Yes, Lydia. I'm interested too. We were not too far from that area in 2005 (well, actually, not that close - mostly north of Cagli and Urbino). There are also a number of trip reports and restaurant reviews on the Slow Travel site that might be of interest to you.
Sorry no specific information for the area around Corinaldo... you may want to try Cagli (that is nearer Sant'Angelo in Vado where the great Truffle Fair will be held on every weekend of October!). The best places to visit near Corinaldo are the beautiful hilltop towns of Mondavio, Barchi and Orciano and the Frasassi Caves.
I see you are interested in Marche and good food... No more than 15 kilometres from Corinaldo in a lovely small hilly town called Ostra there is an hotel "famous" in the area to be the best restaurant. I don't have direct experience there as an hotel (I have a farmhouse 5 kilometres from there) BUT I m sure if you go there you ll thank me forever for the great food and wine they offer. The hotel restaurant is called "la Cantinella" in viale Matteotti - OSTRA (An) http://www.lacantinella.net/ is their site Saluti and enjoy your staying in le Marche ! pincopallo_it@yahoo.it
We are excited to taste the region's wines and food. Thanks Giulia for the truffle fair info.
I have searched SlowTravel for info and got tired of not finding anything specific (along with gettig rabbit trailed onto other interesting info!)so hence this thread.
I will search the Le Marche Regional Tourism site (I think I was on there late last night but can't remember now. I was sooo tired!)Thanks for the link Amy.
Pincopallo_it - We will try the restaraunt for dinner. Looked at the website and the hotel is not exactly what we are looking for.
I will let everyone know what we find of interest on our trip as it seems this area needs a bit of exploration and documentation on SlowTravel.
I can highly recommend the wonderful Castello di Monterado, just a few kilometers down the road from Corinaldo. It is a wonderful castle on top of a hill in the hamlet of Monterado with views to the Adriatic. Run by the young couple who own it, it is a charming and quiet destination. There is also a great restaurant a few steps away where we had one of the best Italian meals ever. Here is the website for the property: http://www.castellodimonterado.it/en/contatti.asp
Posts: 260 | Location: Santa Barbara, CA | Registered: 19 November 2002
Lydia, I suppose that you already had a look at this thread, it's originally about Urbino but there's plenty of information that you can use also if you're based in or near Corinaldo. Of course you shouldn't miss the Conero coast and the Castelli di Arcevia
After a long search I came across the Hotel I Tigli within the town walls. Have decided to try it out. If we don't like it we will go somewhere else. Check it out www.hotelitigli.it
Lydia, I'm glad you found somewhere in the town itself - it's always nice to be in the centro storico, especially if you've only got a few days.
Like several others here, I've only visited the town briefly (from Cagli, where else?!), so I'll be interested to read more once you're back. Enjoy the Verdicchio!
Jonathan
Posts: 2918 | Location: Stroud, UK | Registered: 18 November 2001
Giulia - What are the reasons you recommend these villages?
I have been referring to the Frommer's driving tours books and they suggest other towns for various reasons. I am assuming you have personal experience and would like to know more because with limited time I want to see/taste/smell things that reflect the region at it's best.
Thanks Jonathan - The Verdecchio is what we are after!
Lydia, I don't know whether you've followed the links at the ends of Giulia's posts: she lives and works in Le Marche, and her blog has some super photos of the area. She knows her Marche!
Jonathan
Posts: 2918 | Location: Stroud, UK | Registered: 18 November 2001
Lydia, may I ask what are the places suggested by Frommer's? And what kind of things you're interested in? This way I will be able to give you better advice. Just to give you an idea, the reason why I suggest you to visit Mondavio is this. As Jonathan suggests (thanks Jonathan) have a look at my blog where you'll find photos of some of the places I mention and some more.
If the Verdicchio is what you are after both Mondavio and Corinaldo are outside the area of production of that wine. They are wonderful nice towns surely worth a visit ! If interested in wines goto Morro d' Alba (10 kilomtres east from Senigallia) and try the "Lacrima" . That is a smelly red wine you ll adore for sure ! Ciao Gio pincopallo_it@yahoo.it
If you're looking for beautiful Verdicchio (dei Castelli di Iesi), then Cornialdo and Mondavio are exactly the places to go... Gio is right, they are outside the area of production but in San Michele al Fiume (just outside Mondavio) there's Fattoria Laila, they own vines in Rosso Piceno, Rosso Conero and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Iesi areas of production and have beautiful wines. You can have a look at the different areas of Le Marche producing DOP wines in this page (unluckily in Italian only but I'm pretty sure you'll be able to grab some of the excellent information). Lacrima di Morro d'Alba is a very interesting wine indeed, and if you're heading that way and are interested in olive oil you should visit Fattoria Petrini in Monte San Vito. Another interesting white wine (and less known than Verdicchio) in Le Marche is Bianchello del Metauro, Fano is not far from Corinaldo and Claudio Morelli is the Bianchello King!
Basically our trip is for wine. I hate to admit it but we are not really on the slowtravel road this trip (I really hadn't even heard of it until I started poking around the internet). We are taking (a much deserved) three weeks to drive and explore some regions and are staying one, two, or three nights in each place depending on our (pre-researched) interest of the area. This way we can wander and stop along the route and then explore some places in depth from a base.
My husband and I are active in the wine industry in Washington state and he has successfully mastered the first level of Sommelier. Our main objective is to taste the well known wines and hopefully find some "local's favorites" which I'm sure there will be plenty of (some of you have already blessed me with your secrets! Gotta love this site.)We want to experience the best local cuisine of the places we are visiting so editing before we start is what I'm trying to do through research (without taking out the adventure!). We are staying in Aosta, Piemonte (Langhe), Liguria (Vernazza), Tuscany/Umbria (Montalcino), Campania (Minori), Le Marche (Corinaldo), Veneto (possibly Fumane. Could use some suggestions here.) and lastly Milan and will be using lunches while traveling to take advantage of the local cuisine wherever we stop along the route to our next accomodations.
The reason I chose Corinaldo was because Frommer's talked about the Verdicchio. The other towns they suggest for beauty/sites near Corinaldo are Jesi,Fabriano,Arcevia, Urbania, Fossombronne,Fano, Pesaro, Gradara, and San Leo.
When we leave Corinaldo we will take the A14 toward Verona so suggestions of a good wine area for lunch would be appreciated.
I will check out the suggestions that all you kind and generous SlowTravelers have given me. My only hope is that I can come back with some information unknown to share!
Ok, I just reviewed my itinerary and have charted a different route so we can stay in Cagli for the truffle festival (Corinaldo was a stretch driving wise anyway and we can visit it the next day). WHERE should we stay? My favs are historic but anything unique would be great.
Cagli on Slow Travel MEANS San Cristoforo but you're staying only a few nights and I believe that you're looking for a room and not an apartment... I'm not sure if my post was misleading: Cagli is NEARER Sant'Angelo in Vado than Corinaldo, and the Truffle Festival is held in Sant'Angelo (not in Cagli).
No confusion. There are pobably no rooms in Sant'Angelo so somewhere near is good. I will look for a room somewhere and let everyone know if we find something exceptional.
David - Yes, we have Gambero Rosso. It will be a great place to start. Thanks.
