A meaningful spot on what Le Marche can offer

Shot by Bebowsky, from Ferrara.

Corinaldo as the best Italian town for sustainable tourism

I've said it hundred of times, and now the European Tourism Forum (taking place in Bordeaux next semptember) is supporting my words by awarding Corinaldo as the best town in Italy for sustainable tourism.

I'd also say that Corinaldo - one of the highlights of my tours - is an example of what Le Marche have to offer in lots of towns: wonderful views, slow pace of life, quietness but still shops, groceries, pharmacies and so on. Corinaldo is the masterpiece out of other fifty wonderful Le Marche towns (at least!).

Corinaldo is also member of the "Walled Town Friendship Circle", along with Padua (Italy - Veneto), Zadar (Croatia), Chester (England), St Malo (France), Rothenburg (Germany), 's-Hertogenbosch (Holland), Avila (Spain), Radstadt (Austria), Almeida (Portugal), Thessaloniki (Greece), Pecs (Hungary), Visby (Sweden) and many others.

Dutch reality show in Le Marche

Italy has always been the symbol of quality of life. In spite of bad governments, corruption, disorganization, Italy is still the place where people would like to move from all over the world.

In Holland, a reality show is based in Italy, where four couples are competing to build up a b&b, is having a great success. The article says in Tuscany, since the name "Tuscany" has a great appeal. In fact, the reality takes place in Piticchio di Arcevia, in Le Marche.

Le Marche, under the name of Tuscany, are the ideal setting for moving and for quality of life. Tuscany was, Le Marche are.

Back from Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra

Last week I had two very intensive days in Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra, to check, double-check, test and scout out places, roads, trails suitable for our hiking tour.

I met a lot of interesting people, who gave me the "spirit", the "soul" of the places.

Both Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra are wonderful: they have a "superior" intimate soul, which made me breathtaking. It doesn't happen always, and that's the reason why I take people to some places and skip other places.

I found two great restaurants and a cute b&b, and I'm starting to think about some tours I could organize for next year.

Here could be the title of the tour:

The Piceno area: from the coast and the palms to the mountains.

If you have any different suggestion, please let me know.

Next thursday and friday discovering Le Marche

The next Thursday and Friday I will be travelling around Le Marche in some unknown places, to discover something unusual and wonderful to share with those of you will decide to come on tour with me.

I will go to Offida, then Sibillini, then the area between Sibillini and Piceno. I will go looking for wineries, craftsmen, artisans, wonderful places and itineraries to add to my tours.

I'll let you know once back home again.

Have you eaten?

One of the big differences between Italians and Americans is on the idea of wasting food. When I went to US I was hit by the great amount of food used on 4th July, pounds of spare ribs and coke with almost no bread which, as we know, prevents to eat too much meat.

When I was a child, there were dinners in which my mum used to say "This is a bread-necessary dinner", which meant that without eating bread we would feel hungry soon.

Much more than my parents - who were baby-boomer after all, as they grew up in the 50s and 60s, the years of the Italian Miracle - my nonni were the best example of 100% food usage. When I peel my apple or the cheese, I always remember my grandmother telling me to peel it thinner: "Otherwise, half of the food will remain on the skin, and will be thrown away". Even now, we use to kiss a piece of bread before throw it away.

Since my family was composed by fishermen, my nonne were great fish cookers, especially with poor fish: nonna Nannina is still making great sauces with testoline or little monkfish tails, or even with so small and thin fishes that I hardly know their names in Italian!

Even in the 50s, a lot of Italians were starving, and most of them didn't have two meals a day. This is one of the reasons why in Italy restaurants with big portions are greatly appreciated by popular classes, even if they economically improved. The quantity of food is often perceived in direct relation with quality: the more, the better. Moreover, the high-class restaurants, which in my opinion are now even overpriced, are most of the times object of fun by popular classes (popular for the origin, no matter the money).

That's why - I will always remember it - the typical question when I call my grandparents, especially in lunch or dinner time, is: how are you? have you eaten?
Not yet, I'm preparing - Not yet, I'm not very hungry, I was concerned about something.
Yes, but... eat first!

Eat first: this is the first problem to solve for those who experienced the hunger.

Walking in Le Marche

Thinking about Le Marche, watching some tour programmes here, one may think that Le Marche are nice to see by car.

