What you need to know for holdays and buying property in Le Marche

Houses and Holidays in Le Marche, Italy

If you're going to holiday or buying property in Marche you need to get the pronunciation sorted out first. Le Marche is pronounced 'lay markay'. It translates into English as 'the Marches' and that's how many of us know it.

The Marches (or 'the Italian Marches') is the lesser-known of the triumvirate of regions that comprise central Italy. The other two, Tuscany and Umbria, require no introduction but Marche is more of a mystery to foreign visitors. You may know the Adriatic coastline, stretching from Pesaro in the north to San Benedetto in the south, with some superb beaches in between, but fewer visitors penetrate the hinterland of Marche … they don't know what they're missing.

Some geography first. The Italian Marches are bounded by the Adriatic Sea to the east, the region of Umbria to the west, the region of Emilia-Romagna (and the Republic of San Marino) to the north. It borders the beginnings of southern Italy to the south, where it meets Abruzzo. A narrow coastal plain forms the eastern seaboard of central Italy, rising sharply to the Apennines, the backbone of Italy. These drop into Tuscany and Umbria to the west. There is some spectacular sightseeing here, with the limestone peaks pitted by deep gorges and caves, and dramatic torrents of water pouring into stone pools beneath. Cavers will find complexes of ancient caves to explore. The highest point is Monte Vettore in the Sibillini Mountain range, reaching 2476 metres.

As you approach the coastal plain, the mountains drop to gently rounded hills, often topped with fortified towns a millennium or more old, and surrounded by green, fertile slopes of olive groves and vineyards. And then the land drops again to the long, broad, shallow beaches. There are excellent stretches of sand here, as well as the Conero peninsula, a rugged limestone promontory.

Holidays in the Marches - beaches and seaside resorts

There are a host of beach resorts, from Pesaro and Fano in the north to Grottammare, Pedaso and San Benedetto del Tronto in the south. They are as diverse as they are numerous. There is the bustling, party atmosphere of Gabbice Mare, one of Marche's busiest destinations with more than 100 hotels. Or the elegant old town of Pesaro: a Renaissance town that just happens to have a fishing port and a seaside resort attached.

Le Marche is one of the lesser populated Italian regions (and what population there is is concentrated around the coastal resorts) Le Marche has some 1.5m inhabitants; population density is less than 150 souls per square kilometre.

Holidays in Le Marche - food and drink

Le Marche boasts a fine mix of rustic fare and seafood … it does of course have a massively long coastline. So try brodetto (fish broth) or zuppa di pesce, a fish soup flavoured with saffron. The region's signature dish is porchetta, where a roast suckling pig is either served whole, or is sliced into crispy bread rolls. There are the ever-popular (and expensive) truffles, and rabbit and lamb feature on the menu. Classic pastas include papardelle alla papara, a flat pasta with duck sauce.

The classic wine of Le Marche is verdicchio, a crisp, young, green-tinged white, excellent with fish and seafood. There are good red wines in the shape of Rosso Conero, based on the Montepulciano grape, and the Sangiovese of Rosso Piceno. Try also the aniseed liqueur mistra, usually taken as a post-prandial digestif with coffee.

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