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.

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...

Cellars in Monte Conero area

Panorama from the cellars where we usually go on a typical Le Marche tour.

The town in the picture is Osimo, Town of Headless People, wonderful spot on a natural spring and an Ancient Roman water deposit.

The picture was taken in Offagna.

Dante Ferretti WON!!!

(From the Academy Awards website)
Achievement in art direction:

?Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street? (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Art Direction: Dante Ferretti
Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Tomorrow in Ascoli Piceno

Tomorrow I'll be in Ascoli Piceno, to check a (seems-to-be) beautiful Agriturismo.

Then I will go shopping to the Pantofola d'Oro outlet, and afterwards, well... a coffee with anisee at Meletti's, in Piazza del Popolo, of course!

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.

Dante Ferretti's nomination for the Academy Awards

For the ninth times, Dante Ferretti from Macerata has been nominated for the Academy Awards as Art Director and Set Decoration. It's the ninth time for Dante Ferretti: he won the Oscar in 2005 for The Aviator.

This year the nomination comes for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Johnny Depp.

Le Marche win the "Best Foreign Stand Prize" in Bratislava's food exhibition

Le Marche's stand at the international food exhibition in Bratislava (Danubius Gastro) has been awarded with the prize for the best foreign stand.

Good job!

Le Marche shops on ebay

Next February the Artisans Union will teach its members how to use e-commerce tools, especially ebay. In spite of its popularity among young people and teenagers, Internet is barely known by artisan, farmers and those who make the best things sold here.

Who knows? Maybe you can find a Coccio from Fratte Rosa, or an accordion from Castelfidardo on an ebay shop. Or even some shoes from Montegranaro or Sant'Elpidio a Mare.

And after that, you may think to come here and see in what a wonderful land these things are produced.

So come on, type www.ebay.com and look for something from Le Marche!

Building up a tour together

The concept is very simple: I organize tours in Le Marche, therefore I have the contacts, I know places, restaurants, winemakers, locals etc.

You would like to visit Le Marche, but have no idea on what to do: or maybe you have an idea, but don't know how to make it real.

Why don't you contact me and ask for building up a tour together? You tell me about your interests, what you would like to do, where would you like to go, to sleep, etc., and I will figure out a solution. This way we can optimize prices, schedules and you can obtain exactly what you want.

And what about payments, guarantees, etc.? I have a partnership with a travel agent based in USA, so no worries about anything.

If you feel interested about that, why don't you email me?

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.

San Marino: visiting a foreign country when in Le Marche

Here are some pictures of San Marino. Strangely enough, this country is completely inside Italy, like Vatican City. Although the Vatican is much more influent on our political life, for lots of historical reasons, San Marino is proud to be independent, and doesn't really want to have many relevance on the Italian political agenda, except of course what is necessary for its needs.



A day in San Marino might be interesting not only for those who would like to add an extra-country on their checklist. San Marino has also some great views, some duty free shops, lots of tourist shops, cheaper meals, coins and stamps for collectors, and an intact and walled city centre.



Going to San Marino is rather simple: if you arrive by car, simply take the A14 motorway and exit at Rimini Sud, then follow the signs. Leave your car at the car parking of the former train station (there's no train anymore), 200 metres from Porta San Francesco, the gate to the city. The town to visit is basically inside the walls.

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.

After a weekend in Le Marche with Diane Arnold

I've just got back from a fabulous weekend in Le Marche with Diane Arnold. We had a wonderful time, and the weather assisted us: sunny, no raining, no fog, just some haze which made the scenery somewhat misterious.

Very intensive tour to visit all the things that might interest those who would like to come here.

Now, let's see what it will happen...

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!!!!

Romanian people in Le Marche

The Romanian government has identified 13 possible locations in Italy for the 19th May referendum voting. This because there are places where the Romanian communities are so dense, both in Italy and France, that they may host polling booths in some supplementary locations. Out of these 13 places, 3 are in Le Marche: Ancona, Recanati and Macerata.

It would be important for Le Marche, although it is seen as a threat, to be a political referring point of the Romanian community, since Romania is a brand new member of European Union and it is part of the Eastern corridor which goes from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea. Ancona would gain importance (and richness) by making efforts to be a node between Italy and Eastern Europe; if not, it will become a node either, but for illegal activities.

A Kitchen from Le Marche

This is the picture released with a Lube brand new kitchen. As well as Ariston, Scavolini, Berloni, Gatto, it is produced in Le Marche. This case in the town of Treia, to be precise.

A view of Treia is clearly visible from the picture portraited, but if you like some other pic, simply click here.
What the claim says is: "it's from this land that we figure out how your kitchen will be: that's why your purchase has double value". I completely agree!

