In spite of Ryan Air and talk of Marche being the ‘New Tuscany’ the area has remained remarkably tourist free. It is a region of spectacularly varied scenery, sloping Eastwards from the high Apennines through green hills to the sea, it is a countryside of small farms, vineyards, olive groves and forests. A legacy of the Medieval past is an abundance of hill-top cities, encircled by defensive walls, with commanding views and monumental historic centres : in Byron’s words, “here all the cities are capitals and have not that provincial tone of secondary cities of other kingdoms.”
The Sibillini National Park has an interest for everyone, mountain sports enthusiasts, botanists, photographers, hikers, birdwatchers, mountain bikers, it has lakes, castles monasteries, caves, and medieval villages to explore.
We stayed at Villa Gelso in the National Park, I would recommend it for secluded romance or family holidays.
Il Monastero is an apartment in an ancient Monastery in a hill top town in Le Marche, a great budget accommodation for a couple wishing to explore the area. Sant'Angelo has 2 restaurants in the lovely cobbled streets, and amazing views of the Sibillini Mountains. Its easy to get to the historic towns of art and culture from here, Marche is rich in Benedictine abbeys, well-endowed churches and monasteries and works of art. A particular joy of the area is to be able to look at works of art in churches and galleries in small cities where it is unlikely that there will be any other visitors.