Marche

Marche lies to the east of Umbria and is sandwiched between the Sibillini mountains on the west and the Adriatic sea on the east. It is a region of great contrasts, within a relatively short time you can travel from the sandy beaches of San Benedetto to the cool mountains in the National Park. Between the two you will find some of the loveliest countryside in Europe with rolling hills and splendid hilltowns and villages. It is true that few of these are as well known as Florence, Siena or Perugia but that does not mean that they are not beautiful places with their own advantages.

Until relatively recently Marche was a bit too inaccessible for many but with the Ryanair services to Ancona and Pescara the whole region has opened up. No longer the need to fly to Rome or Bologna and make your way by road or rail. For people who enjoy walking, the National Park is hard to beat. In the winter there is good skiing, with plentiful snow, and in the summer the park is alive with all kinds of wildlife. For families with children the easy access to the coast is to be taken into consideration; many properties are within easy distance of both the coast and the mountains.

The local authorities are keeping a watchful eye on what happens, keen to avoid over-development and despoilation of the countryside. All restoration works, as in other parts of Italy, have to be carried out sympathetically.

Prices have risen in the last couple of years and in some cases are comparable with Umbria. Really cheap properties are now hard to come by, whatever the TV programmes and magazines may tell you.

Regions: Umbria - Tuscany - Marche - Liguria - Lake Como - Abruzzo