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You need to be a good driver in Le Marche; the roads are narrow and often steep. Fly to Ancona and rent a car. For speed, take the A14, connecting the entire region along its 111-mile coastline, from Pesaro in the north to Ascoli Piceno in the south. For pleasure, drive the strade statali through Le Marche's beautiful landscapes.
Most hotels are along the coast or in the Conero area, near Ancona. For a feel of hill-town life, rent a house. Le Marche Explorer Rental Properties (www.le-marche-explorer.com) represents an extraordinary selection of restored farmhouses, convents, and apartments at rates from $885 a week. Or try a room or suite in an agriturismo villa or bed-and-breakfast like Palazzo dalla Casapiccola.
Hotel Fortino Napoleonico
A converted fortress, with a swimming pool, a garden, and endless curving
beaches in front and on either side. 166 Via Poggio, Portonovo; 39-071/801-450; www.hotelfortino.it; doubles from $375 a night, seven-night minimum stay.
Hotel Emilia
Poggio di Portonovo, Ancona; 39-071/801-145; www.hotelemilia.com; doubles from $275.
Albergo San Domenico
Set in a 14th-century monastery and 16th-century convent, facing the ducal
palace. 3 Piazzale Rinascimento, Urbino; 39-072/22626; www.viphotels.com; doubles from $138.
Palazzo dalla Casapiccola
Ten suites in a 1600's mansion in the historic center of Recanati, with a
beautifully maintained garden. 2 Piazzola Vicenzo Gioberti; 39-071/757-4818; www.palazzodallacasapiccola.it; suites from $65.
As in the rest of Italy, lunch or dinner in Le Marche is a perfect pretext for a drive.
Da Andreina
Charcoal-grilled game in a brick house on the outskirts of Loreto. 14 Via Buffolareccia;
39-072/164-934; dinner for two $100.
Il Castiglione
Baked branzino in the elegant dining hall of a 1900's villa. 148 Viale Trento, Pesaro;
39-054/164-934; dinner for two $60.
La Madonnina del Pescatore
11 Lungomare Italia, Marzocca di Senigallia; 39-071/698-267; dinner for two
$125.
Migliori
A food shop for ascolane (stuffed olives) and creme (dollops of custard), ready to be fried
and eaten (together). 2 Piazza Arringo, Piceno; 39-0736/250-042.
Ristorante Farfense
Potato dumplings in meat sauce, served in a brick-vaulted dining room in a former
monastery, with views of the sea 25 miles away. 41 Corso Matteoti, Santa Vittoria a Matenano (near Ascoli Piceno);
39-0734/780-171; dinner for two $75.
Il Saraghino
On the beach at Numana, mixed fried fish and vegetables and tagliatelle with squid ink.
209 Via Litoranea, Lungomare di Levante, Numana, Marcelli; 39-071/739-1596; lunch for two $100.
Susci Bar Clandestino
Young chef Moreno Cedroni, who has developed an Italian version of sushi (he
spells it susci), and his wife represent the new face of Le Marche cuisine. Baia di Portonovo; 39-071/ 801-422; dinner for
two $190.
Uliassi
6 Banchina di Levante, Senigallia; 39-071/65463; www.uliassi.it; dinner for two $250.
Caffé Meletti
Aperitifs and antipasti in an authentic Art Nouveau setting. Piazza del Popolo,
Ascoli Piceno; 39-054/191-6145.
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Paintings by Paolo Uccello and Piero della Francesca. Palazzo Ducale,
3 Piazza Duca Federico, Urbino; 39-072/22760.
Raphael's Birth House
The artist was born and taught to paint by his father here, though none of his
paintings are on display. 57 Via Raffaello, Urbino; 39-072/232-0105; www.accademiaraffaello.it.
Rossini Opera Festival
Performances of works by the native-son composer, every August in Pesaro.
39-072/1380-0294; www.rossinioperafestival.it.
Pinacoteca e Museo delle Ceramiche
Ceramics from the 1500's to the present, including 1900's
majolicas of Pesaro's Ferruccio Mengaroni. 29 Piazza Toschi Mosca, Pesaro; 39-072/138-7541; www.museicivicipesaro.it.
Villa Imperiale
A fortress plus a Renaissance villa, built in four levels on a hillside, with
geometric gardens. 63 Strada San Bartolo, Pesaro; 39-072/169-341.
Santa Casa and Basilica
The Holy House of the Black Madonna. The surrounding area is full of shops
selling fascinating souvenirs. Palazzo Apostolico, Piazza della Madonna, Loreto; 39-071/970-104.
Museo Villa Colloredo Mels
Recanati; 39-071/757-0410.
Santa Maria a Pié di Chienti
Montecosaro, Macerata; 39-073/386-5241.
Church of Santa Maria in Telusiano
Monte San Giusto, Macerata; XII Via Gregorio.
Abbadia di Chiaravalle Fiastra
Via Abbadia di Fiastra; 39-0733/202-942; www.abbadiafiastra.net.
La Basilica di San Nicola a Tolentino
Another glorious cloister, from the 14th century. Tolentino,
Macerata; 39-0733/976-311.
Other Towns Worth Seeing San Leo, Fano, Senigallia, Fermo, Osimo, Camerino, Iesi, Fabriano, Cupramontana, Torre di Palma, and San Severino Marche.
Leopardi: Selected Poems
Translated by Eamon Grennan. Work by Le Marche's most famous author.
Cucina of Le Marche
By Fabio Trabocchi (Ecco, October). A cookbook-memoir tribute to the
region's culinary bounty.
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