Le Marche are the only Italian region with a plural name. They are located on the East coast, in Central Italy. The sea faced by Le Marche is the Adriatic sea, which is part of the Mediterranean sea.

The Eastern coast of Italy is less known than the Western coast, which means Tuscany, Rome, Naples and the Costiera Amalfitana. However, the Adriatic coast is highly crowded by tourists, especially in the summer, either in Veneto (Jesolo, Lignano Sabbiadoro), in Romagna (Rimini, Riccione, the Riviera Romagnola), Le Marche (Riviera del Conero, near Ancona, and Riviera delle Palme, along San Benedetto del Tronto, province of Ascoli) and Puglia (Gargano, Tremiti Islands, and Salento, at the very bottom of the boot).

Talking about Le Marche, they are politically divided into four provinces: Ancona, which is also the capital town of the region, Pesaro-Urbino, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno. In late 2003, a new province has been founded, and will be active within a few years: it's the province of Fermo, which will cover approximately the area circled in red. That's one of the richest areas of Le Marche, being the centre of shoes and hats production, respectively in Montegranaro and Montappone.

The main cities of Le Marche are of course Ancona, capital town, with the only airport of the region (Raffaello Sanzio airport, in Falconara Marittima); Pesaro, Urbino, Fermo, Ascoli Piceno and Macerata are the capital of their provinces. Other non-capital towns, but still important, are Fano (near Pesaro), with one of the oldest Carnevale in Italy, San Benedetto del Tronto (province of Ascoli, the second important fishing port of Italy, between Ancona - the third - and Mazara del Vallo, in Sicily - which is the first), Senigallia (the best place for eating fish in Italy, with two of the first 10 best fish-restaurants in Italy, namely Uliassi and La Madonnina del Pescatore), Fabriano (the most important paper industry of Italy, and former European capital town of paper in the Middle Ages), Jesi (the centre of the Verdicchio wine area), Acqualagna (near Cagli, the second most important truffle-centre after Alba, in Pedmont), Recanati (hometown of Giacomo Leopardi, one of the most important Italian poets and philosophers, lived in the XIX century) and Loreto (near Recanati, the most important aim of Pilgrimage for the Holy Virgin in the world, together with Lourdes).

Geographically speaking, Le Marche can be divided into three main areas: coastal, inland and mountains.

The coastal area (blue) is where the climate is mild, having the benefical effects of the sea. Winter never below zero, and summers with a pretty fresh air all the time. Mid August is the hottest and most humid season, but it lasts no more than 10-15 days.

The inland (light brown) is the most typical area of Le Marche. Soft and gentle hills ("Il bel Paese de li dolci colli", as Cecco d'Ascoli used to describe Le Marche: he was from Ascoli Piceno), vineyards everywhere, walled towns every 3 miles, little rivers flowing parallel to the sea, and the hills covered by castles and fortress.

The mountain area (dark brown) is the western one, with a very cold climate, frequently snowed. You can also go skiing in the Sibillini area (province of Ascoli Piceno, namely Sarnano, Sassotetto, Bolognola, Frontignano), while in the summer, both the Sibillini and the Montefeltro area (in the province of Pesaro) are very good for hiking and backpacking.

These are Le Marche. More urbanized than Tuscany, less green than Umbria, but the art, the people, the nature, are more distributed, more spread than in the other two regions. In Tuscany, you can find miles of plains with no houses (the Maremma, in Grosseto, is one of the most American-like areas); in Le Marche, you'll never get lost in the middle of nowhere. There is always a house, a farm, a town, to have a rest, and find your way back. However, even in the centre of Ancona, the wild coast is ten minutes walking, and, the coastal area, altough very crowded - especially in the summer, is still quiet, and allows you to enjoy the sunset on the seaside, a barbecue on the beach, and a night singing with friends, gazing at the stars.