Incentive travel in the surprising Marche: nature, art, food
For some reason it is not one of Italy’s most famous regions, but the Marche (or Marches) surely deserves a top spot among the most rewarding areas to visit in the boot!
Here are just a couple of jaw-dropping and interesting facts about the Marche:
- its historic towns and ancient villages feature a total of 500 piazze;
- it has thousands of churches, including 200 Romanesque ones and 90 abbeys and important sanctuaries;
- it includes 7 archaeological parks, 400 museums and art collections, and more than 70 historical theatres
- there are 26 resorts on its 180 km of coast on the Adriatic Sea
- it was the birthplace of famous people like composer Gioachino Rossini and poet Giacomo Leopardi; of the art masters Gentile da Fabriano, Bramante and Raphael; and of contemporary artists like Enzo Cucchi, Eliseo Mattiacci, Arnaldo and Giò Pomodoro
Apart from these amazing facts, the Marche offers a number of activities, delicious food and value for money; in fact it is a lot cheaper than its neighbors Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, for example.
Thanks to all of these factors, the Marche region is ideal for incentive travel and corporate tourism. It offers a rich variety of options for congresses, conventions, seminars and exhibitions, from modern spa resorts with top-notch meeting facilities to rustic country houses, and even evocative historic theaters that are equipped for hosting these kinds of events.
To entice you even more, here is the Marche Treasure Trove by Italian Special Occasions DMC!
NATURE
During winter it is great to enjoy some bird watching in the regional parks of Monte San Bartolo and of Monte Conero, which host the migratory herring gull, the cormorant, the long-legged buzzard and the marsh harrier – to mention a few species. The Gola Rossa and Frasassi Regional Park, with rocky areas crossed by two gorges, is the habitat of golden eagles and peregrine falcons. In the Monti Sibillini National Park you will find magnificent mountain landscapes (poet Giacomo Leopardi described them as “the blue mountains”) and jewels like Abbadia di Fiastra, famed for its agricultural landscape that is still distinctly medieval in appearance.
SPORTS
The most adventurous of you can enjoy free climbing on the white cliffs rising above the Adriatic Sea. Water lovers can choose from sailing, scuba diving, water skiing and explore the harbor of Porto San Giorgio with its 800 docks that make it the largest yacht port in the Adriatic. Golfers can play at Conero Golf Club, located in a natural park and featuring an 18-hole course plus 9 executive holes.
ART
The Marches region is known as the land of theaters: its 70 historical buildings range from large sumptuous ones, like those in Pesaro, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno – to smaller ones notable for their original stage machinery such as the one at Offida. While others are miniature masterpieces, such as the theatre at Montegiorgio and the Teatro della Rocca at Sassocorvaro.
WINE & FOOD
The most famous local wines include the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, celebrated in October by a grape harvest festival at Cupramontana, and the Rosso Conero, which has a special tourist wine route. Traditional specialties include the tasty Ancona stockfish soup, the porchetta (roast suckling pig), the ciavuscolo (a type of spreadable salame) and the casciotta d’Urbino cheese.
CRAFTS
The Marche is a cultural and industrial center where ancient crafts are still practiced in small, family-owned workshops. You can visit these as well as enjoy lessons to create stuff by hand yourself! Around Macerata and Fermo there are leather industries, the world-famous papermaking school and museum is at Fabriano, terracotta is produced in Montottone and Fratterosa while maiolica is created in Appignano and Urbania. Finally, a pit stop at the following is also a must: admire the restoration of antique furniture at Pollenza and Corinaldo, and the manufacture of musical instruments – accordions at Castelfidardo, guitars at Recanati and violins at Ascoli Piceno!
(Source: www.turismo.marche.it)
Planning an incentives or corporate trip in the Marche or in other parts of Italy? Contact Italian Special Occasions DMC!
