Italy: Le Marche region end of September
Aug 1st, 2016, 02:56 AM
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Italy: Le Marche region end of September
Dear Fodorites,
This is a re-post.
With great interest I have already read some valuable trip reports on Le Marche. Thanks you all so much!
My husband and I plan to slow travel from Northern Europe to Italy's Southern Marche. Our destination will be Macerata, where we have rented a house, intending to spend the first week of October. Realizing that the beach season will be over by that time we have deliberately rented more inland. We intend to travel South via towns like Senigallia.
We plan to take day trips from Macerata, leaving plenty of time to explore the local cuisine and do some occasional home cooking. I love to roam markets and, using my rusty Italian, interact with the local population.
It is our intention to take 6 days for both the way South and back North, traveling down via Austria and probably back via France.
All suggestions are welcome and by that I mean suggestions for 'towns not to miss' en route accommodation, restaurants etc. Also recommendations and suggestions for the Southern Marche.
Mille grazie a tutti!
This is a re-post.
With great interest I have already read some valuable trip reports on Le Marche. Thanks you all so much!
My husband and I plan to slow travel from Northern Europe to Italy's Southern Marche. Our destination will be Macerata, where we have rented a house, intending to spend the first week of October. Realizing that the beach season will be over by that time we have deliberately rented more inland. We intend to travel South via towns like Senigallia.
We plan to take day trips from Macerata, leaving plenty of time to explore the local cuisine and do some occasional home cooking. I love to roam markets and, using my rusty Italian, interact with the local population.
It is our intention to take 6 days for both the way South and back North, traveling down via Austria and probably back via France.
All suggestions are welcome and by that I mean suggestions for 'towns not to miss' en route accommodation, restaurants etc. Also recommendations and suggestions for the Southern Marche.
Mille grazie a tutti!
Aug 1st, 2016, 08:04 AM
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Hello, I saw your earlier post, but was away on holiday in rural Ireland, with bad internet connections, so I bookmarked it for later. I was just beginning to answer it when I saw this repost!
Coming from central Austria (maybe Salzburg) you would probably enter Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, which is a region I don't know well. You could perhaps make a detour to Trieste, which is a city that I liked a lot, combining Venetian and Slovenian culture. The coastal area just north of the city is pretty and interesting. We once stayed in the town of Duino, which has a very nice castle, and some restaurants with good local specialties (can't remember names). Some of the things I recommend may not interest you, but I don't know a lot about your interests.
If you're interested in history, the town of Aquilegia is worth a stop. It has very extensive late Roman ruins, and a very early Christian Basilica. It was a center of Byzantine culture in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
You'll be passing near Venice, but that could occupy several days. You might also want to stop in Padova (Padua) or Verona, both of which could easily be visited in a day. From Padova, you can take a boat tour of the Palladian villas along the Brenta canal, or you could just visit some Palladian villas in Vicenza and vicinity.
Ravenna is another magnet for people interested in Byzantine Italy, or who just want to see the spectacular mosaics in the churches there.
A bit further south, you'd pass through Ferrara, an attractive town with a great ducal palace. Nearby, the Po Delta is very interesting. There are boat tours of the Delta.
You will also pass through Bologna, famed for its cuisine, although the whole region has the same cuisine more or less, and I actually believe the cuisine of Le Marche is its equal. I like Bologna very much, but I know from reading these forums that it doesn't appeal to everybody; it has some big-city grit.
Once you get to Le Marche, you might want to turn inland at Fano to visit Urbino, which has one of the best Renaissance ducal palaces in Italy. It also has one of Italy's oldest universities, and is just a charming hill town in a beautiful setting. You should view the palace from the park above the town.
At this point, I would suggest taking back roads south to Senigallia, and to avoid repeating myself I'll give you a link to a recent post I made about Le Marche.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rche-italy.cfm
Senigallia is well worth a stop if you're interested in food. There are two Michelin three-star restaurants there, Uliassi and Madonnina del Pescatore. Of the two, I prefer Uliassi; both, of course, are expensive. Another excellent restaurant, much more affordable, is Raggiazzuro. There is a food market every day in Piazza dell'Erba, which is surrounded by shops selling high-quality local cured meats, cheeses, and all sorts of other things, including sauces produced by Uliassi.
If the weather is nice, a walk on the beach is very pleasant in October.
In the post I've linked above, all the places from Fabriano on would be good candidates for day trips while you're in Macerata. In the rural areas, there may already be some good autumn color while you're there.
On your way back through France, you will pass near Modena and Parma, both famous for their gastronomic products. If you're going to central France, I would recommend a stop in Torino, a beautiful city that was once the capital of the Savoy dynasty. There are Savoy palaces, hunting lodges, and stately homes in the area.
Coming from central Austria (maybe Salzburg) you would probably enter Italy in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, which is a region I don't know well. You could perhaps make a detour to Trieste, which is a city that I liked a lot, combining Venetian and Slovenian culture. The coastal area just north of the city is pretty and interesting. We once stayed in the town of Duino, which has a very nice castle, and some restaurants with good local specialties (can't remember names). Some of the things I recommend may not interest you, but I don't know a lot about your interests.
