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Marches
In the Adriatic sea is the part of Italy called Marche with the regions of Emilia-Romagna to the north and Abruzzo to the south. The mild coastal plains with its rivers and valleys of the region contrast with the majestic peaks of the Appennine mountains.
These seaside retreats on sandy shores are known for their famous verdant hills and medieval towns perched atop them. Fishing and wine production among families have generated the region’s economy.
The Parco Naturale dei Monti Sibillini, in the southwest corner, is the region's largest park, spreading over 40 km of mountain peaks and continuing westwards into Umbria. The mountains take their name from a legend that one of the sibyls hid here in a cave on Monte Sibilla known as Grotta delle Fate (Cave of the Furies) when she was chased out of the underworld.
Guests are invited to take a scenic ride through vine-clad rolling hills of Marche where Verdicchio, the region’s most famous wine has had its home for centuries.
A day trip to the medieval town of Jesi in the region is encouraged with its belt of massive walls from the 14th Century, built on Roman foundations, strengthened with buttresses and impregnable towers, and topped by houses.
Its Palazzo della Signoria is a palace built at the end of the 15th Century by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, the Sienese genius best known for his military architecture with a lion above the entrance sy,bolizing the city.
On parallel Via XV Settembre stands Jesi's most flamboyant building, Palazzo Pianetti. Apart from its hundred windows, the bland facade little prepares you for the over-the-top Rococo flourishes inside. The most extravagant part is the sugar-candy stucco work in the long galleria. The over-blown decoration alone would merit a visit; the added bonus of the civic art gallery (Pinacoteca Comunale) makes it obligatory as here is kept a small group of some of Lorenzo Lotto's finest works - The Judgement of Santa Lucia, a Visitation, an Annunciation and a restless Deposition.
