at home before attending an evening musical performance
at Macerata or Pesaro
Day
6
Urbino, a medieval jewel, plus a visit to San Marino.
Inland going, coastal highway returning: This is a long
day.
Day
7
Closer to home exploring more of the National Park and
local towns like Caldarola, Amandola, Camerino, Tolentino,
and Cingoli.
Day
8
Pilgrimage day: to Loreto, home of the Virgin’s
flying house (and a very good local museum) and to Recanati,
burial place of Gigli (and a little shrine-museum dedicated
to him).
Day
9
An Umbrian excursion: Spoleto and Norcia.
Day
10
The wonderful centro storico of Ancona, followed by
an excursion to the seaside resort of Portonovo and
a not-to-be-missed exploration of the nearby steep promontory
known as Il Conero for spectacular views and charming
villages.
Day 11
The caverns at Frasassi – the drive to and from
this unmissable spot, plus the full visit – will
fill a day; you may need to reserve in advance.
Day
12
A day in Verdicchio country, the region of the Marche
which produces this distinctive white wine: Take the
coastal highway straight up to Senigallia, then follow
the following circle: Brugnetto; Corinaldo; San Michele;
San Lorenzo in Campo; Pergola; Serra San Abbondio; Sassoferrato;
Fabriano; San Vittore delle Chiuse; Serra San Quirico;
Moie; Staffolo; Jesi; Osimo. This is a great but long
daytrip.
Day
13
Another easily doable daytrip into Umbria: Assisi and,
for sure, Spello
Day
14
Relax at home or at the beach, wondering why you didn’t
do even half of the above.
Arrivederci!
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