- Ancona
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Italy
Crossing the Adriatic Sea on the overnight ferry from Ancona, Italy, to Zadar, Croatia, is a magical experience.
The ferry leaves Italy just after dusk and gets into the Croatian port shortly after sunrise, making the arrival a breathtaking experience.
The journey itself, however, is the real star of the show.
For a very reasonable price you can book an individual cabin, which is extremely comfortable and provides excellent value for money.
Looking at the moon through a porthole, you can fall asleep lulled by the gentle movement of the water, which never becomes too agitated due to the enclosed nature of the sea.
Then, after a pleasant night, you can have a decent breakfast on the ferry, just before the boat gracefully makes its way towards the final destination, and you are ready to start the day in a new country.
www.jadrolinija.hr
JADROLINIJA
Riva 16
51000 Rijeka
Croatia
tel: +385/51/666 111
A hidden gem in the hills on the outskirts of the picturesque ancient town of Sarnarno. We had a very relaxing week there last June with our 16 month old daughter. The views from the spectacular swimming pool are simply stunning and the owners were extremely helpful and accommodating. Comfortable, modern decor too. Highly recommended if you are planning a holiday in this part of Italy. We were sad to leave so soon and would stay longer next time.
www.villasanraffaello.com
Via Case Rosse 278, Sarnano 62028 MC, ITALIA
Ancona & Pescara airports 1.5 hrs away
In desperate need of a break from the credit crunch doom and winter gloom and conscious of our pledge to pull in our purse strings, with a little organizing and shrewd spending we had a fabulous time in Le Marche, Italy.
We saved loads by booking a weekday flight with Ryan Air to Ancona and heading into the beautiful province of Macerata, just outside the beautiful Sibillini National Park.
To keep costs down we stayed at some excellent self catering apartments that cost under £20pp a night, and shopped locally for food. Prices for some items in the supermarkets are no cheaper than the UK, but if you shop ‘Italian’; wine, parmesan, mascarpone and bread, you get good value and good quality. The weekly markets in most towns are full of fresh, seasonal produce for creating a fantastic meal. If you want cheaper wine, buy it direct from the local cantinas. We found one in Tolentino called Il Pollenza where we bought some lovely Rosso Piceno for €1.40 per litre.
We like to go walking, and this place was ideal for short walks around town or longer, more challenging hiking in the mountains. The owners of the villa where we were staying had walking itineraries and maps we could use. We stayed in the lower snow free foothills as higher up the local ski resort was in full swing, and although we didn’t ski, at our holiday villa they had a few skis and a sledge available for guests.
One thing we did cotton on to was the fabulous bar snacks that are free if you turn up to the bar just before midday and have a small glass of Verdicchio or an aperitivo with the locals. If you drink what the locals are drinking you can save on your bar bill (beers in Italy are not cheap).
We did splash out a couple of nights on dinner. There were plenty of local places to choose from. We had the best pizza ever for €5 and another night we went to a great osteria "Scherzi parte" that served up regional Marche dishes. As we had had our free ‘starter’ at the bar before hand we skipped antipasti and had a two plates of pasta between us, which was just right, and then tucked in to the tasty grilled meats and salad. We drank the house wine at €5 per litre and finished off with a light, creamy, home made pannacotta. The bill was just over €60 for four.
www.villasanraffaello.com
Ancona airport
We've just spent a superb weekend in wonderful Autumn sunshine here in Le Marche staying at lovely Villa San Raffaello with its great apartments, amazing views and free organic vegetables.
On Friday we visited the lovely medieval town of Sarnano, ate at the excellent Le Clarrise ristorante in the Centro Storico and then dressed up and joined the locals at L'ex disco for Halloween.
The next morning we had to blow away the cobwebs using the local maps of old mule tracks walking in the fantastic Italian rolling hills, past the heady scent of locals making vino cotto (a cooked wine that was first made by in Roman times), past 13th century churches and a 15th century mill.
On Sunday, fuelled by a desire to eat something local and unpretentious, we hiked into the Sibillini mountains and ate at the rifugio (refuge) at Monte Amandola. This is one of a chain of mountain refuges at around 1500 metres, which walkers can eat, drink and stay at. The food was really tasty and included many seasonal dishes, including strozzaprete (literally priest strangler) pasta with truffle and sausage, and succulent lamb cooked on coals. The bill, including wine, coffee and home made tiramisu, was only €13 a head.
Le Marche's hills roll in from the Adriatic and reach the Sibillini mountains. A national park has been created to protect this awesome high section of the Appenines and its flora and fauna which includes wolves, golden eagles, wild boar and porcupines.
In Spring the area is carpeted in a rainbow of wild flowers. In summer you can swim or eat at tavernas round the shore of a lake; walk through cool gorges that dissect the mountains; and cycle or walk the paths that cross the ridges at 2,000m.
