Things to do in Le Marche
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Enopolis
A visit to this restaurant and international wine establishment is worth it simply for the tour of the labyrinthine cellars of the 18th-century Palazzo Jona, as the cellars descend a full three levels under the streets above. With fresh fish as the main event (besides, of course, the wine), you can sit amongst contemporary art or next to an ancient well as you sample the fixed-price menus (€36 to €45) along with recommended wines for each course.
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La Cantineta
Off Piazza del Plebiscito, the upstairs restaurant offers checked tablecloths, a constantly going TV and cheap and filling meals. It specialises in seafood, including local salted fish, which is best sampled over pasta as tagliatelle allo stoccafisso.
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Trattoria Il Cortile
Home-cooked meals are lovingly prepared by the nonna of a boisterous family. Top off a healthy meal of bitter greens with homemade gelato or delectable cakes.
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Duomo
On the eastern flank of Piazza Arringo, Ascoli’s Duomo was built in the 15th century over a medieval building and dedicated to St Emidio, patron saint of the city. In the Cappella del Sacramento is what is considered by critics to be Carlo Crivelli’s best work, the Polittico, a polyptych executed in 1473. The crypt of Sant Emidio has a set of mosaics any ceramicist will appreciate, but be sure to look through the locked gates at the ancient tunnels.
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Arena Sferisterio
One of Europe’s most stunning outdoor theatres is the Arena Sferisterio, which resembles an ancient Roman arena but was built between 1819 and 1829. Between 15 July and 15 August every year it’s a venue for the Stagione Lirica, one of Italy’s most prestigious musical events, which attracts big operatic names. In late June every year, the arena plays host to the finals of the Musicultura competition for talented, up-and-coming singer/songwriters as well as a famous guest singer (tickets €5 to €30).
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Pinacoteca
The second-largest art gallery in Le Marche is inside the 17th-century Palazzo Comunale. The Pinacoteca boasts an outstanding display of art, sculpture and religious artefacts, 400 works in total, including paintings by Van Dyck, Titian and Rembrandt, and a stunning embroidered 13th-century papal cape worn by Ascoli-born Pope Nicholas IV. The gallery was founded in 1861 with works taken from churches and religious orders that were suppressed in the wake of Italian unification.
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Le Marche Tours
If you’re interested in getting an insider’s and hands-on experience of the region, try Le Marche Tours. Its South African/German/American owners have been living in a refurbished Italian farmhouse in the Marche countryside for years. They offer hiking, food and wine, and off-the-beaten-track cultural tours, as well as experiential and educational trips (eg photography, creativity workshops, real estate tours). Prices for all-inclusive tours of around a week range from €1550 to €2000.
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Chiesa di San Francesco
The beautiful Chiesa di San Francesco was started back in 1262 as a homage to a visit from St Francis himself. In the left nave is a 15th-century wooden cross that miraculously made it through a 1535 fire at the Palazzo dei Capitani, and has since reputedly spilled blood twice. Virtually annexed to the church is Loggia dei Mercanti, built in the 16th century by the powerful guild of wool merchants, to hide their rough-and-tumble artisan shops.
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Palazzo Ducale
A microcosm of Renaissance architecture, art and history, the Palazzo Ducale houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Museo Archeologico and Museo della Ceramica. The museum triptych is housed within Federico da Montefeltro’s Renaissance palace, a work of art in itself, as the duke employed some of the greatest artists and architects of the Renaissance to create what was then a modern masterpiece.
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Sot’Ajarchi
This small restaurant under the portici (arcade) in front of the port specialises in fish. For your primo piatto (first course) try the pasta con frutti di mare or the minestra di seppie (cuttlefish soup) and finish off with a simple homemade dessert such as zuppa inglese (liquor-soaked sponge with custard) and some biscottini dipped into vin santo (little biscuits in wine).
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Cattedrale di San Ciriaco
Via Giovanni XXIII leads up Monte Guasco and Piazzale del Duomo, where there are sweeping views of the city and the port. Here, the Cattedrale di San Ciriaco sits grandly atop the site of an ancient Pagan temple, jimmied together with Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic features. You can take bus 11, which runs from Piazza Roma to Piazza della Repubblica, or get your exercise walking up the steep hill.
