Many have written that the Marche can be considered a synthesis of Italian beauty. From Urbino to Ascoli, Ancona, Pesaro, Macerata and Fermo ‘one must deserve to be a native of the Marche’ (caldarelli, writer). The region, with its 1.538.000 inhabitants, is situated in the centre of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. Sandy coastline, hilly and mountainous hinterlands.
The economy is made of small and medium enterprises, and includes many sectors: footwear, furniture, automotive and naval industry, tourism, and trading (the ports of Ancona, Fano and Senigallia).
Ancona is the capital of the region (101.000 inhabitants) and is also the major port and financial centre of the region. In the Roman times the city was considered the main intersection for trade route with Dalmatia, Egypt and Asia. Since 1959 it has been an important university town.
Pesaro, second most densely-populated city in the Marche, forms a province with Urbino. It is the native town of Rossini, an important beach of the Adriatic, and the seat of the largest furniture company in Italy. It is also known as ‘city of the 4 Ms’: mare, monti, musiche, maioliche (sea, mountains, music and majolicas).
Urbino has very ancient origins. The city was dominated by the Senones in the IV century BC. The Roman domain is attested by the remains of massive town walls. The name of the city derived from the Latin word urvum, which was the curved handle of a plough.
The origins of Ascoli origins remain obscure. Perhaps it was populated in the Neolithic. According to an old legend, the city was founded by the Samnites, who reached the area by following a woodpecker (‘picchio’ in Italian, from which ‘piceno’). That is perhaps why woodpeckers were considered sacred animals for centuries. In the Middle Ages the city was sacked by the Goths and the Lombards. Now it is considered the most beautiful town in the Marche because of its shiny travertine monuments and striking medieval alleys. Visitors cannot miss the Renaissance Piazza del Popolo, Palazzo dei Capitani and, of course, the renowned Caffé Meletti.
Macerata and Fermo - yet a province in the Middle Ages – are also important towns. Fermo is embellished by a unique historical centre on the Sabulo hill.

The Fortress of Gradara and its fortified Burgh represents one of the best preserved medieval structures in Italy, and thanks to the two boundary walls protecting the Fortress (being the outer almost 800m long), it is one of the most massive.
The Castle rises on a hill at 142m on sea level, and the keep, the main tower, heightens for 30 meters, overlooking the entire valley.
The fortunate position of Gradara makes it, from ancient times, an important crossroads for trades and people: in the Middle-Age it was one of the main scenes of battles between the papacy and various Families of the Marche and Romagna, while nowadays (thanks to its proximity to the sea) it is placed right in the inland of a great touristic Italian spot: the Riviera of the Marche and Romagna.

Legend
In the Castle of Gradara lived Lucrezia Borgia and Francesca of Rimini. There the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, narrated by Dante in the Divine Comedy, is bequeathed: such a tradition gives Gradara a unique atmosphere of mystery and romanticism.

During the second-last weekend of July the Castle of Gradara lives the terrible siege of 1446 again, thanks to the historical happening “Siege to the Castle”. For three days commemorations and shows go through the atmosphere, the life and flavours of 6 centuries ago. A unique-of-its-kind fire and music show inaugurates the event, with fireworks, walk-ons, lights and special effects, along with an overwhelming soundtrack. A breathtaking show that will launch you into the middle of the battle to defend Gradara!

The Fortress of Gradara and its fortified Burgh represents one of the best preserved medieval structures in Italy, and thanks to the two boundary walls protecting the Fortress (being the outer almost 800m long), it is one of the most massive.
The Castle rises on a hill at 142m on sea level, and the keep, the main tower, heightens for 30 meters, overlooking the entire valley.
The fortunate position of Gradara makes it, from ancient times, an important crossroads for trades and people: in the Middle-Age it was one of the main scenes of battles between the papacy and various Families of the Marche and Romagna, while nowadays (thanks to its proximity to the sea) it is placed right in the inland of a great touristic Italian spot: the Riviera of the Marche and Romagna.

Legend
In the Castle of Gradara lived Lucrezia Borgia and Francesca of Rimini. There the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, narrated by Dante in the Divine Comedy, is bequeathed: such a tradition gives Gradara a unique atmosphere of mystery and romanticism.

During the second-last weekend of July the Castle of Gradara lives the terrible siege of 1446 again, thanks to the historical happening “Siege to the Castle”. For three days commemorations and shows go through the atmosphere, the life and flavours of 6 centuries ago. A unique-of-its-kind fire and music show inaugurates the event, with fireworks, walk-ons, lights and special effects, along with an overwhelming soundtrack. A breathtaking show that will launch you into the middle of the battle to defend Gradara!

Legend
In the Castle of Gradara lived Lucrezia Borgia and Francesca of Rimini. There the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, narrated by Dante in the Divine Comedy, is bequeathed: such a tradition gives Gradara a unique atmosphere of mystery and romanticism.

