THE MARVELS OF NATURE THE MARVELS OF NATURE THE CULTURAL HERITAGE THE CULTURAL HERITAGE The sea The mountains Archaeological sites Where silence reigns All the provinces of the Marches are on the Adriatic Sea and, Not only is this a region with splendid sandy beaches and According to Festus the name Pi- After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Marches were on the coast, there are cities with ancient origins that have a SPORT AT THE SEASIDE clear seas, but there are also outstanding areas of natural THE KEY TO GOOD HEALTH: SPA RESORTS cenum derives from the fact ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARKS dominated by the Byzantine exarchate north of long history as ports and markets. For travellers arriving beauty in its mountains: the splendid Monti Sibillini, with that the insignia of the Ancona and the Longobards of the Duchy of Spoleto from Rome on the Via Flaminia, the first town they reached on The varying types of landscapes that, in places, are Alpine in character; the spec- There are numerous spas specialized in the treatment of Sabines who migrated to- Archaeology is a key part of the cultural heritage. The va- to the south; they were then contended by the Em- the sea was Fano; Senigallia – at the mouth of the River Misa beaches, and the prox- tacular caves of Frasassi; and the forest-clad mountains in various ailments. In the province of Pesaro there are the wards Asculum Picenum rious provinces in the region are home to 7 archaeolo- pire and the Papal State until the latter gained con- – hosts the Fiera di Sant’Agostino, a traditional fair which re- imity of the hills and the Montefeltro area, forming a backdrop to craggy spurs. Terme Pitinum at Macerata Feltria, once a Roman town, (present-day Ascoli Pi- gical parks: Forum Sempronii, in San Martino del Piano trol of the whole area. The long period of adminis- news the age-old mercantile vocation of the city; originally a mountains open up a The most magnificent mountain landscapes in the March- the Terme di Monte Grimano, the Terme di Raffaello at ceno) was a wood- (Fossombrone) in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, Sen- trative uncertainty and the distance from the papal Picene port, Ancona later became a Greek and a Roman one; whole range of sporting es are to be found in the Monti Sibillini National Park, Petriano and the Terme di Carignano, near Fano. At pecker (picus), a bird tinum to the south of Sassoferrato and Suasa Senonum court in Rome favoured the spread of Benedictine Numana was a rich Picene and Greek port; Porto Sant’El- options, including sailing, Genga, near the Frasassi caves, is the renowned Terme sacred to Mars, which in Castelleone di Suasa in the province of Ancona, Sep- monasticism into the region from Norcia, in Umbria, golf, scuba diving, di San Vittore and near the “Riviera del Conero” is Aspio tempeda in San Severino Marche and Urbs Salvia in Ur- pidio and San Benedetto del Tronto, and other coastal towns aligh t ed on their stan- bisaglia in the province of Macerata, Falerius Picenus, in and Farfa, in Lazio. The monasteries and abbeys in the province of Asco li Pi- thrilling horseback rides, THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUMS OF THE MARCHES Terme. Famous in the province of Macerata are the dard; and from this they were built, above all, along the main Roman roads water-skiing and moun- Terme of Santa Lucia at Tolentino and the Terme di Piane, 2 km from modern-day Falerone in the province ceno and Fermo, were im- took the name Piceni or of Fermo, and Cupra Maritima to the north of the villa- – the Via Flaminia and the Via Salaria – and the val- portant Picene and Roman tain biking. Then, there A journey across the environmental treasures of the Sarnano, close to the Monti Sibillini. In the provinces of Picentes. The discovery leys leading from the Adriatic to the Apennines, are the beach volleyball Marches can be enriched by stopping off at the numer- Ascoli Piceno and Fermo there are the new Terme di ge of Cupra Marittima in the province of Ascoli Piceno. ports. Many of the coastal Acquasanta already known in Roman times and, at Torre of various cemeteries These parks are also home to related museums. such as those of the rivers Esino, Potenza, Chienti, towns of the region are still tournaments on the won- The palm-lined promenade ous nature and palaeontology museums in the region: scattered between the and the Metauro. The Benedictines from Norcia derfully fine sand and the di Palme, perched above the sea near Fermo, the Sta - (www.cultura.marche.it – www.archeomarche.it). active ports: Ancona is a at San Benedetto del Tronto Apecchio, Macerata Feltria, Piandimeleto and Piobbico rivers Foglia to the north built the