What to visit in Marche: 10 unmissable places

Recanati is famous for being the birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi, one of the greatest poets in Italy. The city has very well enhanced his home, Palazzo Leopardi indeed. Today it is a museum that worth a visit, with its huge library of 20,000 volumes. But Recanati is also the seat of the Guitar Museum, set up at the Town Hall and dedicated to Oliviero Pigini, founder of Eko, the historic Macerata producer of guitars exported all around the world.

Caldarola is a small village characterized by the Castle Pallotta. Splendid medieval fortress in perfect state of conservation. It allows you to really immerse yourself in the past, crossing corridors, courtyards, sumptuous rooms, ancient stables, kitchens and halls set up with weapons and armor. Frequented by counts, queens and great artists, it is often chosen as the perfect setting for its numerous art exhibitions.

Ancona is not only the capital of the Marche, but an important port city, with a key role in the Adriatic. But it also hides some unmissable gems. The most characteristic monument is the Duomo of San Ciriaco, a Romanesque cathedral that dominates Ancona from above and holds millennia of history. Right on the port, already beautiful in itself, opens the Arch of Trajan of the 2nd century, while the best place for a walk is the beautiful Piazza del Plebiscito. The architect Luigi Vanvitelli, one of the greatest of the '700 Italian, has left here his great testimony: the Mole or Lazzaretto vanvitelliano. An elegant pentagonal building built entirely on an artificial island inside the port.

San Ginesio retains all the charm of the typical italian medieval village. It is historically called "the city of 100 churches": in addition to the beautiful Collegiate church in the main square, beautiful structures have been preserved since the 10th century, some decorated with templar symbols, others with frescoes of the Giotto school. It is one of the few villages in Marche that preserves almost the entire city walls, which can be walked both from the inside and from the outside, with a breathtaking view of the Sibillini Mountains.

Mount Cònero is one of the most emblematic landscapes of the Marche. A relief that stands out on the coast of Ancona. In all its majesty it is a perfect combination of sea and land. In fact, it preserves nature trails among unspoilt flora and fauna, protected between the Conero Park and the Conero Riviera. Like the famous Passo del Lupo and the beautiful beach of the two sisters.

Ascoli Piceno is considered one of the most beautiful villages in the Marche. Called "the city of a hundred towers", it still has several bell towers or ancient noble families’ towers. Ascoli was historically one of the most important centers in Italy, which is why it is rich in ancient architectures, churches, palaces and it preserves two 16th century cloister. The urban layout of the city is Renaissance, clearly visible in the beautiful Piazza del Popolo. You can not miss the famous Ascoli olives, local dish now widespread everywhere.

Near Fossombrone is the Furlo Gorge, breathtaking scenery of Marche not to be missed. This is a canyon too, dug between two mountains by a tributary of the Meandro. It is part of the state nature reserve Gola del Furlo, to explore and to live with the excursions and the many events organized by the institution throughout the year.

Gradara is defined by many as "the capital of the Middle Ages". The village, with its walls, its ramparts, the streets and roofs of the houses gives the most faithful image of a medieval town in the Marche. Enchanting both during the day and at night, it should be explored in all its corners, especially the imposing castle of "Paolo e Francesca", setting of a famous episode of Dante’s Comedy.

Urbino has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998. One of the major Italian centres of the Renaissance, it is famous all over the world for its immense artistic heritage. Perhaps a life is not enough to discover the many villas, palaces, oratories and countless churches scattered everywhere, inside and outside the ancient walls. But certainly you can not miss a visit to the Palazzo Ducale which houses the National Gallery of the Marche. Here you can admire some of the most important masterpieces of Italian art history. Furthermore, it is enough to think that Urbino is the home of the greatest painter of the Renaissance: Raffaello Sanzio.

Frasassi Caves are one of the most impressive natural attractions of the Marche and the world. In this place we confront the time and we rediscover ourselves infinitely small creatures: a million years spent by nature to dig this underground show unique in its kind. Stalactites and stalagmites are courted for hundreds of meters in the subsoil of Genga, in a thousand-year dance with magical contours, for unforgettable emotions. Ultimately, it is not possible to visit Marche without entering the depths of the Frasassi Caves.