Are you about to start your Italian language journey at our Urbania school?
We have created this guide to tell you a little about things to visit in the Marche region while you are attending one of our Italian courses.
First of all, you should know that the Marche offers huge diversity and stunning beauty, with beaches, mountains, history, and culture. All this accompanied by delicious food and typical produce.
And don’t worry if you don’t have a car. There are lots of destinations not too far from the school and which are easy to get to using public transport.
So, let’s start this journey to discover the area.
Close at hand: from Urbania by bus
About half an hour from Urbania, you will find different a range of important destinations that you can easily get to by bus.
As a first stage in your journey, we can recommend a visit to nearby Urbino, an Italian Renaissance masterpiece and included by UNESCO on its list of world heritage sites.
The Ducal Palace, once home to Federico da Montefeltro, contains a vast collection of artworks and extraordinary frescos.
Everyone and in particular, if you follow one of our programmes for opera singers, should take time to visit Pesaro, the city of Rossini. The National Rossini Museum, has ten rooms to illustrate the life, the man and the importance of the artist.
Every August, you can have the privilege of taking part in the Rossini Opera Festival, an internationally important festival of opera which, the city of Pesaro has been dedicating to its most illustrious citizen since 1980, staging his most famous masterpieces.
Moving to Sant’Angelo in Vado, you can visit La Domus del Mito, the area’s most important archaeological find, which has come to light in the last 50 years.
Built towards the end of the first century CE, and covering an area of approximately 1,000 square metres, this Roman home takes its name from a large number of figures linked to the classical mythology.
Unique sites in the Marche: the Temple of Valadier and the Caves of Frasassi
There are unique experiences that you will never be able to enjoy anywhere else in the world, except in the Marche.
The Temple of Valadier is doubtless one of the most charming sanctuaries in the Marche and beyond.
Immersed in the rocky underbelly of the Gola della Rossa gorge and Frasassi, the Temple of Valadier powerfully and beautifully expresses the meeting of man and nature, for unforgettable, intense emotions.
In Genga, in the Apennines of the Marche, inside the Regional Natural Park of Gola della Rossa, you can experience the unique thrill of the Frasassi Caves, among the largest, most extensive cave systems in Europe, and recognised as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
Spectacular underground excursions will take you into a kind of unspoilt parallel world with a unique ecosystem, characterised by a wealth of stalactites and stalagmites.
Villages and mediaeval history in the Marche
The Marche’s villages are a priceless heritage that you can admire all over the region, from north to south.
We should mention the Castle of Gradara, a fortress made famous by one of Italian literature’s most beautiful love stories, that of Paolo and Francesca, immortalised by Dante Alighieri in is Divine Comedy.
You can discover the fascinating charm of Corinaldo, nestling in the Marche’s rolling hills, or visit the Mediaeval village of Acquaviva Picena and its fortress, or even Grottammare, Cingoli, Frontino, Loretello and Fossombrone. You can lose yourself easily in their enchanting streets.
Loreto, place of worship and spirituality
The Sanctuary of Loreto, home to the Holy House of Nazareth, is one of Italy's principal destinations for pilgrims. You can explore the majestic basilica and immerse yourself if the religious history and art that surrounds this holy place.
Music, performance and literature in the Marche
The Marche and the local countryside have inspired singers and poets through the ages.
Like Senigallia with its Pier, a source of inspiration for singer Fred Bongusto and his “Una rotonda sul mare”.
Today, Senigallia is known throughout the world, as well as for its Velvet Beach, also for the Summer Jamboree, an international Festival of 40’s and 50’s American music that is held here, every year between the end of July and the start of August.
From music to literature. Visit Recanati, a splendid village, where Giacomo Leopardi, one of the greatest poets in Italian literature, was born and lived.
You can lose yourselves in Silvia’s House, the Colle dell’Infinito [Hill of Infinity] and the Torre del Passero Solitario [Tower of the Lonely Sparrow], the places where Leopardi wrote his most famous masterpieces.
Le Marche: good wine and typical produce
If you love good food and wine, then you simply must pay a visit to the wineries all around the hillsides of Verdicchio, the excellent white wine made in this area.
In particular, you can visit the area of the Castelli di Jesi, where the majority of local wine production is concentrated.
You can also enjoy the full-bodied flavour of Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, a DOC red from the Marche, typically made in Morro d’Alba and the surrounding area.
If you travel to Ascoli Piceno, as you stroll through the ancient streets of the city, you will absolutely have to try the olive all’ascolana, a gastronomic symbol of the city.
Things to do in the Marche in spring-summer
Explore the Parco del Conero. The breathtaking beaches, including Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle and the Spiaggia di San Michele, where the waters are crystal clear and the surrounding nature is pristine.
Enjoy a walk along the trails in the Park, where the panoramic views of the coast are nothing short of breathtaking.
From the sea to the mountains, less than 23 km from Urbania, in the municipalities of Fermignano and Acqualagna, you can admire Gola del Furlo, a gorge created from the erosion brought about by the Castigliano River, between the Pietralata and Paganuccio mountains.
Things to do in the Marche in autumn
For nature lovers, every year, from mid-October to early November, the beechwood of Canfaito offers a wonderful spectacular show of foliage, with long expanses coloured by the red leaves of the beech trees.
Also in the October/November period, if you travel to the nearby Acqualagna, you can visit the National white truffle fair of Acqualagna, an authentic excellence in the area.
When it comes to truffles, every year at the end of October, a National White Truffle Fair is held in Sant'Angelo in Vado, which is near Urbania and easily reached by bus.
Things to do in the Marche in winter
Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowkite, skating. These are just some of the winter activities available to you in the Sibillini mountains, a chain of mountains that takes its name from the enchantress, Sybil who, legend would have it, lived in the cave of the same name in these mountains.
The many beauty spots of the Sibillini mountains include Pilate Lake, known, due to its shape, as the lake with glasses, and the Lame Rosse, known as the Grand Canyon of the Marche.
The Marche: one region, a thousand facets
Our suggestions are just some of the endless attractions that you can discover in the Marche.
Our aim, for almost forty years, has been to offer our students not just Italian language courses for foreign students, but genuine experiences.
In the firm belief that language learning also comes through knowledge of the history and culture of its native speakers, we will get you involved in activities and excursions to show you the real Italy.