This is not completely true: yes, by car you can jump from a town to another, from a castle to a fortress to a walled town, from a vineyard to an olive oil producer, from a craftman to a country house, from an agriturismo to a trattoria, from the sea to the hills, to the mountains.

However, there are many other ways to explore Le Marche. One is actually the contrary of the car. If you walk, you may enjoy Le Marche by entering yourself in its real pace of life: step by step, day by day, with no hurry but following your skills, you will reach the aim.

In a way, it seems to be the opposite of Australia or America: here there are no big distances, no reasons to run and run, no fronteers, you don't feel in competition with the nature, rather there is more balancing. This doesn't mean to be a judgement, it's simply the fact that in places where nature is immense and big, and distances are very very large, people have a different view of life. If you think about the wonderful Australia, you wouldn't live like in Le Marche, otherwise you will be submerged by the nature.

In the beautiful Canada, you can go hiking for a day, for a week or a month, but you won't go very far, and there are still places you shouldn't go alone. In Australia, the desert won't forgive you if you challenge him. In Le Marche, there's nothing like that. Except from the top of the mountains in the winter, nature is much easier to cope with. But since we haven't got big plains, the land is limited, the work must be hard but also very very careful and you have to be patient. There is few quantity, quality is all to think about.


Therefore, if you come to Le Marche, consider to come here and hike, or even bike. Lots of wonderful sceneries are waiting for you, between a trattoria and an agriturismo...

Hiking tour in Le Marche

At the moment I'm working on a gentle hiking tour in Le Marche. Above is where I'll take my guests.

And below is where we will go hiking. We won't arrive in front of Le Due Sorelle, but we will see them from above, at the beginning of the Passo del Lupo.

Touring in Bologna

It's a long time I've been thinking about a project.

As most of you know, I organize and run tours in Le Marche. All the people who came here have seen how I love this region, and how great were the experiences between Corinaldo, Ancona, Ascoli, Monte Conero, Urbino, Jesi and so on.

But still... there is another town, not in Le Marche, which deserves much more attention than the actual one.

We all know that the main tourist route - for those who come to Italy for the first time - is Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples. Personally, I'd skip Milan and choose Venice. Whatever the choice is, you have to pass through Bologna.

What is Bologna? Bologna is "Italy". Whereas Le Marche are all that you can find in Italy, resumed in one region (therefore "Italy in one region", as the claim of our Tourist Board says), Bologna is the thermometer of Italy: the social situation in Bologna is a synthesis of the society in Italy.

It's Italy's political lab: all the experiments about welfare, transportation, education and so on have their first try here. If they work, they will be replicated in national scale.

It's Europe's oldest university: the Alma Mater Studiorum dates back to the year 1089, and students are everywhere. If an Italian thinks about Bologna, he recalls culture, politics and... food!

Yes, because food is the third important thing of Bologna. Being in the middle of Italy, in a postion which can't be avoided by any traveller, crossroad between the Pianura Padana of Northern Italy and the Appennini to go south, close to Florence on the way to Rome, not far from Venice, Milan, Turin, Bologna has always been the melting pot of that crowd of small states that was Italy in the past.



No surprises, then, that every student and every traveller brought his home tradition to Bologna. Hence, the cuisine started to improve. The symbol of this cuisine is - not by chance - the Tortellino. This navel-shaped pasta stuffed with a lot of different things - so many that even every house has its own receipe for that - is by no means the essence of Bologna. Like its pasta, Bologna is the navel of Italy. And like the inside, Bologna is stuffed with lots of different people.

This is just to make you hungry of this town... the rest will come step by step...

The new Chiantishire in the area of Pesaro

It's the claim of an article I read last day in GoMarche, an e-magazine written in Le Marche (in Italian, sorry!).

The journalist focuses on the fact that lots of people are flocking to Pesaro and Urbino (wonderful area) to buy houses, due to cheaper prices than in Tuscany, and this area is becoming a sort of "new Tuscany".

In my opinion, this is not true. The fact that people are buying houses like in Tuscany doesn't mean that you can re-create the same atmosphere.