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Il Coppiere
Follow the unmistakeable scent of black truffle up the stairs to this unassumingly simple restaurant with even better prices (and a good view of the town below). The speciality is cappelletti with mushrooms, cream, tomatoes and truffle (€9), but the caciotta with truffles and fall-off-the-bone stinco di maiale (pork shoulder) are equally delicious local treats.
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Osteria L’Angolo Divino
This subterranean enoteca just oozes atmosphere. Arched brick alcoves overflow with wine bottles, available for tastings. Even teetotallers will enjoy this place, as the menu boasts simple but perfectly flavoured pasta specialities, including the much better tasting than it sounds pasta nel sacco (pasta in a sack), which is fresh pasta coated with eggs and breadcrumbs.
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Caffè Meletti
From the shade of the ancient portico you can sip a coffee or the famous anisette as you gaze onto the perfect Italian piazza. Or sit inside to enjoy the statuesque carved wood stairway and bar. It was once a popular spot for the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre. The cafe, founded in 1907, fell into disrepair but has since been completely restored to its former glory.
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Da Secondo
The place in Macerata to try the local cuisine. Follow the town’s history through photos covering the walls as well as in the regional ingredients: pecorino (sheep’s-milk cheese), tartufo (truffles) and osso buco with porcini mushrooms. In summer, dine on the romantic outdoor terrace. Its famed warm chocolate torte caps off a perfect meal.
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Musei Civici
Opened in 1860 just after Italian reunification, the town’s original art gallery is now the Musei Civici, which also displays Pesaro’s 700-year-old ceramic tradition with one of Italy’s best collections of majolica ceramics. The Pinacoteca houses Giovanni Bellini’s magnificent altarpiece depicting the coronation of the Virgin.
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Felici e Contenti
When a restaurant names itself ‘Happily Ever After’, you can bet you’ll retire for the evening both happy and content. Its speciality is fish, but pasta also makes a memorable entrance on the menu. The atmosphere is more sophisticatedly urban than many other Pesaro restaurants and it’s located on a quiet side street in the medieval centre.
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Museo Tattile Statile Omero
Museo Tattile Statile Omero is the only museum of its kind in all of Europe; this is one museum where you’re supposed to touch the art. All of its sculptures have been created for the blind in order to feel the representations of Roman statues, the Parthenon and St Peter’s, as well as Michelangelo’s David.
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Chiesa di San Pietro Martire
On Via delle Donne (Street of Women) is the 14th-century Chiesa di San Pietro Martire, dedicated to the saint who founded the Dominican community at Ascoli. The chunky Gothic structure houses the Reliquario della Santa Spina, containing what is said to be a thorn from Christ’s crown.
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Rua dei Notari
Perfect for a special meal, this elegant restaurant possesses old-world charm in a modern setting. Dishes present as artfully as the contemporary paintings covering the walls. There are meat and pasta dishes as well as starters, including fried goods from Ascoli and pecorino with local honey (€8).
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Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche is in the 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti, where the ceilings are covered with original frescoes and bas-reliefs. Although not the most thoughtfully laid-out display, artefacts range from Greek and Etruscan back to the Bronze and Neolithic Ages.
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La Balestra
Urbino’s literati and university students congregate amid a vaulted brick ceiling and ancient artefacts adorning the walls. The food goes back in time, as well, with medieval recipes a big hit. Try the speciality, pappardelle del duca (thick ribbon pasta) or the famous strozzapreti.
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La Moretta 1897
Run by the same family since the year, not surprisingly, 1897, the restaurant features not just Marchigiani cuisine, but dishes specifically native to Ancona. Try the tagliatelle al sugo di ostriche (pasta with oyster sauce) or brodetto all'anconetana (Ancona-style bouillabaisse).
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Caffè Basili
Urbino students and professionals know it as ‘Bar Centrale’, the best of the piazza cafes. Its outdoor tables get a relaxing dose of afternoon sun. Pastries, sandwiches and gelato are served any time of day, and aperitivi accompany late-afternoon drinks.
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Museum
The small museum attached to the cathedral holds the 4th-century sarcophagus of Flavius Gorgonius, a masterpiece of early Christian art. You can take bus 11, which runs from Piazza Roma to Piazza Repubblica, or get your exercise walking up the rather steep hill.
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