Rossini Opera in Tennesse

For those of you who are living near Tennessee, you may be interested in watching some plays in the Knoxville Opera Company's sixth annual Rossini Festival.

Otherways, the only alternative is to come to Pesaro, and enjoy the Italian Rossini Opera Festival.

The boycott of Ancona's port by Jews, 16th century

Today, surfing on the web, I happened to find something interesting about the Jewish community in Ancona.

During the Middle Ages (1100-1400), Ancona counted 4 graveyards, one for each religion hosted: the English (protestant) graveyard, the Greek (Ortodox), the Catholic and the Jewish one. The first and the latter are still visible near the Old Lighthouse, the so-called Campo degli Ebrei.

After the beginning of the Church rule upon Ancona, this sense of tolerance, along with the sense of business and commerce, started to fade, and of course the Jewish community was one of the first victims of this change.

This episode occurred, and the Ghettarello (our Ghetto, which is not in the city centre like in the biggest cities of Italy) was built.

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.

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?

Flying into Bologna: Myair.com from France, Spain and Eastern Europe

Today, the low-cost airline Myair will fly from Bologna to Madrid, four times a week.

These flights follow other routes to Barcelona (Spain), Paris and Bordeaux (France), Sofia (Bulgaria), and Catania in Sicily.

Therefore, it's easier and easier to come to Bologna. From Bologna, Le Marche are only 2 hours by train.

Why don't you hop a plane and visit Bologna and Le Marche with me? I'll pick you up at the airport, and take you back to Bologna.

Next tour will be: "From Bologna to Bologna: Tortellini, Salami, Fish and back again".

Is it interesting?

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.

Some other bloggers from Le Marche: Michael Eldridge

His name is Michael Eldridge, and he's a property consultant for Le Marche.

You may like or not his personal blog, "life in Le Marche", but you definitely have to appreciate his corporate blog, "Property adventures".

Finally, a property consultant has a blog and writes on it!

I am now waiting for his email address (didn't find it!) to write him...

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...

Gioacchino Rossini, the famous Pesaro composer, on Metropolitan Opera broadcasting

The famous composer Gioacchino Rossini is wide-known. His operas are very famous too. But maybe not everybody know that he was born in Pesaro, where every year, in August, the Rossini Opera Festival is held.

One of the most famous Rossini's Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, will be broadcasted on March 24th, at 1.30 pm, at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Centre, New York.

A good statistical report about Le Marche wines

Wine is no doubts one of the typical products of Le Marche.

When coming to Le Marche, with or without me, you will always taste a glass of our wine, which is harder to find outside our region, except of Verdicchio and Rosso Piceno.

It might be interesting, then, to read a report about Le Marche wines, published by Marco Baccaglio on his blog "The Numbers of Wine". The article is translated in English too (well done, Marco!).

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)

Blog tour, reloaded!

Like the last year, we now try to sell a "blog tour", i.e. a tour for those who read the blog. Here is the programme (the same of last year, good things shouldn't be changed).
Every programme can be customized, according to your needs.

Prices and dates can be checked on my website, by clicking here.

Here it is:

---------------------

PROGRAMME OF THE WEEKEND:

Saturday: I'll pick you up somewhere between Ancona train station, Falconara airport, Jesi train station or wherever you want.

(Accomodation, if you need one.)

On Saturday, a stroll in Corinaldo is a must. This "Town of the Crazy Ones" is definitely worth a visit, and you will confirm that while admiring the great view from the towers or the beautiful stairs which are the symbol of the town. Stories about the Crazy Ones will add a nice frame on the visit.

Afterwards, well... we are in the land of Verdicchio, so, why don't we have a sip of this amazing wine at the Enoteca Regionale di Jesi. Moreover, why don't we have a light lunch at the Enoteca? A mix of delicious affettati and wines, in the elegant scenery of the Enoteca...

In the afternoon, the best place to stay and relax is Offagna. This is a medieval town built around a fortress, which is still intact from the XV century. Having a drink while sitting and amdiring the hills in front of you is one of the best pleasures life is worthwhile of.

In front of you there is Osimo, the "Town of Headless People". Why it is called so? I can't tell you everything... come and see!

For a great conclusion, we must have a gala dinner. Fish, of course: didn't I tell you this is the land of fish? And where to have fish better than a
fishermen's house? And what is better than knowing that this house is my parents' one? What is better than coming to Italy and have a dinner at
somebody's house, moreover... have a fish dinner at a fishermen's house?

The best thing to do on Sunday is to have a walk in Ancona, trying to discover why this town is so undervaluate by every Lonely Planet guidebook, and finding that Lonely Planet had better to send somebody here.