During the second-last weekend of July the Castle of Gradara lives the terrible siege of 1446 again, thanks to the historical happening “Siege to the Castle”. For three days commemorations and shows go through the atmosphere, the life and flavours of 6 centuries ago. A unique-of-its-kind fire and music show inaugurates the event, with fireworks, walk-ons, lights and special effects, along with an overwhelming soundtrack. A breathtaking show that will launch you into the middle of the battle to defend Gradara!

Legend
In the Castle of Gradara lived Lucrezia Borgia and Francesca of Rimini. There the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, narrated by Dante in the Divine Comedy, is bequeathed: such a tradition gives Gradara a unique atmosphere of mystery and romanticism.

During the second-last weekend of July the Castle of Gradara lives the terrible siege of 1446 again, thanks to the historical happening “Siege to the Castle”. For three days commemorations and shows go through the atmosphere, the life and flavours of 6 centuries ago. A unique-of-its-kind fire and music show inaugurates the event, with fireworks, walk-ons, lights and special effects, along with an overwhelming soundtrack. A breathtaking show that will launch you into the middle of the battle to defend Gradara!

Un viaggio nel Piceno, tra riti e miti, tradizioni popolari, tornei, cerimoniali. Scopriremo la leggenda del picchio, la tradizione del pallone, il Pallio di Fermo, la Cavalcata dell’Assunta, il rito della Pentecoste e altro ancora, in uno stupefacente itinerario storico e culturale, tra castelli e mura fortilizie, che testimoniano ancora delle lotte tra Impero e Papato, signoria e signoria….

Among pinnacles, spires, calcareous columns, bunch of crystals, coloured pools, walls with endless tints, the Caverns of Frasassi offer an extraordinary and unrepeatable spectacle, unimaginable even for the most courageous and fanciful speleologist. We are in the depths of the earth, where wide, multicolour and amazing halls open in a labyrinth of sceneries, now delicate, now horrid.

The Fortress of Gradara and its fortified Burgh represents one of the best preserved medieval structures in Italy, and thanks to the two boundary walls protecting the Fortress (being the outer almost 800m long), it is one of the most massive.
The Castle rises on a hill at 142m on sea level, and the keep, the main tower, heightens for 30 meters, overlooking the entire valley.
The fortunate position of Gradara makes it, from ancient times, an important crossroads for trades and people: in the Middle-Age it was one of the main scenes of battles between the papacy and various Families of the Marche and Romagna, while nowadays (thanks to its proximity to the sea) it is placed right in the inland of a great touristic Italian spot: the Riviera of the Marche and Romagna.

Legend
In the Castle of Gradara lived Lucrezia Borgia and Francesca of Rimini. There the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, narrated by Dante in the Divine Comedy, is bequeathed: such a tradition gives Gradara a unique atmosphere of mystery and romanticism.

During the second-last weekend of July the Castle of Gradara lives the terrible siege of 1446 again, thanks to the historical happening “Siege to the Castle”. For three days commemorations and shows go through the atmosphere, the life and flavours of 6 centuries ago. A unique-of-its-kind fire and music show inaugurates the event, with fireworks, walk-ons, lights and special effects, along with an overwhelming soundtrack. A breathtaking show that will launch you into the middle of the battle to defend Gradara!

Many have written that the Marche can be considered a synthesis of Italian beauty. From Urbino to Ascoli, Ancona, Pesaro, Macerata and Fermo ‘one must deserve to be a native of the Marche’ (caldarelli, writer). The region, with its 1.538.000 inhabitants, is situated in the centre of Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. Sandy coastline, hilly and mountainous hinterlands.
The economy is made of small and medium enterprises, and includes many sectors: footwear, furniture, automotive and naval industry, tourism, and trading (the ports of Ancona, Fano and Senigallia).
Ancona is the capital of the region (101.000 inhabitants) and is also the major port and financial centre of the region. In the Roman times the city was considered the main intersection for trade route with Dalmatia, Egypt and Asia. Since 1959 it has been an important university town.
Pesaro, second most densely-populated city in the Marche, forms a province with Urbino. It is the native town of Rossini, an important beach of the Adriatic, and the seat of the largest furniture company in Italy. It is also known as ‘city of the 4 Ms’: mare, monti, musiche, maioliche (sea, mountains, music and majolicas).
Urbino has very ancient origins. The city was dominated by the Senones in the IV century BC. The Roman domain is attested by the remains of massive town walls. The name of the city derived from the Latin word urvum, which was the curved handle of a plough.
The origins of Ascoli origins remain obscure. Perhaps it was populated in the Neolithic. According to an old legend, the city was founded by the Samnites, who reached the area by following a woodpecker (‘picchio’ in Italian, from which ‘piceno’). That is perhaps why woodpeckers were considered sacred animals for centuries. In the Middle Ages the city was sacked by the Goths and the Lombards. Now it is considered the most beautiful town in the Marche because of its shiny travertine monuments and striking medieval alleys. Visitors cannot miss the Renaissance Piazza del Popolo, Palazzo dei Capitani and, of course, the renowned Caffé Meletti.
Macerata and Fermo - yet a province in the Middle Ages – are also important towns. Fermo is embellished by a unique historical centre on the Sabulo hill.