Meher Castelino roams the lanes of Le Marche, a lesser known tourist spot in Italy, but a wonderful one nevertheless.

For many tourists, Italy means the famous cities of Milan, Rome, Venice, Tuscany, Verona, Pisa etc. But it’s the relatively unknown countryside on the eastern side of central Italy that takes your breath away.

The Le Marche region lying between the Adriatic Sea and the High Apennine mountains not only moves easily from the past into the present but also offers the beauty of the serene blue sea, picturesque sights, ancient sites, ski slopes and large doses of spirituality.

Our four-day trip to Le Marche started with a direct Alitalia flight to Milan from Mumbai. We could have opted for a train or plane ride to Ancona the tiny airport town of Le Marche which also has amazing beaches. Instead we chose the super highway that enabled us to cover the 500 km journey in just five hours.

Our base 270-mt high was Urbisaglia where the La Foresteria country Inn reflected the mood of the region. Situated in the middle of a forest, the design of the inn was modern with rustic touches of slopping wooden beam roofs and inspired by stables. The Abby di Fiastra with its colourful history in the garden next door to our hotel is a regular tourist attraction.

The beauty of tiny Urbisaglia is its history. Heavy excavations have been going on since the 18th century and then seriously since 1985 to unearth the mysteries of the 73 hectares of Urbis Salvia town underneath which dates back to 1st century BC. An amphitheatre built in 1st century AD is one of the town’s popular Roman ruins. Built by General Luccio Silva Novio Basso, he was famous for leading an army to Massada in Israel and chasing the Jewish sect as it fled.

The amphitheatre’s stories revolve around some gruesome gladiator battles involving man and beast. The site called Crypto Porto, which has the temple, and the houses in the adjoining excavation however reflect a more peaceful era. Tolentino, 11 km away, is a picturesque medieval town amidst beautiful rolling hills. Its nerve centre is the Piazza della Libertia circled by a medieval three-clocks tower, and the International Museum of Caricature and Humor housed in Palazzo Sangallo where 3000 humourous drawings from all over the world can be viewed.

Tolentino is famous for the Capellone de San Nicola, a Gothic shrine dedicated to St Nicholas (his body lies in a crypt) whose miracles are well known. San Genesio another medieval town with 6000 population was celebrating its weekly market evening when we arrived. There was singing, dancing and music by the town’s young men and women; while the local produce like wine, cake, cheese, shoes, biscuits, pasta was on sale in the quadrangle of the church.

Since we were covering all the beautiful towns through the rolling hills of Le Marche, our next stop was the 3000- year-old town, Ascoli Piceno- a major tourist centre. There is the San Francesco church in the Piazza Del Popolo. Near by is the Palazzo Del Popolo, a 13th century building with the statue of Pope Paul III. The Duomo in the Piazza Arringo (means to address people) has the crypt of St Enicelio, protector from earthquakes.

Another major town of Le Marche is Macerata built between the 15th and 19th century. Its pride is the 7000 seat Sferisterio open-air arena originally built as a football stadium in 1820s. It now stages the top Italian operas. The moonlight shows are a must see at the arena. Macerata is a blend of the old and new buildings in Renaissance style which ring the Central Piazza della Libertia.

If Oxford and Cambridge towns are seats of education in England, then their Italian counterpart is Urbino a university town with cobbled streets that wind through its high walls. Built in the 15/16 century, nearly 20,000 students rush through the narrow lanes darting in and out of colleges. Urbino is a blend of great Italian art, architecture and modern education. UNESCO lists its Centro Storico as a World Heritage Site.

The Palace Ducale of Duke Federico da Montefeltro has the Galleria Nazionale della Marche where amazing paintings including the Flagellation of Christ by Peiro della Francesca is hung.

The weather during our trip was amazingly brazing and cold with intermittent rain bringing it down further. But we were not prepared for a further drop as we drove along the winding hairpin bends up to Monti Sibillini in the National Park, which has the highest peaks on the Italian Main land- Mount Vettore (2,476 mts).

As our van took each mountain turn the view was picture perfect as we looked up to snow capped peaks and then down to amazing greenery and Lake Caccano. The roads were smooth and our 40-km drive from Urbisaglia to Fiastra in the Monti Sibillini region was exhilarating bringing us to a height of 1003 mt.

Lunch on top of a mountain in a small family owned restaurant, Rifuge de Tibbriso comprised four kinds of cheese (chilly, chestnut, spicy and wine) eaten with bread and washed down with Vino Cotto (boiled wine). Winter sports like skiing on the snow-clad slopes of the mountain are popular but even the summer months the inviting snow peaks winked at us.

From traditional towns set amongst undulating hills to the snow capped freezing mountain air; we now raced down within minutes to white beaches of Portonova the first port of call. From its beaches rise the steep slopes of Monte Conero.
As we walked along the beach front lined with restaurants, hotels, beach huts we saw some ultra modern yachts and speedboats docked along the seashore.

San Benedetto Del Tronto along with Civitanova near Urbisaglia are quieter versions of the Riviera making them popular with the rich and famous who guard their privacy. One cannot leave Le Marche without seeing Loreto in Ancona where the famous Loreto Church of the black Madonna attracts thousands of people from around the world in search of peace and healing. The gleaming dome of the Sanctuario della Santa Casa where the statue of the Black Madonna of Loreto is kept is visible from afar. The statue is the copy of the original destroyed in 1921 by fire and is revered because of its colour. The church also houses the House of the Virgin from Nazareth, which was transported to Loreto from Israel.

Le Marche needs a longer stay to savour its attractions. There is Loro Piceno where a dancing butcher will show his skills. Camerino the town famous for the annual sword race and the historic virile Verrano family which procreated so fast that it is believed that nearly a 1/3 of Italy's population is it descendents.

There is Visso a small town- with its Museum of wooden Jesus and Mary statues- which is built over a river where if you dig deep you can still touch water. There is Fermo one of the prettiest towns of Le Marche with the best panoramic view of the region which offers high mountains and sunny beaches. Le Marche is for leisurely touring. You can’t race through it in a few days. You need lots of time to savour its peace, history, variety and beauty.

Source: http://www.deccanherald.com