I will always repeat, over and over again, that Le Marche are NOT Tuscany, not even "The new Tuscany". Tuscany will always be a sort of theathre, good if you like theathre. Le Marche will always be more genuine, good if you are interested to enjoy the "real", "ordinary" life. Some of us like more Le Marche because they give you the idea that you can move to the region immediately and live like in a paradise. Tuscany looks as wonderful, but I wouldn't spend my entire life here, where you can have a great experience for just few days.

Montalcino is a jewel, as long as you don't have lunch at home. Corinaldo is a pearl, with groceries, bars, supermarket and so on. That's the difference.

We have a Ikea, but look at where it is...

The yellow spot you can see in the valley is the new Ikea. It is at the Ancona South exit of the A14 motorway. In this case too, tradition and modernity are more than balanced: the nature, and the tradition, gives a "human" sense to the modernity.

It is no doubt one of the best advertising for Le Marche.

This weekend in tour

From tomorrow on, great weekend tour with Diane from USA. Diane is a travel agent, and if she likes Le Marche we will start selling tours together. I am very excited, and I hope everything will be alright.

And the weather? Well, Le Marche are great with myst and fog as well... especially in places like Offagna, or Loretello, or the Enoteca di Jesi...

Tomorrow, moreover, will be my 30th birthday. Happy birthday to me!!!!

Wedding and honeymoon: we will go to the land down under

Two news:

1) I and Francesca are going to get married next October 6th!

2) We will go to Australia on our honeymoon.

The latter point requires some help: if anybody of you knows about Australia, tips, where to stay etc., please let me know, here or via email.

The first point requires just one thing: best wishes! Come on, mail me and congratulate!

Happy Easter, from the sunny Le Marche

The spring equinox took place couple of weeks ago.

The full moon took place last 2nd April.

Therefore, next Sunday it's Easter.

Next Sunday looks to be sunny and warm in Le Marche.

Happy Easter to you all!

Verdicchio: the International white wine from Le March

It makes me proud to read about Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi in non-translated-English. It's the case of this article from San Josè, California.

Words like "One of my favorite Italian whites is the Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi from Bucci, a wine from the Marches, on Italy's east coast" sound like a melody, honey in my ears.

Traditional vs Fast Food: Villa Belsito, Ascoli Piceno, in New York

There's an interesting article on Metro magazine which deals about Slow Food movement and the application of its concept to a restaurant in New York.

What makes me proud is that Villa Belsito, in Valtesino di Ripatransone, near Ascoli Piceno, is involved in the project.

Moreover, Villa Belsito seems to be a great place to spend your holidays (Ripatransone and Ascoli Piceno province definitely is!), even rates are certainly competitive.

Therefore, if you happen to go there, please advice me, and I'll post your opinion. Or simply advice me before going, to spend some days around Ascoli Piceno and Le Marche in general.

Anyway, it will be an unforgetable experience.

Johan Padan and the discover of America, by Dario Fo

Sunday, rainy day, no plans but staying relaxed at home, I watched Johan Padan and the discovering of America.

It's no doubt a great cartoon, taken after the original comedy written by Dario Fo, Noble Literature Prize, at the beginning of the 90ies. It deals with a humile peasant from Bergamo, Lombardy, Northern Italy, who happens to arrive in America and find his way with the natives, helping them to kick the Spanish away and learning the real value of Liberty by the natives themselves.

The satyrical way through which Dario Fo describes all the events, the moments and even some small phrases put every now and then, make this cartoon equally enjoyable by adults and children, both finding a good reason to laugh and think, like always in the best Italian filming tradition.

The adventure of a Scotsman in Ancona

Just found surfing around, it's always interesting to hear some foreigner's point of view about our region (even in a broader sense, like Central Italy in this case).

Maybe more interesting for me than for you. Who knows?

Giacomo Leopardi, the Infinite in Le Marche

Surfing on the web, I finally found one of the best translations of the Infinite by Giacomo Leopardi. He was a poet and a philosopher from Recanati, near Loreto, between Ancona and Macerata.

Leopardi is so important for the Italian culture that he is considered one of the most important writers and philosophers of the contemporary age.

When in Recanati, a visit to his house, still preserved by his heirs, must be definitely done, to comprehend more in-depth the Italian culture.

Love Marche and news about Le Marche

If one loves Le Marche, then I love him/her.

If he/she even calls the website "Lovemarche", and promotes Le Marche in UK via The Sunday Times, then I must indicate it.