There are an abundance of fascinating medieval hill towns with museums and great ristorante serving up great value meals.
A great base for the area is Sarnano; which has 20 ristorante, a ski resort nearby, a variety of bars and stunning views.
Sarnano is in Macerata region of Le Marche and can be reached via Ancona and Pescara airports.
The restaurants in the area range from special (grand) to rustic but all are so friendly and reasonable. With the town of Sarnano only 15 minutes' walk from the villa, an evening sampling the fine wines (local) can be undertaken with no drink drive problems.
Damien and Sharon, the hosts, will babysit by arrangement. The villa is in a dreamy setting and another goody is to drive into town and pick up pizzas and eat in the cool cortile of the villa.
One and a half hours' drive from Ancona airport. Villa San Raphaello.278 via case Rosse, Sarnano, Le Marche Italy Tel: 0044 733 657 945, mobile 0044 3402610288. villasanraffaello.com
Living in Le Marche and having sampled the great ristorante there, where you eat well and spend little "mangia bene spende poco", I wanted to share a few tips on where to eat out...
You will probably notice different names for restaurants apart from ristorante, such as "osteria", "trattoria", "agriturismo" and "pizzeria", but rest assured that all serve up a range of great Italian flavours to savour at about €15 a head, or €7 at a pizzeria.
Sarnano itself is well served by numerous ristorante and pizzerias. Our favourites are listed below plus a few seleced others. Please note that it is worth booking in advance as they will often prepare extra dishes. To ask to book a table for 4 or 6 people at 8 o'clock tomorrow, say “Vorrei prenotare una tavola per domani sera alle otto per quattro [4] / sei [6] persone”.
Il Jolly, Sarnano
Tel: 0733 657571.
An agriturismo lying on the left of the SS78, 2km towards Amandola. Relaxed atmosphere, good antipasti. Try the truffle tagliatelle. Has outdoor space: useful if you have children who like to play while you eat.
Ai Pini, Sarnano
Tel: 0733 657183
Good little trattoria in the centre of town. Excellent pastas and meats, and very well priced.
If you enter Sarnano from Amandola, take the left turn just before the main piazza, head down the hill and turn right by the bakers. Go through the arch and its on your left.
But wear sunglasses to reduce the effect of the paintwork!
Osteria Scherzi a Parte, Sarnano
Tel: 0733651 244.
Very convivial atmosphere created by the owner Gabrielle, who speaks English and will translate the many lovely dishes.
Take the right turning for Sassotetto at the main piazza and drive for about 4-5 km up towards the mountains - its on the left at a big right hand bend. Closed Wedensdays.
La Marchigiana, Sarnano
Tel: 0733 658 090.
Impressive ristorante with varied antipasti, good first courses and meats cooked alla braccia/flame grilled. Try the Cinghiale in Salmi (wild boar and olives in a robust sauce).
Drive through Sarnano and out the other side toward Macerata: it’s about 1km out on the right. Closed Fridays.
Bar Sassotetto, Sarnano
Excellent Pizza with very fresh ingredients. Try the Bresaola (cured beef, with fresh rocket and Parmesan). Takeaways available.
The green building opposite the park. Closed Wednesdays.
Il Pincio, Sarnano
Just out of Sarnano, 200m towards Macerata. Good Pizzas/pasta and an excellent Tiramisu.
Da Marino, Sarnano
Tel: 0733657416.
Buzzing bar with pool table, jukebox and video games. Serves up a mean pizza and is very reasonable. Takeaways available.
Turn left into the piazza, then turn right and it's on your left.
Le Logge, Urbisaglia
Tel: 0733 506788.
In the town of Urbisaglia on the hill by the castle. Unusual menu includes goose & duck plus a lamb and wine risotto. A bit more upmarket and the food is great. Closed Wednesdays.
La Selva, Abbadia di Fiastra
At the monastery there is a pizzeria/osteria La Selva that has an interesting menu with a good choice of game and a well-stocked cellar at tremendous prices.
Open every day in Summer.
Ristorante Chiaroscuro, Belforte/Tolentino
Tel: 0733 905499.
If you fancy pushing the boat out and eating somewhere very stylish and ultra-modern then this comes highly recommended. The food is only a euro or two more expensive per dish, but its all mouthwatering, the service is the tops and the delicacies are all served up with a dash of panache.
The antipasti is amazing, the first courses vary from tagliatelle with a goose ragu to Radicchio and Sea Bass Risotto. The meats, fish and panacottas are also tremendous.
It also has a very good wine cellar. Expect to pay €20-€25.