If you're interested in history, the town of Aquilegia is worth a stop. It has very extensive late Roman ruins, and a very early Christian Basilica. It was a center of Byzantine culture in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.
You'll be passing near Venice, but that could occupy several days. You might also want to stop in Padova (Padua) or Verona, both of which could easily be visited in a day. From Padova, you can take a boat tour of the Palladian villas along the Brenta canal, or you could just visit some Palladian villas in Vicenza and vicinity.
Ravenna is another magnet for people interested in Byzantine Italy, or who just want to see the spectacular mosaics in the churches there.
A bit further south, you'd pass through Ferrara, an attractive town with a great ducal palace. Nearby, the Po Delta is very interesting. There are boat tours of the Delta.
You will also pass through Bologna, famed for its cuisine, although the whole region has the same cuisine more or less, and I actually believe the cuisine of Le Marche is its equal. I like Bologna very much, but I know from reading these forums that it doesn't appeal to everybody; it has some big-city grit.
Once you get to Le Marche, you might want to turn inland at Fano to visit Urbino, which has one of the best Renaissance ducal palaces in Italy. It also has one of Italy's oldest universities, and is just a charming hill town in a beautiful setting. You should view the palace from the park above the town.
At this point, I would suggest taking back roads south to Senigallia, and to avoid repeating myself I'll give you a link to a recent post I made about Le Marche.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rche-italy.cfm
Senigallia is well worth a stop if you're interested in food. There are two Michelin three-star restaurants there, Uliassi and Madonnina del Pescatore. Of the two, I prefer Uliassi; both, of course, are expensive. Another excellent restaurant, much more affordable, is Raggiazzuro. There is a food market every day in Piazza dell'Erba, which is surrounded by shops selling high-quality local cured meats, cheeses, and all sorts of other things, including sauces produced by Uliassi.
If the weather is nice, a walk on the beach is very pleasant in October.
In the post I've linked above, all the places from Fabriano on would be good candidates for day trips while you're in Macerata. In the rural areas, there may already be some good autumn color while you're there.
On your way back through France, you will pass near Modena and Parma, both famous for their gastronomic products. If you're going to central France, I would recommend a stop in Torino, a beautiful city that was once the capital of the Savoy dynasty. There are Savoy palaces, hunting lodges, and stately homes in the area.
Aug 2nd, 2016, 06:27 AM
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Hi again bvlenci, I read your suggestions in more detail, thanks very much again. We will probably be traveling the route via Bolzano and Verona down so indeed Ferrara and Ravenna are high on the list for a visit.
We already know Bologna and also Torino where I took Italian conversation lessons last year. Indeed a city which is generally underrated and has loads to offer, particularly around that time of year. (truffles/wine)
On second thoughts I realized that driving back via France will add an extra 500 kms. to the route. We know the Eastern part of France very well so I am now considering a different route back North.
Should you or any one else on this forum be able to inform us in more detail about the area near Marcerata (Le Marche) where we are actually planning to stay for a week. I'd be much obliged! Thanks in advance.
We already know Bologna and also Torino where I took Italian conversation lessons last year. Indeed a city which is generally underrated and has loads to offer, particularly around that time of year. (truffles/wine)
On second thoughts I realized that driving back via France will add an extra 500 kms. to the route. We know the Eastern part of France very well so I am now considering a different route back North.
Should you or any one else on this forum be able to inform us in more detail about the area near Marcerata (Le Marche) where we are actually planning to stay for a week. I'd be much obliged! Thanks in advance.
Aug 4th, 2016, 07:37 AM
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I thought I had provided lots of detail about the area around Macerata on the other post, for which I provided a link. Is there something in particular you want to know?
In that post, everything between Fabriano and Urbisaglia is near Macerata. In the direction of the coast, there's not much to see; the coastal area is flat and industrialized, although there are some nice seaside spots to the north, on the Riviera del Conero, especially the town of Portonovo. To the south, the town of Torre di Palme is very attractive, a small walled town on a cliff overlooking the sea. I also mentioned that and the Riviera del Conero in the other post.
There are dozens of tiny little towns in the foothills of the Sibilline mountains. All of them have a certain charm for me. I also mentioned the Gola dell'Infernaccio in the other post. I'm wracking my brains, but can't think of anything else. Tolentino has a beautiful church, San Nicola. Cingoli is known for its view towards the sea.
I'll try to answer any specific questions you have.
In that post, everything between Fabriano and Urbisaglia is near Macerata. In the direction of the coast, there's not much to see; the coastal area is flat and industrialized, although there are some nice seaside spots to the north, on the Riviera del Conero, especially the town of Portonovo. To the south, the town of Torre di Palme is very attractive, a small walled town on a cliff overlooking the sea. I also mentioned that and the Riviera del Conero in the other post.
There are dozens of tiny little towns in the foothills of the Sibilline mountains. All of them have a certain charm for me. I also mentioned the Gola dell'Infernaccio in the other post. I'm wracking my brains, but can't think of anything else. Tolentino has a beautiful church, San Nicola. Cingoli is known for its view towards the sea.
I'll try to answer any specific questions you have.
