GETTING THERE
Getting to Le Marche from Northern Europe is quite easy. Ryanair flies daily from Stansted to Ancona, its capital city. Other Airlines that fly into Ancona include Alitalia, KLM and Lufthansa. The A14 Autostrada connects with the A1 at Bologna and north up to Milan . Rail services are extremely reliable and quite cheap, and there are excellent services from Ancona to Bologna, Milan and then onwards to Paris and points North.
<Better a corpse in the house than a marchigiano at the door> goes an old Italian saying from the time when people from this region used to serve as the Pope's incorruptible tax collectors. Mostly, though, despite being now well connected, this part of Italy has been ignored more than defamed. As a result Le Marche is often overlooked by tourists who flock to other more popular Italian destinations, but this is an advantage for the traveller. Visitors will be fascinated by the hill towns, dramatic scenery, the quiet, silent quality of life due perhaps to the gentleness of the landscape, the tranquillity in the pattern of rectangles and squares, the genuine cuisine…..
You need to be a good driver in Le Marche since the roads are narrow and steep. Fly to Ancona and rent a car. For speed, take the A14 connecting the entire region from Pesaro in the North to Ascoli Piceno in the South. For pleasure, drive the strade statali through the Marche 's beautiful landscapes, the region's treasures are scattered all over. Stick to the winding side roads; that's where you are likely to find unknown gems. |