Plan Your Holiday to Le Marche

As a benefit of booking a stay at Casa Pace e Gioia, I will help you, free of charge, create your perfect holiday in the Marche. Whether you’d like guided tours of our gorgeous churches and castles, escorted wine tastings and farm visits, an exhilarating bicycle holiday, to hunt truffles, to take a cooking class from a local chef, to plan a special celebration, or something else entirely, I can give advice, make reservations, and arrange for everything.

Additionally, prior to your arrival, I will send you a link to download our guest welcome book that you can save to your phone. It does not require a login and works offline. More than practical information to help you enjoy our house, it also has local area recommendations complete with Google Maps navigation and Trip Advisor reviews.

Here are some resources to inspire your holiday in Le Marche.

RENTAL CAR

I strongly recommend that you rent a car!

If you have a AAA membership, start on their website for car rental price comparisons.
Kayak.com is a good starting point for car rental price comparisons.
Leasys
is an Italian company with an English website who usually has competitive pricing. 
If you are traveling between 15 November - 15 April you need snow chains or winter tires, which you can add to your rental for an additional fee.

Check your credit card to see if it offers collision damage waiver insurance on rental cars in Italy. Mastercard World Elite cards cover CDW in Italy, although many cards do not. I recommend that you add insurance coverage to your rental if your credit card does not offer it.

The roads to and from Casa Pace e Gioia and the major airports are paved, easy to drive, and in good condition. We have parking spots for 5 cars.

I can send you detailed car rental, driving, and parking advice prior to your arrival.

WEATHER

The weather is usually warm, sunny, and dry in summer. Our house gets sea breezes in the mornings and cooling mountain winds in the afternoons. There’s a chance for rain in the spring and autumn, but it’s usually not long-lasting and we see a lot of rainbows. Spring and fall temperatures are temperate and the Adriatic influence adds some humidity. Winter is colder, of course, but winter activities abound, and afterward, you can warm up by the fire in a welcoming restaurant.

We use Il Meteo for local weather forecasts.

EVENTS

It seems that every weekend a nearby city or village hosts a food festival ( sagra in Italian) that celebrates a local specialty and includes food stands, a market, live entertainment, and often competitions. Unlike larger festivals in more touristy areas, these regional parties give you a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the local community and get a real feel for Italian culture. If you see a sign for a sagra, I recommend you follow it!

Our website has a list of annual events here.

These websites have updated information about events and a weekly email list you can join.

http://www.marcheinfesta.it/

http://www.nonsoloeventimarche.it/index.php

https://www.corriereproposte.i...

THE SIBILLINI MOUNTAINS

The Sibillini Mountains have attracted visitors for centuries. Le Marche’s southwestern border range was long known as a land of fairies, mystics, and the eponymous prophetess Sibyl, who lived in a cave near the summit of Mount Sibilla. Now a 70,000-hectare National Park, the Sibillini are still suggestive and only a 30-minute drive—not to be missed! You can drive around it and get out and hike when you want, or you can organize longer hikes or biking trails to see monasteries, churches, ruins, valleys, plains, cliffs, wildflowers, birds, and mammals that all seem to hide within the park.

https://www.sibilliniweb.it - A lot of park info, free trail maps, and events calendar.

https://www.sibilliniturismo.it

http://www.camosciosibillini.it

http://www.trekkingmontiazzurri.com/index.php/i-fiori-sui-sibillini.html Guide to wildflowers

http://www.sibilliniebike.it - offers “e” bike rentals

https://www.sibilliniweb.it - a very useful website (available in many languages) with a lot of detailed hiking trail information. 

THE BEACHES

Le Marche has 180 kilometers of coastline and our nearest beach area is Civitanova Marche, 35 minutes down the SS77. Both the Lungomare Nord and the Lungomare Sud in Civitanova have “Blue Flag” status for their water quality and adherence to environmental standards. Lungomare Nord has sandier beaches and is shallower. Lungomare Sud is rockier and has deeper water.

Click here to see the Blue Flag beaches in the Marche.

THE LOCAL WINES

For an introduction to our notable and affordable local wines visit our Wine page.

