The title's quote comes from Bill Thayer's post to the expats thread: and his post prompted me to write a few words about an undervalued region. Macerata is the capital of one of Le Marche's 4 provinces, and last month we were "sitting in Macerata" enjoying a short but still, I think, slow break in a region that we look forward to getting to know a lot better.

A search of the message board's archives shows that there's been very little discussion of the region. But there's planty of information out there. Bill's absolutely fascinating gazetteer, of course. And the most useful site I know is Marche Voyager, created by Peter Greene, an English expat who lives in the region. www.le-marche.com/Marche/index.htm
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/activities/culture/story/0,7447,557321,00.html is another link which might be useful for those to whom, like me until very recently, le Marche was (were) only a name. [Le Marche is, I'm pretty sure, the only Italian region to have a plural for its name].

Our short break was in a very friendly little hotel in Cingoli (Macerata province): but the elderly and charming owners are about to retire and sell up, so there's not much point in my recommending it. But we're heading off to the region again at the end of May (going a bit further south near the Sibillini mountains, and so hoping to see the wild flowers in bloom in the Castelluccio plain as recommended by Gavin recently). Yes, Pauline, your counting was correct: that will make 4 visits by end-May! But Philippa's and my work patterns (like Marion, we're freelance classical musicians) don't allow for the wonderfully long trips that Gavin and Pauline/Steve take: on the other hand, our proximity enables these short breaks to be affordable.

Jonathan

Since I accidentally started this, noblesse oblige and all!

Yes, Peter Greene's excellent site is the starting point.

The Marche... less populated than many other parts of the country, yet plenty of history and beautiful things to see, good food too. In yearly polls of the Italian public, Macerata city by the way -- a place I've not been to yet -- often wins the palm for being the "most livable" in the country. The Marche are almost pristinely unpolluted, and ideal for the outdoorser, for horseback riding, cycling, walking.
   The provincial capital of Ascoli Piceno is one of the great secrets of Italy, a lovely city in which the locally quarried travertine stone building material causes Roman to medieval to 18c to modern periods to blend beautifully, crowned by a superb piazza. Restaurants, quite a few; hotel situation, inexplicably poor but there are a couple of hotels; an advantage to all of us, the place is mercifully flat: walking is comfortable. Having just barely become acquainted with the city, I hope to go back soon.

Other wonderful places, some that I've been to, others not yet: the beach and natural park area of the Conero, Numana-Sirolo; Urbino is in the Marche, yup; so are Ancona, Loreto and Tolentino -- this last, the town is nothing much (although it would be nice to have it in the suburbs of Chicago) but the Basilica is amazing and worth the trip, as the Michelin might say. Smaller places well worth seeing include San Leo in the N, Fabriano, Cagli and especially Cantiano near the Umbrian border further S; Treia, Potenza Picena, Offida. And then I know we have a fan of Apecchio onboard here...

Dumb of me, should have pointed out that my Ascoli link should be followed for two more entries, thru Aug. 26th.

Vacation rental agencies for Le Marche: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/listings/marche.htm

Thanks for the link to that good site Jonathan. I will add it to our Links page (which Leslie is redoing).

Thanks for a very timely post - a friend and I are considering a visit to the Marches late this spring, and aren't finding many resources for information. I appreciate the link and the background info.

For Colleen and others who wish to visit the Marche.There are some beautiful new brochures put out by the Tourist Board this summer . You can ask for them from www.turismo.marche.it or www.le-marche.com . Their e mail is servizio.turismo@regione.marche.it and also know a Marchese who has a wonderful series of country homes-palazzi that do B&B. The group of owners has called their association Le Marche Segrete-the Secret Marche.Their email is marchesegrete@tiscalinet.it or send a fax to Le Marche Segrete ONLUS at +39-0736-812493.
Urbino has what is probably the steepest main street outside of San Francisco, but its lovely . I spent a few days at Hotel San Domenico , a recently renovated convent turned into a 4 star hotel, right across from the Ducal Palace. In Pesaro, a delightful seaside town the Hotel Vittoria is an art dèco fan's dream. The suites are named after personalities who have stayed there. We had the Aga Khan suite.
Peter Greene's site is excellent and for those of you who want to learn Italian in a full immersion way, Donna, an American and her Italian professor husband have a school for teaching Italian to foreigners in Cagli, called Atrium . Most of the students are Japanese, French, non-English speakers. You live with a family . and the costs are lower than Florence,Rome.
Mary Jane

We stayed, a couple of years ago, for a few days at a hotel, a converted monastery, at the top of Monte Conero. Comfortable room with a great view of the seahore, good kitchen and helpful staff. Monte Conero has the only elevation on that section of the Adriatic.

A kindly employee sent us to the completely (to us) unknown little town of Osimo, only a few km away. We found it as fetching as Urbino or Macerata. I recommend a visit. Ciao.