Discover the quiet beauty of an unsung region
Aw, Le Marche… I have been enamoured with the region ever since my first visit in 2018.
It was late May, and I was invited to Pesaro on a press tour by none other than Scavolini, the eponymous Italian kitchen company founded by brothers Valter and Elvino. It was already an auspicious invite with my two passions happily colliding like that (design and Italy in case you’re new here) and that particular trip reserved many wonderful surprises. Suffice to say, Le Marche has now become one of my favourite regions in Italy.
Popular meeting spot in Pesaro: La Sfera Grande in Piazza della Liberta’ is a shimmering bronze sculpture of a deconstructed sphere that was completed by Italian artist Arnaldo Comodoro
After the usual sleepless overnight transatlantic flight from Toronto, and an additional five-hour stopover in Munich, we finally arrived at the Ancona airport in Italy. While our tour group of five journalists gathered around the luggage carousel, a female passenger from Montreal, Quebec overheard us speaking English. She immediately asked if we were visiting from Canada. She seemed surprised, and remarked how she (Marchigiana herself) had never seen so many Canadians in Le Marche at one time. We told her we were journalists and joked that we came to spread the word about the region. She smiled nervously and replied: “I hope not too many people find out about us here. We like to keep Le Marche a secret.”
But now that Pesaro-Urbino holds the official title of Italian Cultural Capital this year, I am afraid that secret is out.
An annual music festival takes places in Pesaro every August. Crowds catch a concert on the balcony of Casa Rossini, the birthplace of composer Gioachino Rossini. His most famous opera is The Barber of Seville.
Prior to that first visit, all I knew about Le Marche was Verdicchio wine and that disparaging saying: Meglio un morto in casa che un Marchigiano alla porta. The latter references a long-gone history when it was a Papal state and i Marchigiani were tasked to be tax collectors.
It didn’t take long to discover that this relatively unknown territory of the dreaded tax collector was an untrodden jewel in central Italy. Its varied picturesque topography is defined by its serene Adriatic coastline as much as its gentle rolling hills that contrast the rugged Apennines. They say you find all of Italy in this one region, from medieval hilltop towns, olive trees, vineyards and national parks, to 180 kilometres of pristine beaches and seaside towns like Fano and Porto Novo. What struck me most was that it still offers a truly authentic Italian experience.
Bordering Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Umbria to the west, and Abruzzo to the south, Le Marche felt like a tucked-away Tuscany, untainted by the ravages of over-tourism. And I understood perfectly why that woman in the Ancona airport expressed her dismay of that reality ever changing with too many people finding out about it.
Perhaps that’s why Pesaro 2024 has decided to share the cultural capital spotlight throughout the year, offering each of its 50 municipalities one week of fanfare—a democratic decision that hopefully will ensure the increased attention won’t result in over-crowding or cheapening the experience in any one place.
Piazza Mosca is where you will find the main Civic Museum of Pesaro, which displays art and decorative works
In this three-part blog series dedicated to Le Marche, I would like to offer a glimpse into the richness of Le Marche region. While Pesaro, a UNESCO-recognized Creative City of Music and the birthplace of Rossini is the Italian Cultural Capital this year, in the next two blog posts I travel inland to Urbino and then to the town of Fossombrone to celebrate all things Renaissance.
Piazza del Popolo in Pesaro by Architect Luigi Angelucci
I hope you enjoy this tribute to Le Marche. As I conclude this introductory blog post, I would like to raise a glass of Verdicchio to this wonderful region that captured my heart six years ago, and express this wish: May 2024 be Le Marche’s 21st century Renaissance…as the world comes to discover the region’s unique beauty and soul, may it continue to thrive while retaining its unrivalled authenticity for future generations to enjoy. Cin, cin.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COMUNE DI PESARO & MY PERSONAL COLLECTION