Rome to Le Marche, Where to stay?
 

It looks like we are heading back to Rome next year and we are thinking of going to the Le Marche area after spending time with family in Rome. I have no knowledge of this area (which is part of the fun of course) but have heard that it is beautiful and unspoiled. We have been to Umbria but wondering if there are any suggestions as to where to stay along the way or where to stay in Le Marche (what areas did you like best and why). We will probably have about five nights or so after we leave Rome. We love nature but also don't necessarily want to be stressed about driving back to a hotel after dinner and wine. We have driven extensively in Italy and while it has it's obvious pluses, those long, windy roads can be a bit stressful. I know this is diffcult because it sounds like we want to be near a town center and at the same time be in a remote location...so maybe we do both??? Also, would you recommend goining in May or June? Also, what is our best option in terms of travel from Rome to Le Marche? Any info on this area would be much appreciated. Thank you!

If you go in June, you can take a route that puts you in a good position to visit the Piano Grande when the flowers are blooming, and generally you have the chance of warmer weather if you plan to include the high mountains or the coast as part of your trip.

With the exception of a few cities on the coast, it is hard to find what most people would call a "city" experience in Le Marche, and even if you choose lively places like Urbino or Ascoli Piceno to stay, you'll feel like you are in a small town, some of which have very pretty rural views. The larger towns are ringed with agriturismi that serve farm-fresh dinners, so you can also easily spend days sightseeing (the towns are not huge, so you can see a lot with day trips).

What it is hard in 5 days is to include the cultural attractions of northern Le Marche and southern Le Marche. The mountains center of le Marche is not easily transvered (which is precisely why it was the historical defensive line in times past, and is still bristling with dramatic medieval military fortresses). The only easy way to move quickly from north to south or vice versa is to use the flat coastal road, which is often clogged with traffic in nice weather and isn't scenic.

Once you have decided whether you want to visit the northern or southern half of Le March it gets easier to decide where to pick up a rental car.

If you aren't already looking at the Marche Voyager website, it is the best online resource for the region, apart from websites like Slow Travel and its trip reports and a few blogs. Finding guidebooks that have much at all about any part of the region is pretty tough.

Ascoli Piceno is a lovely small town which might fit the bill. And for a hotel, the Pallazo Guiderocchi is very nice, in the center of town, with parking:

http://www.palazzoguiderocchi.com/

The rooms in the main building are considerably nicer than the ones in the dependence.

Thank you. I appreciate the feedback. Any idea how long the drive is to the southern part from Rome or would you suggest flying to save time and pick up a car at the airport in Le Marche?

The town of Urbania is quaint and has the Cheisa Dei Morti which is a church which displays some mummies. Have you ever been to the republic of San Marino? This is on the border of Le Marche. You do have to go on one of those winding, twisty roads, but the scenery is nice.

mikster,

If you are headed to southern le Marche, I suggest heading by train from Rome to Foligno and picking up the rental car in Foligno.

You could also drive from Rome in about 3 hours, but if you choose to do that before the middle of June, you need to get some idea of the weather along that routing because it takes you through the mountains of Abruzzo. It wouldn't surprise if that area still gets snow in mid-Spring.

Great advice so far on this lovely and less-visited part of Italy. We visited several years ago, focusing on the northern portion. We started our trip in Bologna, then drove from there, through Ravenna to see the mosaics, then spent the night in San Marino.

From there, we drove to Urbino, where we spent three nights. Very nice small city, as pointed out, with a small-town feel but great cafes for people-watching. Then we spent three nights at an agriturismo outside of Macerata. We liked that area too, but much preferred Urbino over Macerata. And while the agriturismo was interesting, on the two nights we ate elsewhere, we found it a hassle to drive from Macerata to our agriturismo in the dark, after dinner, and one of us had to limit our wine consumption. But that's really a matter of personal preference.

All wonderful and much appreciated suggestions....thanks all.

bmk

We stayed at la tavola marche for a week last year and loved it so much we are going back twice this year!! It's a cooking school on a farm by Urbania. We did day trips all over. It's now our favourite part of Italy. You can read about our misadventures here http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-do-italy.cfm

They serve dinner at night or you can cook in your apartment so no need to drive!

Wonderful! I look forward to reading your report...thank you so much!

jamikins...can you tell me if there is a dramatic difference between the north and south part of Le Marche...we may have to limit our visit to the south as we may be flying in and out of Rome and not sure we will have more than 5 or 6 nights in Le Marche...sound like you really enjoyed the north.

I would love to but I am not sure to be honest - we have only been to the north! But I have heard great things about the south as well so you probably cant go wrong!

ttt

any idea how long it would take to drive from the north to the south?

There is certainly a cultural difference between the north and the south, because the north historically had more contact with Renaissance ideas, and it also was a first line of defense from invaders to the north/northeast. The south is more keyed into Rome and the landscape is less hemmed in, and it opens up to the south. Since the most dramatic mountains occupy the center, you can approach them from either direction. What is really hard to do is try to see both north and south by crossing the mountains. There are no "through roads up there. There are east-west roads that run inland from the coast, and there is the coastal road running north and south. But the interior has a complicated web of spiraling mountain roads that only exist to connect mountain villages by the easiest route possible, since there is a lot of verticality to circumvent.

If want you really want is a vacation of natural beauty, and are only mildly curious about the dukes of Montefeltro or the original Pics, then an agriturismo or resort hotel with a restaurant in a scenic area would really solve all your problems about driving at night. But if you want to see towns in le Marche with cultural attractions, you pretty much need to road trip, or be content to do one half of the region at a time.

Regarding southern le Marche, here is some good info even if you need to read past some of the obvious commercial pitches

http://www.livinginlemarche.com/?q=node/245

http://www.scoop.it/t/le-marche-anot...hern-le-marche

http://www.paradisepossible.com/Pass...6/Default.aspx

http://www.lavitalemarche.com/rentdirect.html

Thank you so much! I really appreciate all of this great information.