Take the road out of Sarnano and after 5km turn left for Caldarola/Tolentino. Follow this road for 5 minutes and fork right to Belforte/Tolentino. Travel for a further 6-7 minutes and at the T-junction turn right. After another 3 or 4 minutes you will see the ristorante on your left up on a hill just before a big roundabout. Closed Sunday nights & Mondays.
Ristorante da Sandro, Caldarola
Tel: 0733 905183.
Situated in a small piazza just beyond the main one in Caldarola, this is a lovely spot and serves up very robust food at amazing prices.
Da Rosa, Macerata
Tel: 0733260124
Great trattoria at 17 Via Armaroli, described by an Observer critic as his favourite restaurant in the world! Modern twists on local dishes adding culinary surprises here and there. Good wines. Closed Sundays.
Osteria Pigliapochi, Macerata Tel: 0733506788
Vicolo della Rota 8, off Corso Republica, near Teatro Rossi. Cosy old Osteria with well priced sumptuous local food.
Closed weekends at lunchtime.
If you want a great place to stay whilst sampling these, I recommend Villa San Raffaello just outside Sarnano: www.villasanraffaello.com/
We stayed at the Villa San Raffaello for our first family holiday in Italy. The Villa has recently undergone extensive renovation and refurbishment and now has four spacious self-catering apartments. There is still plenty of exposed original stonework and wooden beams and ceilings to remind you of the heritage of the place.
We stayed in apartment Elisa - a first floor apartment comprising double bedroom, twin bedroom, bathroom, lounge and modern kitchen and dining room. Access is via the courtyard with jasmine plants growing up the walls. The great feature of this apartment is the balcony and breakfast area which is accessed from the lounge. We spent most mornings having our breakfast here together (and evenings when the children were asleep!). You look down upon the beautiful courtyard below, but best of all are the stunning views across to the medieval hill-top town of Sarnano a couple of miles away, with the backdrop of the spectacular Sibillini Mountains and National park. The view changed every hour!
The huge swimming pool was a massive hit with the children and came in very handy during the heat of the day to cool down.
We hired a car from Ancona Airport which was an absolute must, but make sure you check the cost of hiring child car seats in advance. We visited the stunning Lake Fiastra, 25 mins away up and over the top of the mountains (remember the roads in the Italian Job?).
Also visited the Roman town and ruins at Urbisaglia, the market at Macerata and fully explored the town of Sarnano. We found we could have a two-course meal with wine for around €15 a head.
We can recommend the 'Osteria scherzi a parte' a great little restaurant 15 mins up the mountain road from Sarnano to Sassotetto, the local ski resort (yes, you can do some skiing here too!).
We will definitely be returning to the Villa San Raffaello some time soon. Damien and Sharon, the owners, were extremely welcoming and invaluable for their local information, suggestions for walks and sightseeing, markets and help with the language, both being fluent in the local lingo!
One and a half hour drive from Ancona Airport (Ryanair fly there from Stansted).
www.villasanraffaello.com
Amazing views, incredible food and great hospitality - we ate at the villa 5 of the 7 nights we stayed, loved the antipasta and David's deserts were fabulous. In fact my partner is a vegetarian and the menu was better than most restaurants. Had the most relaxing holiday, in fact we were chilled out within half an hour of arriving. This region of the Marche is still relatively undiscovered and long may it stay that way. Prices for eating out are unbelievable - 3 course meals around 35 euro and great local wines as well.
Villa Sibillini's bed and breakfast rates are just 85 euro a night and the breakfasts are a delight, fresh fruits and many home-made jams.
Couldn't praise it enough, Pam and David have just the right touch - friendly and welcoming, it was like staying with friends. Will certainly be back.
Contrada Collalto 10, San Ginesio, Macerata 62026, Le Marche, Italy
nearest station - Tolentino
www.villasibillini.com
The food is very rustic and basic but the restaurants tend to only cook local regional food specialising in either fish or meat. My favourite restaurant can be found in Grottomare Alta and is called Osteria dell’Arancia. It has a sister hotel on the Kings Road, London but the original is better – last time I was there dinner was about €40 for everything.
If you want a holiday where you can spend the morning on the beach and then cool off for the afternoon then go to San Benedetto del Tronto and stay up in the local hills in Acquaviva Picena at the Abbadetta Hotel. I have stayed there many times and always in a different room and always with a fantastic view either of the sea or the mountains or the village itself. The welcome is always warm and the hospitality excellent.
I was invited to visit the Marche region of Italy three years ago, by a friend I met at the opera and ever since I have been hooked. It has everything you need for a holiday – beautiful beaches, wonderful mountains, lots of cultural activities and amazing food. The southern area of the region is relatively unknown compared to Urbino and Loreto, but it is well worth a visit especially and thoroughly recommend it.
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