After having explored the north east between Veneto and Trentino, in this early summer 2021, we begin to turn to other areas of the Bel Paese, descending towards central Italy, in a region rich as few for its variety of tourist proposals, from the seaside resorts, cities of art, small historic villages surrounded by woods and valleys. Let's talk about the Marche!
There are good reasons to explore this region at any time of the year, but for the second weekend of July the first stop is a must in the city of Senigallia, on the Adriatic coast of the province of Ancona.
Lungomare di Senigallia con la Rotonda a Mare - foto credits: Tipicità - Grand Tour delle Marche
Senigallia, a town also known for its "velvet beach" and for the Rotonda a Mare, can boast 5 Michelin stars, thanks to the chefs Mauro Uliassi and Moreno Cedroni, but its gastronomic offer is not limited to high-end cuisine. for few. On Sunday 10 July in particular, the Senigallia Città Gourmet event (event details) comes to life, one of the stages of the Grand Tour of the Marche that awaits tourists right at the Rotonda, at 6.30 pm, with a tasting-show to discover precious "gems" gastronomic products of sea and land. The conductor Tinto, from Rai Decanter, will lead the trip in the company of the chefs of the Academy of Typicality and the producers-authors. Final at 9.00 pm with an innovative performance by Tinto himself.
If you prefer an experience in a quieter setting or to complete your weekend on Friday or Saturday, a winery, Azienda Agricola Mazzola, will come to your aid in the Senigallia area, which can host you for an aperitif or for a street food experience in the vineyard, to complete the tasting of its organic wines.
It was said not only the sea, but also historic villages perched in splendid hills. This is the case of Offagna, a medieval village in the Marche region located on the Conero hills. Just south of Ancona, it can be reached from Senigallia in about forty minutes by car. If your stay in this area extends to a week's holiday, the Rocca di Offagna awaits you every Tuesday and Wednesday for a guided tour of the Rocca followed by an aperitif of Marche specialties (reservations required).
Rocca di Offagna: foto di Alessandro Vecchi - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0
For more information on the proposals of Offagna and the Mazzola winery, here is the events details.... read more»
For those wishing to continue the exploration of the hinterland of the Marche, to discover its history and its typical products, we move decidedly inland, but less than an hour's drive from Senigallia, and precisely in Pergola, in province of Pesaro and Urbino. Pergola is located in the upper Cesano Valley, at an altitude of 265 m a.s.l., it is known among other things for its National Fair of the White Truffle. The event is traditionally held in the autumn period, but you can enjoy one of the culinary specialties embellished by the precious tubebro even in this period. The element on which we want to draw attention, in addition to the splendid historic center of the village, however, concerns history and art. Here, in fact, the gilded bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola are kept, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century, being the only existing gilded bronze group in the world that has come from the Roman age to the present day.
I Bronzi dorati da Cartoceto di Pergola
You can find all the information on how to visit the Golden Bronzes on museu of Pergola website.
From Pergola with a journey of about fifty kilometers and less than an hour by car it is also possible to reach Urbino with the splendid Palazzo Ducale and its Museum, among the most beautiful and interesting in central Italy. The permanent collection alone deserves more than a visit (let's remember that the famous Renaissance painting "The ideal city" and some masterpieces by Piero della Francesca are on display here), but in this period it is also possible to visit a temporary exhibition dedicated to Raphael, which was born here in 1483, and precisely to the tapestries made to reproduce his frescoes, in particular the Roman ones that made him famous and immortal. The title of the exhibition is "Sul Filo di Raffaello. Impresa e fortuna nell’arte dell’arazzo".
There is therefore an embarrassment of choice, to spend a weekend between taste and beauty, or to embellish your holiday week if you have already chosen the Marche as your destination!
By the editorial staff - July 6, 2021