Casa di Siobhan : What's nearby?

:: Le Marche

:: Eating Out

:: Traditional Industries

:: Entertainment

Le Marche is on the eastern side of central Italy between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine mountains. It is quite undiscovered and much of it remains untouched by mass tourism and as a result is unspoilt. The countryside is delightful, everywhere is lush and green. There are 180km of coastline with eleven blue flag beaches.
	There is much for you to explore there are many options. For a leisurely time there are the beaches and for those wanting more activity there is a range of water sports such as wind or kite surfing to choose from. In winter there is the opportunity to ski and/or snowboard. Other activities include climbing, walking, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, riding, diving and riding quad bikes.
Le Marche is steeped in history and has many archaeological sites and ancient towns that are being restored creating the feeling that time has stood still. The culture and people are very laid back. Its relaxing simply to wander through the ancient walled towns of San Ginesio, Sarnano, Fermo or many of the other medieval hill top towns. The Gola della Rossa-Frasassi regional park, in the area of Genga, is a series of towering limestone gorges which provide the rocky habitat for several golden eagles as well as peregrine falcons and eagle owls.
	The striking hill town of Loreto lies just inland from the Adriatic Sea and is one of the world's most important shrines to the cult of the Virgin Mary. The town mainly exists to service the thousands of pilgrims who travel here from around the world. The Frasassi caves, in the heart of the area, are the longest and among the most interesting in Italy with a 240m high central chamber which is large enough to comfortably hold Milan cathedral!

:: Eating Out

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Cooking is a deeply rooted traditional rustic style using seasonal and local high quality ingredients. There are many restaurants serving local delicacies such as Pecorino or sheep's cheese, tartufu - truffles, or ascolina - veal stuffed olives and deep fried in breadcrumbs. Porchetta – a whole pig stuffed with fennel seeds and garlic and roasted whole is available at all village markets.
	If you are dining near the coast then you will have difficulty choosing from the mouth watering array of local seafood. At the end of your meal you will usually be offered a digestivo, such as grappa, varnelli, or lemoncella. In the summer and early autumn there are many eating festivals called sagre, these promote a town's food speciality and range from truffles, snails, trout, chicken, frogs and wines.
The Marche's pride is Verdicchio, white wine made from the local grape with the same name. While the Marche is known world-wide for its white wine, the region also makes some outstanding reds. Rosso Piceno, and the even better Rosso Piceno Superiore from the south, blend Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes.

:: Traditional Industries

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One quarter of all Italian shoes are made here, in Le Marche. Other typical industries of the region are the production of other leather goods such as handbags, furniture making, terracotta, pottery, wrought iron, stone and marble. For those who like to shop there are many retail designer outlets selling designer clothes and leather goods such as shoes and handbags.

:: Entertainment

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The summer plays host to many gatherings and performances to celebrate historic and folklore events. These festivals combine music, food and entertaimnett, a lot of which is free of charge to promote art and culture in the area. There are also many Jazz and Pop concerts in the open air during the summer months with the open-air Opera Season at Macerata and the Rossini Opera Festival at Pesaro.