Moreover, they report some news, every now and then, about this wonderful region... how could I leave...

The latest news is about exhibitions of Lorenzo Lotto's paintings, which will involve Ancona, Cingoli, Jesi, Loreto, Mogliano, Monte San Giusto and Recanati.

Muhammad Yunus in Bologna, aula Santa Lucia

Last Sunday 19th March, the Nobel Prize Muhammad Yunus, from Bangladesh, launched the International Observatory for Micro-finance (IOM) at the University of Bologna.

I read Banker to the Poor, wrote by Yunus, and I feel disappointed that he was awarded the Noble Peace Prize instead of Economics. To find a way to lend money to poor people, to have 200 million customers with over 90% of repayments rate, to found a bank which helps people to be independent, this is a matter of economics. Peace is a consequence.

The video-interview at beppegrillo.it.

A brand-new stamp about Le Marche

Last Thursday a new stamp showing Le Marche has been released.

Some monuments of Ascoli Piceno plus the bronze statues of Pergola, together with the shape of the region and its symbol (the woodpecker) compose the image on the stamp.

Malta is one flight away from Bologna

This Malta Independent news make me thinking about a sort of unusual matter. When the flight to Malta has been established, last year, I thought "Great news, Malta is closer now!"; actually, it might be vice-versa.

It may sound silly, but lot of times our point of view is based on our location. When working about tourism in some unusual places (like Le Marche, for example, in my case), the way of thinking is somewhat shaken.

Therefore: lucky Maltese, just an hour from Bologna, and lucky Londoners, a couple hours from Ancona!

Showers & Eyebaths Services, Liverpool, supplying Eusebi Impianti, Ancona

Business news about the fire-fighting industry. The St Helens based decontamination specialists, Showers & Eyebaths Services will supply one of the European leaders in this field: Eusebi Impianti, based in Ancona, Le Marche. The news appeared in the Liverpool daily post yesterday.

This is another example of the increasing relationships between Le Marche and UK. Another good example is the Indesit Company, based in Fabriano, but present everywhere in Europe. In Le Marche, this factory is still known like Merloni Elettrodomestici.

In particular, for Liverpool, the relationship with Ancona is rather old: one of the first episodes was early in the last century, with a soccer team...

Marcamp: a Le Marche version of Bar Camp

Last Saturday, in the wonderful scenario of Villarey (the former barracks of the army, built in 1860, when Italy unified and Ancona was the strategical port in the Adriatic, being Venezia still under the Austrian control), the Marcamp took place.

It is a Barcamp organized in Le Marche, by some people from Ancona. It's been a success, like every Barcamp, it seems!

Link: pics of the Marcamp (special thanks to Giovy and Mia)

You may say I'm a dreamer...

January, Bologna station. It's Friday, a day when you'd like to go everywhere. Why not Le Marche? I was just thinking to go there for a weekend, and I see, from the posters, that I may not be the only one :-)

Sometimes I'm proud to see posters like this: beautiful pics for a beautiful land.

ah...

Hot hot days, but the cold weather is coming

The last week has been one of the hottest of the past two centuries. Flowers blooming, bears out of dormancy, cabbages with opened leaves... everything was like in spring. On Friday night, near Modena, in the hills, the temperature was 21°C (70 Fahreneit degrees), like in July.

But now, the cold weather is coming back, and the forecast has said that the cold winds of the North Pole are coming to freeze us. In Northern Europe the weather is terrible: we don't know what will happen here. Probably, we'll have some snow, which is not bad, though.

Shifting to Mac

Ten days ago I bought an Imac. It's been a hard choice, but very very thoughtful. I fell in love with this wonderful designed computer from the first time, then I read some book about it, then, finally, I bought it.

It is a real wonderful experience. He knows everything: which modem is this, which hard disk is this, what I'm about to do and so on. It's so easy to use that sometimes one may feel embarassed in finding some complicate choice as it is in the pc world.

Still some doubts, though, like the one-button mouse which seems to be a sort of "proud" feature, but useless.

Anyway, I expect this mac to wake me up, someday, asking me if I'd like some coffee... :-)

picture from a brand new house

This is me trying to build an Ikea pc desk, priced 80 Euro. Will I manage to?