A Quick Tour Of Italy - The Marche Region

A Quick Tour Of Italy - The Marche Region
If you are looking for a European tourist destination,
consider the Marche region of central Italy. Depending on
your interests, it is an ideal vacation spot. You can get
classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local
wine. And the Marche region hasn't yet been discovered by
tourists. There's a tradeoff; you won't have to fight the
crowds to see what you want to see. On the other hand,
you'll have a hard time finding fancy hotels. And the roads
are not always the best, not much of a surprise when you
consider the region's hilly terrain. We'll start our tour
of this region in the north and work our way south.

The little town of Urbino is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
that was once a great center of learning. The University
has about twenty thousand students, considerably more than
Urbino's resident population of approximately fifteen
thousand. You'll also find the Galleria Nazionale delle
Marche (National Gallery of The Marche) with Titian's
Resurrection and Last Supper. The city also contains
several Renaissance churches worth visiting.

Given that the great Renaissance painter Raphael was an
Urbino native, it's not very surprising that this town is
home to the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (National
Gallery of The Marche) located in the Palazzo Ducale
(Duke's Palace). Would you believe that this beautiful
Renaissance building doesn't contain much of his work? On
the other hand, you can find Titian's Resurrection and Last
Supper there. The Casa Natale di Raffaello (Birthplace of
Raphael) includes a Madonna fresco that is definitely
associated with Raphael. But experts aren't sure if he
painted it himself or if his father painted it and Raphael
and his mother served as models. The city also contains
several Renaissance churches worth visiting.

Ancona is a port city that was largely destroyed during
World War II. Among its sights are the Twelfth Century
Duomo di San Ciriaco (Saint Ciriaco Cathedral) and the
Romanesque Santa Maria della Piazza.

Ascoli Piceno is a valley town of about fifty thousand
people. You'll want to see the Piazza del Populo (Square of
the People) and the Thirteenth Century Palazzo dei Capitani
del Populo (Palace of the People's Captains) and several
other historic churches. Try to get to Ascoli Piceno for
the first Sunday in August to enjoy Renaissance costume
parade and jousting tournament.

The Marche has many regional specialties, for example
brodetto (fish soup) with thirteen kinds of fish and
seafood. See our companion article I Love Touring Italy -
The Marche Region for a sample menu and more information on
Marche wines as well as an in-depth examination of its
tourist attractions. The region is home to two DOCG (the G
stands for Guarantita) red wines, the
Montepulciano-Sangiovese based Rosso Conero Riserva and the
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona based on a local grape.

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Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine
Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and
people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what
he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at
an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his
Italian travel website http://www.travelitalytravel.com
which focuses on local wine and food.