If you let me know your preferences, I can tailor my recommendations to your taste.

I can arrange for a driver, winery tours, and private tastings.

Our Google Map of Le Marche wineries.

"Le Marche nel Bicchiere 2022" Marche in the glass
Although it is missing some of our favorite local wineries, this free 500 page guide in English and Italian gives a nice overview of our regional wines, with information about the wine makers producing them. They also feature our local olives and olive oil producers.

http://www.assovini.it/italia/marche/itemlist/category/134-vini-marche

Instituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vini

https://italianwinecentral.com/region/marche/

http://www.consorziovinipiceni.com 

The Wine Tourism Movement of the Marche has a page of local wine events you can register for online!

Our favorite local wineries (so far!):

Fattoria Colmone della Marca

Il Podere sul Lago

Saputi

Colleluce

Cantina Sant’Isidoro

Rio Maggio Vini

Fattoria Dezi

“MADE IN ITALY” OUTLET SHOPPING

Le Marche’s talented artisans have crafted fine leather shoes, handbags, and accessories for ages. Our area is well-known for its many Italian designer outlet stores that sell designer footwear, accessories, and apparel at substantial discounts.

If you’d like to have a driver and interpreter take you on an outlet shopping tour please let me know and I can arrange it.

Here is a Google map of some notable designer outlets if you’d like to go bargain hunting on your own.

TOURISM RESOURCES (If the site is in Italian only, use Chrome to translate)

Official Marche Tourism site available in English #destinazionemarche on Instagram

Noi Marche has some excellent area information also available in English. They recommend itineraries that include where to shop and what to eat. They also have extensive information about bicycling in the area. 

Italian Food Decoder app If you don’t speak Italian, this app is worth more than they charge for it. I have used it throughout Italy for years.

izi.TRAVEL app is free and has 15,000 audio guides worldwide, and many in the Marche, with walking tours and museum guides. 

MarcheCraft is an important initiative that gives travelers the opportunity to meet the talented artisans who have made the Marche known for its quality for generations. Learn more about our area's heritage of weaving, wicker, paper making, book making, leather work, pottery, farming, and many others. Tour hidden-gem museums; visit workshops and factories; make your own sandals paper, pottery, and many more! Scan the QR code to take a tour.

http://www.turismo.provinciamc.it - Our local province travel site

https://www.tripendipity.com/en - they host all kinds of events and tours.

http://pedalandomaceratese.blogspot.com - for bicyclists, with GFX downloads, maps, and good information even for non-bicyclists.

https://www.activetourism.it/en/ - In addition to great information about the area, they offer guided tours and host many events.

https://www.marcheforkids.com/en/ - Useful for traveling with children

http://www.mammemarchigiane.it - Useful for traveling with children

https://www.quantomanca.com - Useful for traveling with children

https://www.mymarca.it/it - These guys have a storefront that sells Marchigiani food; they offer cooking courses; they deliver meals, food and wine to the house; and also host events in the area.

http://www.mondimedievali.net/castelli/Marche/macerata/provincia.htm#mur/ - As you might guess, castles in Macerata province, indexed and linked.

https://www.marcheology.it/it/ - Archeology themed site

Marche Outdoor focuses on bicycling and also has a good app in English.

https://www.raccontidimarche.it a travel blog that focuses on Le Marche.

Marche Road is a portal where you can see upcoming events and book excursions, truffle hunts, cooking classes, city tours, guided walks, and more. 

Con in faccia un po di sole (With a bit of sun on your Face) is a group of cultural and tourism professionals who offer guided hikes and cultural events. 

Italian Stories offers an opportunity to book visits and workshops with talented local artisans. 

Passamontagna has guided excursions, walks, and trekking for all ability levels throughout the Marche. They also offer tours in English, French, and Spanish. 

Appennino Incoming offers artistic, cultural, gastronomic, biking, and artisanal tours, among others.  

Meridiana Srl is who to call if you'd like a guided tour of the Abbadia di Fiastra or the Parco Archeologico di Urbisaglia.

***The Italian Foreign Minister’s website with COVID-related travel information.