Unveiling the Soul-Warming Beauty of Le Marche
The Village of Montefabbri located in the northern end of Le Marche not too far from the Republic of San Marino
Wine-tasting, truffle hunting and dining in a vineyard while staying in a picture-perfect villa in the spectacular Marche Region - this is a trip that will rank among the best in your Travel log
This tour is for a group of 8 people max
Start date: September or October (depending on the vaccine roll-out)
What’s included: Pick up from Roma Fiumicino airport Accommodation. A private minibus for all land transportation. All meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner.
What's not included Aerial time. Wines and drinks Anything not specified as included
Read about Top Sagre in Le Marche
The region of Le Marche
A real sense of warmth and wonder follows you everywhere you look in Le Marche. Typically the hills look like cloud-soft mounds popping up along country roads from all sides. The land goes velvet-brown when it’s bare and gets green or yellow when covered by crops, swathes of sunflowers or patches of patterned vines. The medieval villages still stand in all their original charm like the unspoiled Montefabbri literally sitting on its intact city walls (see pic above); and Genga with its peculiar rectangular layout and its thousand year old buildings. Le Marche is an overlooked province which lies eastward of Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio. Its relative remoteness has granted this area its most fascinating features - pristine countryside that kept busy highways and crowd-laden railways away.
The geometric shapes of Genga
If you want to feel the beating heart of Italy, head to Le Marche. Italian Academy Tours has put together an 8-day trip exploring the supreme beauty and beyond-reason good food and wine of this corner of Italy (Departures in September or October, roll-out permitting).
Staying at the Villa
This tour is based on a simple concept - use a quintessentially Italian country house as a base camp and go on daily excursions discovering the best places, food and wines in the area. The goal is to let everything unfold at a slow pace for a traveling experience that’ll put you in touch with the real heart of Italy.
You’ll wake up every morning to breakfast on an outdoor patio immersed by countryside epitomizing everything that is good about Italy. You’ll discover awe-inspiring villages, genuine food and recipes you didn’t know existed, and you’ll wonder why nobody else has flocked to these places before. It’ll feel like you’ve fallen into the chapter of a flawless Italian story.
Day 1 - A heady Start
On day one at around 10 a.m. your private minibus will head for Urbisaglia. This is a medieval village whose buildings have huddled for centuries around the buttresses of a majestic castle as if looking for protection. You’ll be catapulted into scenes and views you’ll find hard to leave.
The Great Italian EnotecHE
Setting foot in an Italian enoteca is one of the best ways to really get to know Italy. Enoteche are unpretentious wine shops locals love to spend time in sipping genuine wine, nibbling at earthy snacks and simple, traditional dishes.
In Urbisaglia, I picked Olio, Vini, Merende, a quirky enoteca that will bring this trip to a heady start.
After lunch will be all about recharging your batteries, perhaps sunbathing by the swimming pool at the country house.
The evening will see an aperitvo and dinner in the Loggia dei Mercanti in the city of Macerata.
Every July, this golden city hosts the Opera Festival, a music event held in an immense open-air amphitheater that seats 7000 spectators.
The majestic open-air amphitheater in Macerata
Day 2- The Castle and the Winemaker
Acquaviva Picena rises on a hill over the Valley of Tronto - Yes, Tronto not Toronto! - just a stone’s throw from the Adriatic Sea. The focal point of this village is its Fortezza dei Duchi di Acquaviva, a large medieval fortress, among the biggest and better preserved in the Marche region.
The cobbled streets and the golden brick houses are a perfect setting to let you become, if only for a moment, part of a thousand year history.
Acquaviva Picena
Strolling and Nibbling in a vineyard
Around lunch time, you’ll meander in the spectacular vineyard of Cantine Ortenzi (watch video below) not far from Fermo, one of the most charming cities in the area. The visit is the perfect time to taste amazing bruschette and crostini along with some of Cantine Ortenzi’s best wines.
After a good rest, the time will come to roll up your sleeves and cook a well-deserved meal at the country house.
Day 3 - Caves as big as a city and Wine tasting
After the usual laid back morning, day 3 will start with a visit to Frasassi Caves, near the village of Genga. This cave system has stalactites and stalagmites as high as three- or four-story buildings. Walking in this underground space will seem like exploring an eerie city dug in the center of earth. Near the entrance, two sanctuary-chapels stand tall - the Sanctuary of Holy Mary under the Rock and a unique temple, known as Tempietto del Valadier (see pics below).
Cupramontana
The day will continue with a quick lunch at Cupramontana and a stroll along the banks of the gorgeous Cingoli lake. The quirky village of Cupramontana is the capital of "Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi", a white wine favored by the gods.
Lake of Cingoli
An evening tour at Azienda Agricol Biologica Andrea Felici will give you all you need to wrap up a prefect day - bruschette for your tummy, a view for your eyes and fantastic wine for your mind.
Azienda Agricola Andrea Felici, near Cupramontana
day 4 - Conero and San Marino
Day 4 will start with a slow-going morning at the country house making panini for your day trip.
Conero’s pearl-white beaches and lush giant cliffs will await you for a memorable time along the coastline of the Adriatic sea.
The National Park and the beaches of Conero
The rest of the day will continue with a tour to the Republic of San Marino, perched on the slopes of Mount Titano, between the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions. You will be smitten by the picturesque castle’s walls wrapping the tip of the crag this tiny city state lies on.
San Marino
Day 5 - Truffle Hunting
An expert farmer, a hound dog with its incredible sense of smell and a fertile land nurturing subterranean ascomycete fungi (AKA truffles) will make your truffle hunting day in Acqualagna. More than just a leisure activity though, this will be an event that will get you even more connected with the treasures of this region.
All the truffles bagged during the hunt will be the staple of our cooking night at the country house.
Acqualagna
Tolentino, the village near Macerata, overlooking the Monti Sibillini mountain range
Day 6 - Dining in the Vineyard
Tolentino is a thriving medieval town set in the heartland of the southern-central Marche. Perched on top of a high hill it overlooks gracious rolling hills swelling up all around. Pilgrims come from across Italy to visit the shrine of St Nicholas of Tolentino and its handsome Basilica to marvel at the grandiose Giottoesque frescoes in the gothic Cappellone di San Nicola. We’ll also spend time lingering in the tranquil Romanesque cloister alongside the church.
For lunch we’ll grab an out-of-this-world sandwich or a typical entrée at Alimentari Fioretti Fiorentino. Then your minibus will whisk you off to San Severino and Camerino, two must-see destinations.
This is also the day where the love for great food and the passion for good wine will come to a head at Cantina Terracruda in Fratte Rosa. While sitting at a long dining table laid in a vineyard, you’ll find no excuse not to let your indulgence run high.
Day 7- two main Cities
Even if I believe that when it comes to Italy, small is big, two of the biggest cities in Le Marche are definitely worth visiting. Urbino and Ascoli Piceno deserve all your attention if only for their towering palaces, breathtaking piazzas and popular works of art.
With many located at the center of Rome, convents let you break free from the grip of expensive hotels.