For a week’s stay in Le Marche region during high season you can expect to pay approximately $775.00 per person based on double occupancy for stunning hotels such as those listed below.

Three nights in Urbino Unique accommodation in part of an historic religious complex directly in front of the Ducal Palace. The old church, with its lunette by Luca della Robbia and its magnificent paintings, is sometimes used as a centre for conventions, exhibitions and conferences. The sixteenth-century rooms of the adjacent convent have been transformed into comfortable, quiet rooms along with welcoming and the characteristic public lounges which are rich in charm.

Four nights in Ascoli Piceno. Luxury accommodation in what were once the stables and workshops of a 13th century mansion belonging to a family of Ascoli nobility. The hotel has now been transformed into a luxury residence which incorporates the very best of modern technology within an ancient building. All of the exclusive and elegant bedrooms have wooden beamed ceilings and parquet flooring yet all of the rooms are different. Some have terraces; others have canopied beds but all are lavishly furnished with a mixture of the family's own furniture and designer pieces. Original works of art decorate the walls and outside is the ancient centre of Ascoli.

Urbino, During its relatively short but brilliant period of cultural supremacy, Urbino attracted the most illustrious scholars and artists of the Renaissance. Urbino represents the peak of Renaissance art and architecture. Harmoniously adapted to its physical surroundings and its mediaeval past that the city is breathtakingly beautiful.

Ascoli Piceno Perched at the top of a hill the old city centre, with its colourful streets, surrounds the monumental public Square of the People which is encircled by Renaissance palaces and dominated by the Palace of the People (18th Century).

Pesaro On the Adriatic coast and blessed with well-equipped beaches, the city hosts thousands of tourists every year who come to relax and enjoy the seashore. The town is replete with beautiful squares and historic buildings many of which are named for the famous people who were born there. Teatro Rossini, the site of many important theatrical and musical events, is named after Gioacchino Rossini, the well-known composer from Pesaro.

Fabriano, famous for it’s hand made paper since the 14th Century. Even then its medieval mills were producing a r million sheets of paper a year. It was here, it is claimed, that the watermark for paper was invented. Its paper is still world famous and used banknotes and quality art paper.

San Benedetto del Tronto. Situated above the Adriatic coast, between the mouth of the Tesino River to the north and the Tronto River to the south, the city is one of the largest fishing ports in Italy with a large fish market. It is also a popular seaside resort, and has a beautiful waterfront.

Loreto, located in the Apennine hills, it dominates the sea and short coastal plain. Loreto is an agricultural centre (vineyards, olive groves, vegetables) and also a religious center which attracts tourist activity. The old centre is based on a plan which follows the capricious hills and is surrounded by sixteenth century walls and ramparts. The Apostolic Palace has a rich collection of art, including paintings by Lorenzo Lotto from around 1530-1535.

Macerata. Known universally for the annual open-air opera festival in July and August, the city is nonetheless on a human scale which deserves a visit for its many charms.

Parco Nazionale del Conero. A paradise located south of Ancona, is where you'll find rock caves and white limestone cliffs totally unlike any other of the Adriatic. From Trieste to the southern "spur" of Italy, the Gargano is a more Mediterranean experience. The panoramic road winding along the coast offers a spectacular view of many beaches, and at the top the remains of a Paleolithic settlement dating back 100,000 years have been discovered.

Frasassi Caves. Some of the most spectacular limestone caves you are ever likely to see, they represent one of the most fascinating and majestic underground routes in the world. Visitors, accompanied by professional guides, can experience the thrill of a hidden and beautiful upside down world, where the silence is broken only by the dripping of the drops of water that bring it to life.

The Marche coast provides the region with a predominance of seafood. Fish recipes such as kebabs and soups, owe their superb taste both to the freshness of the raw ingredients and to the expertise of the preparation involved. The rest of the region, which is crossed by stretches of gentle hills and mountains, is a land of ancient rural civilisation.

The traditional foods are porchetta (a whole pig stuffed with flavouring and roasted on a spit), free-range chickens, game, vegetables, olives, salamis, hams and sausages. The dressing used most widely is oil, but for some foods, also butter and, above all, lard are used, even though this has been all but abandoned in all the other areas of Italy, it is often used intelligently and sparingly, to be lighter on the stomach. In addition, the province of Pesaro is the biggest truffle producer in Italy, particularly of the prized white truffle in direct competition with Alba: the “capital” in the Marches for truffles is Acqualagna, between Pesaro and Urbino where the famous market is held.

For antipasto there are mountain cured hams, the best being prosciutto di carpegna, and lonza (raw salted pork fillet). The ciauscolo is a soft, cured pork salami typical of the Macerata province.

The region's unique pasta dish is vincisgrassi, a rich, baked lasagne without tomatoes. The fish soup of the Adriatic coast; is a mixture of fish, both whole and in pieces, in a sauce which is full of aromas. Urbino is also famous for passatelli, strands of pasta made from breadcrumbs.

Wine alone could provide an excellent motive for touring in the Marche. The Marche's pride is the Verdicchio, made from the local grape with the same name. The other Marche DOC whites are Bianchello del Metauro, Colli Pesaresi from the north, Esino Bianco and Colli Maceratesi from the central Marche, and Falerio from the south.

Photography credits to iMarche Turismo and Alexandra Balfour-Stewart

For more information contact Alexandra at 804-346-8714 or click here to enquire.