Marche's Riviera: from art to entertainment
Travellers who want an alternative to Tuscany and Umbria are now heading for the Marche, the third region that makes up central Italy. It is pronounced "markay", is plural (Le Marche) and translates into English as the "Marches".
It lies on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the high Apennine mountains and much of it remains unspoilt by the ravages of mass tourism.
True, the Adriatic coast has been a mecca for "sun n' sand" holiday makers for decades; but few venture far from the beaches. Inland, perhaps more so than anywhere else in central Italy, you will find places where time really has stood still. Compared to its central Italian sisters, here culture comes in more easily digestible proportions but quality, as at Urbino, is often the very best.
