Environs
BEST TOWN: Urbino.
It’s as charming as the little advertising it receives and not nearly the hassle to reach as you may have heard. It also may be the most beautiful hill town in Italy and much nicer than Cortona, the Tuscan town Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun” turned into a tourist trap in the ’90s.
It’s a walled city centered around the ridiculously romantic Piazza della Repubblica, where you sit surrounded by cafes and gelaterrias that serve cappuccinos and gelatos at a fraction of the cost of Rome’s Piazza Navona.
The windy, steep cobblestone roads are nearly devoid of cars and lead to such treasure chests as the Palazzo Ducale, a sprawling Renaissance palace built in the 15th century for Urbino’s ruling dynasty. Beautiful 14-by-22-foot tapestries hang there, as well as Andrea Boscoli’s 16th-century “Last Supper.”
You can delve into another famous artist’s life at Casa di Raffaello, where Rafael lived until he was 16. Sit in the same chairs carved out of the walls where the famous Renaissance painter sat at the window and became inspired by the sights of Urbino. Casa di Raffaello, Via Raffaello 57, 39-07-22-32-0105.
“Urbino hasn’t changed in 300 years,” said Nicolo Bolognese, the night clerk at my Albergo Italia hotel. “Go outside and, except for the automatic doors and the electricity, not much has changed.” Albergo Italia, Corso Garibaldi, 32/61029 Urbino (PU) Italy, 39-07-22-2701, albergo-italia-urbini.it.
At the end of the day, have antipasti of bresaola, rucola and parmigiano reggiano and a volcano pizza (spicy salami, gorgonzola, onion, mozzarella, tomato) at Tre Piante. Tre Piante, Via Voltaccia della Vecchia, 1/61029 Urbino (PU) Italy, 39-07-22-4863.
Again, Urbino is easy to reach. From the beach town of Numana, I took a bus 40 minutes to Ancona, Le Marche’s gritty port city. Then I took a 43-minute train ride from Ancona to Pesaro, and then an hour-bus ride from Pesaro to Urbino. Total transportation cost: 9.47 euro ($11.35).
MOST BEAUTIFUL PIAZZA: Piazza del Popolo, Ascoli Piceno.
I sat at Antico Caffe Meletti, built in 1907 in the corner of the piazza, soaking in the same delicious sights that Hemingway, Sartre and Guttuso did in the last century.
I wondered how Hemingway would describe our view: a piazza lined on one side by the beautiful Palazzo del Popolo, its massive clock next to a statue of Pope Paul III.
Rebuilt 10 years later, it stands opposite a long, brick building with green shuttered windows and lined with multicolored flags representing Ascoli Piceno’s six neighborhoods. At one end of the football-field-size piazza is the Chiesa di San Francesco, started in 1262 and featuring a beautiful blue-green dome. Cafes stood on all corners.
BEST BEACH: Fano.
I heard about the beach just north of this town and spotted it on the train from Ancona to Pesaro. I nearly jumped out the train window and camped out on one of the dozens of beach chairs. The beach is one of the few pure, sandy, wide stretches on the Adriatic and lines beautiful, individual bays separated by rock jetties.
BEST ROMANTIC EVENING:
Arena Sferisterio, Macerata.
This 19th-century brick amphitheater in neoclassical style seats 5,000 for famous operas such as “Tosca” and “Don Carlo” in July and August. Located in Macerata, a charming, lightly visited hill town, Sferisterio is bathed in soft lighting, which continues on the windy cobblestone sidewalks and piazzas as you leave for your midnight gelato. Arena Sferisterio, Piazza Mazzini 10. Phone: 39-07-33-23-0735 or 23-3508, macerataopera@mercurio.it, macerataopera.org.
BEST DRIVE: Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini.
The only day I drove during a 10-day trip came when I rented a car in Camerano, just outside Numana, and visited the Marche countryside through this delightful national park, which covers 173,000 acres .
I parked outside the walls of Macerata for a quiet cappuccino in pleasant Piazza di Liberta’ before heading southwest toward the national park. While Tuscany has a convoy of tourist buses cruising Chianti country, I barely saw another car as I negotiated the windy, narrow roads past Lake Fiastra.
I drove through villages of just a few stone houses with locals smiling at me as they nursed their afternoon cafe. Tiny roads stretched behind the villages into the foothills of the Monti Sibillini range, one of the most beautiful stretches of the Apennines.
However, while I spent all day driving to Monti Sibillini on country roads, using the autoroute, it took me only 90 minutes to return to the car rental office. You see, nothing in Le Marche is very far away.
But it seems so very far away from Tuscany. Car rental, Via Dante Alighieri/60021 Camerano (AN) Italy, 39-07-17-31-480.
BEST PLACE FOR A MOONLIT STROLL: Porto Recanati.
A terrific town. located on the Adriatic just 15 miles south of Ancona, Recanati is where many Italian lovers go for vacation. The beach is rocky – more like fine gravel, really – but the boardwalk goes for miles along the beach. Every night, I strolled past outdoor bars and restaurants, locals sitting on their front stoop and men and women holding hands and scoops of gelato. I heard the Adriatic lap peacefully against the shore. I smelled the salty air.
I heard no English. It was the quintessential Italian experience.
Food
BEST RESTAURANT: Lo Locandiera, Ascoli Piceno.
Small and cozy with vaulted brick ceilings, it’s one of the best restaurant bargains in Europe. Owner Giuseppe Frollo, a friendly, mustachioed gent in his 40s, threw dishes at me as if they were darts.
First came a basket of homemade bread. Then an antipasti plate of bresaola, pinole (pine nuts) and parmigiano. Third came his specialty: olive ripiene alscolane, stuffed olives fried in a light batter.
He was just getting warmed up. Next came fusilli con tartufo, pasta with the glorious and rare Italian mushrooms. Dish No. 5 was gnocchi con castrato, the little Italian dumplings covered in a spectacular tomato sauce.
Wait, he wasn’t done.
I had vitello tagliate, veal with parmigiano, olive oil and lemon, followed by coniglio con patate, rabbit with potatoes, and, finally, dessert. Served with an endless supply of 2001 Il Conte Zipolo from Le Marche vineyards, the whole feast cost all of 31 euro (about $37). Lo Locandiera, Via Goldoni, 2, 39-07-26-2509, lalocandiera.it.
BEST WINE BAR: Vincanta, Numana.
Occupying an unassuming spot on a sidewalk off the main piazza, Vincanta is a great place to sample underrated Marche wines. I had a delicious Santa Maria del Fiore for only 2.50 euro ($3) and a Lacrima di Morro d’Alba for about the same from vineyards near the town of Jesi. Vincanta, Fia Flaminia, 44/A. Phone: 39-348-653-1921.
BEST WEIRD LOCAL DISH: Strozzapreti, Urbino.
Translated, strozzapreti means “strangle the priest.” Instead, I had mine with saffron and porcini at Il Girarrosto, a nice restaurant across the street from Raphael’s boyhood home. Il Girarrosto, Piazza San Francesco, 3, 39-07-22-2455.
Where to stay
Best hotel: Hotel Scogliera, Numana.
It’s one of the best bargains in Italy. I had a huge room by European standards, and it overlooked the Adriatic and the harbor with the beach only a five-minute walk away. There aren’t many hotels on Tuscan beaches like this for only 80 euros ($96). Hotel Scogliera, Via del Golfo, 21 / 60026, 39-07-19-33-0622. Info@hotelscogliera.it, hotelscogliera.it.