basilicas of San Michele at Lamoli, in the up- opportunities for free in the Pesaro area; Genga, Offagna, Ostra, and Serra bilimento Idropinico Palmense del Piceno. The head of a Picene large commercial port, while and Pescara to the south, per Metauro valley; San Vincenzo al Furlo, on the Via climbing on the white cliffs rising sheer above the Adri- San Quirico near Ancona; the Fiastra abbey, Camerino, warrior from Numana San Benedetto del Tronto, atic. At Vallugola, Ancona, Portonovo, Sirolo, Numana Macerata, Pioraco, Sarnano and Serravalle del Chienti in Abruzzi, has revealed Flaminia; San Firmano at Montelupone, near the A centre of pilgrimage: Sanctuary of the Santa Casa, Loreto together with Fano, Civi- and Pedaso, one can still enjoy spearfishing. Yacht ports around Macerata; Amandola, Fermo, Montefortino and the existence – from the mouth of the River Potenza; and Santi Ruffino e Vi- tanova Marche and Porto are also plentiful: Gabicce Mare (Vallugola), Pesaro, Smerillo in the vicinity of Fermo and Ascoli Piceno in the eighth to the first centuries B.C. – of what is known as the tale at Amandola, near the River Tenna. The Bene- tradition are Santa Maria di Portonovo, at the foot of San Giorgio are the main fish- Fano, Senigallia, Ancona, Numana, Civitanova Marche province bearing the same name. Picene culture, which flourished in the area in central Italy dictines from Farfa, on the other hand, settled in the Monte Conero, near Ancona, and Santa Maria a piè ing ports. This vicinity to the and San Benedetto del Tronto. The harbour of Marina di bordering the Adriatic Sea until it was conquered by the Ro- area round Ascoli Piceno, arriving from Lazio along di Chienti at Montecosaro. In the Marches there The beach at Gabicce Mare sea has favoured the devel- Porto San Giorgio with its 800 berths deserves a special mans. The most important burial sites, with rich grave the Via Salaria; the most important of the abbeys are also two splendid examples of Cistercian abbeys opment of an excellent cui- mention for being the largest yacht port in the Adriatic. which is about 40km (25 miles) in length and extends into goods, have been found at Novilara (province of Pesaro), Nu- they founded was Santa Vittoria in Matenano. The in which the transition between the Romanesque sine in the region and has led to the growth of the tourist in- Umbria. From the summits of Monte Vettore (2,476 m), mana and Fabriano (province of Ancona), Matelica and Piti- only abbeys belonging to the Burgundian-Cluniac and Gothic styles is evident: the abbey of Santa dustry since sea-bathing first came into vogue among the up- Monte Sibilla and Monte Priora – described by the poet Gi- no (province of Macerata) and Belmonte Piceno (province Maria in Casta gnola at per middle classes in the mid-19th century. In the course of of visitors from Italy and acomo Leopardi as the “blue mountains” – to the valley of of Fermo). After being the site of a Bronze Age settlement and THE “ROUTES OF FAITH” IN THE MARCHES Chiaravalle, foun ded by time, bathing establishments, sports facilities and hotels abroad. The coast of the THE MUSEUMS the Fia strone and the Gole dell’Infernaccio, nature is com- then an important Picene town, in about 390 B.C. Ancona be- the monks of Clairvaux; were built in the seaside resorts of the Marches, which, par- Marches has numerous at- ON THE COAST bined with the legends of the Sibyl, a soothsayer who was came the home of a group of refugees who arrived from the and the abbey of Chia - ticularly after the Second World War, have welcomed millions tractions for visitors, but said to have lived in a cave on Monte Sibilla, Guerrin Greek colony of Syracuse, in Sicily; living side by side with the The routes of faith in the Marches follow three main roads, on which abbeys, Francis- ravalle di Fiastra, near Those interested in the sea can hermitages and sanctuaries are marked. The Via Flaminia and its variations run the greatest of all are the Meschino (a character from the Ca rolingian epos) and Pon- The Monti Sibillini covered with snow Picenes, they set up a thri ving port that traded with the east- Urbisaglia, founded by TOWNS AND VILLAGES LOOKING OUT OVER THE SEA fine, smooth sands, ex- and maritime history may tius Pilate, after whom the only natural lake in the March- ern Mediterranean. The nearby town of Numana, an old through the valley dotted with abbeys monks from the abbey tending from Gabicce Mare, satisfy their curiosity in var- es (Lago di Pilato, high up on Monte Vettore) is named. And ronmental Education of Valleremita. Worth seeing in the Picene port, also had important trading relations with the that, from Ancona, follow the River Esino of Chiaravalle near Mi- ious museums: at Pesaro towards Rome.