Lunch is a surprise: I can't tell you everything, so think that lunch is a pleasant uncertainty...

A relaxing afternoon can't schedule anything but visiting the Monte Conero area, with the astonishing bay of Portonovo and the beautiful village of Sirolo, which was entirely built with the white stone of the Conero taken up from the sea to the top of the hill.

To conclude our wonderful tour, we must have a final "candy", like the cherry on the top of a cake. The cherry is Loreto, with its great Basilica and wonderful terrace. Nothing better than enjoying the Conero area's view from one of the symbols of this region, that is the religious capital. It is a way to understand much better the story of Le Marche, a story too long to be told on a website or a blog.

Better to come and hear in person!

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...

The pork feast

This year is the 5th edition of Festa del Nino, literally "the Feast of the Pork", as Nino is the local nickname for pork.
All around Italy, the pork is very important, since in the past it represented the only source of food for the family. The death of the family pork was a tragedy far more than the death of a child: you could have a child again, as long as you were alive thank to the pork.

In Le Marche, the pork is undoubtedly the protagonist of the table, together with the rabbit, the chicken and the pigeon, is the meat we traditionally have in the table. Cows and oxes were only to work, rarely to be eaten.

For the Festa del Nino, there is a calendar you can download from here. It's only in Italian, with just the title, but it's possible to call an information office. At least for the dinners which follow the meetings, it sounds worthwhile.

Otherwise, you have another reason to learn Italian :-)

Seven towns separate from Le Marche

Last Sunday a referendum took place. The inhabitants of 7 towns in the border between Le Marche and Emilia-Romagna had to decide which region to be part of. Eventually, 83% of voters decided to switch to Emilia-Romagna.

I always say that Le Marche is one of the best places ever to stay, but this might not be true for everybody. Especially for those who have much more feeling with a region which is closer for language, for customs etc. In particular, Emilia-Romagna gives much more funds for tourism, and this is one of the most important reasons why these towns decided to change.

Anyway, better alone... :-)

It's still possible to die at sea in 2006

Last time about long life in Le Marche, this time about death out at sea. A fishing boat from San Benedetto del Tronto, south Le Marche, sunk last night under mysterious circumstances. Only the commander survived, the crew is dispersed.

You know my life is the sea, the sea that sometimes can bring death. This sad day is one of those.

God bless the victims in (not of) the sea.

Wish you a long long life...

Today has come out a report about a research on life expectance in the EU. Italy is the second country for life length, after Sweden. The first region for life length in Italy is... guess it!

Earthquake!!!

Yesterday, things trembling, a known experience, especially in Ancona and in the area of Norcia, hiot by a big earthquake in 1972 and in 1997. Fortunately, the town of crazy ones didn't suffer any damage.

Here was the city and the cement, now there's a park

Ancona is a very special city, and I love Her.

One special thing it has, it's that is a landsliding and earthquake area, so everything must be built according to strict anti-sysmic criteria. Here, were the picture was built, one of the most meaningful stories of corruption took place. Here they built everything, in the 60s and in the 70s, the worst period for architecture in Italy. In this landsliding area there were 2 hospital, the university of Medicine, lot of houses. It was the area of Posatora and Borghetto.
On 12th december 1982, after two days of endless raining, everything fell down, so slowly that people could escape without damages, nor injuries or even victims. Eventually they could grab whatever they had, but their houses were destroyed, and they had to move somewhere else. For many people, that was a tragedy, although the municipality gave them some refund.

Now, after 24 years from that tragedy, there is no trace of building over there, instead there is a park, Belvedere Park, with an enchanting view to the port, the city centre and the coastline. This park, in the summer, is one of the meeting point of young Ancona people. Differently from other cities, where there were houses, now there's a park.

Province of Ancona's new website

The new website of the Province of Ancona is online. There is (at least!) an English translation, but it's available a translation into French and German.
Only point: the events are only in Italian. I'm sure they will improve this feature.

Dedicated to the accordions

Last Friday I've been in Cstelfidardo with Hin, Sally and Katrina Cheung, to visit the Zero Sette accordion factory, and the International Accordion Museum. Katrina, Hin's and Sally's daughter, is a great accordion player. Her instrument is made indeed by Zero Sette.
Actually, I discovered a world which I didn't know at all. Of course, I knew about accordions and the role of Castelfidardo, but I didn't imagine the quality, the knowledge and the charm which is behind an accordion.

Moreover, in this period of economical crisis I was happy to see a great factory like Zero Sette (unfortunately, they don't have a website), which is experiencing a flourishing time, due to the passion and the very high commitment they put on their job.

A great thanks to the Cheungs to make it possible.