Discover Le Marche: The Hidden Gem of Italy

The time to appreciate the tumbling terrain of central Italy is at dawn.

Set your alarm early, and a tableau of sculpted hills, steeply angled fields, scattered oak forests, and medieval villages will materialize slowly from the gloom. As the sun eases over the horizon, the vista conjures up all the magic of a Renaissance painting.

Setting out before sunrise through the streets of San Ginesio—a delightful stone-built township in the hills of Le Marche—I could not have timed it better. As I reached the town’s medieval walls, hazy sunshine illuminated a landscape that could have been plucked from a fresco by Giotto, Raphael, or Piero della Francesca.

The Gateway to Le Marche

This lovely, overlooked province north of Rome could easily be mistaken for Tuscany—yet the absence of tour buses is an instant giveaway. The ancient townships of Le Marche are linked not by tourist coaches and high-speed trains but by trundling local buses. Slow travel is not just an option here; it comes with the territory.

The gateway stop for my circuit through the hills of Le Marche was the lowland city of Tolentino, a 1.5-hour train ride from Ancona—the region’s seaside capital, served by budget flights from London, Paris, Barcelona, and other European hubs.

Tolentino is also easily accessible from Rome in 3.5 hours by Flixbus or five hours by train (with a change in Fabriano). Whichever route you take, you’ll quickly leave the tourist bustle behind, passing small villages of stacked stone houses that you’ll want to bookmark for future Italian adventures.

As I arrived in Tolentino, I felt a tinge of apprehension. Since my last visit to Le Marche, substantial earthquakes had rattled the region to its foundations, causing nearly 300 deaths and damaging thousands of homes and monuments. Had the charming, stone-built towns and villages that I remembered survived the disaster?

Le Marche, in Microcosm

Strolling into the town’s historic center, I was initially reassured. The four astronomical clock faces of the arcane-looking Torre degli Orologi still rose above Tolentino’s historic Piazza della Libertà, and old-timers still crowded the cafes, sipping dainty cups of espresso and slurping gelato.

However, at opposite ends of the square, the Palazzo Comunale and Palazzo Sangallo were wrapped in hoardings while builders carried out the painstaking work of stabilizing structures weakened by the October 2016 tremors. This pattern was repeated across the region: some buildings were seemingly untouched by the disaster, while others were shrouded in scaffolding.

Sadly, the region’s medieval churches, theaters, and museums were particularly hard-hit, making visits to Le Marche’s timeless townships somewhat unpredictable. In some places, you’ll have to make do with admiring the 500-year-old palazzi and chiese from outside—though ample photo opportunities provide generous compensation.

San Severino Splendor

Before heading for the highlands, I made a short trip along the valley to the eye-catching town of San Severino Marche, accessible from Tolentino via a 30-minute bus ride or 18-minute train trip. Sprawling uphill from a low plateau, the town is famous for the teardrop-shaped Piazza del Popolo—one of the prettiest squares in central Italy—and its interesting collection of community museums.

Sipping a decaf espresso in a café by the Teatro Feronia, a Le Marche icon dating to 1747, I was struck by the general lack of scaffolding in the lower part of the town, even as teams of restorers were still hard at work repairing the ornate interior of the baroque, brick-fronted Chiesa di San Giuseppe.

Following cobbled lanes toward the hilltop castello, I observed restoration and repair signs, as well as a town bouncing back from disaster. Not everything was open yet, but recovery was well underway.

The Balcony of the Sibillini

Since slow travel is a way of life in Le Marche, the journey south from Tolentino to the town of San Ginesio was suitably ponderous. Four buses a day wind their way through the green, farmland-covered hills to the edge of San Ginesio’s robust town walls, built for safety in a time when Italian nobles didn’t think twice about marching out to ransack the village next door.

Upon breaching the fortifications through the formidable-looking Porta Picena, I immediately noticed the stone arcade of the 13th-century Ospedale dei Pellegrini, constructed as a hostel for pilgrims visiting San Ginesio’s hundred or so churches. Then I saw the abundance of tower cranes rising between the church campanili (bell towers).

Known as the “balcony of the Sibillini” for its views of the surrounding mountains, this town of 3,200 was hit hard by the 2016 earthquakes. Around two-thirds of its buildings sustained damage, and many houses and monuments remain wrapped in corsets of steel cables or propped up by intricate lattices of scaffolding poles and timber struts.

As I wandered historic streets, I heard the sound of hammering as builders worked to restore cracked masonry and bowing walls. Nevertheless, the town’s charm endured—something recognized by selecting San Ginesio as one of the “Best Tourism Villages” in 2021.

Community-based Recovery

Pausing for a scoop of gelato surrounded by coffee-breaking builders in front of the 11th-century Chiesa Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta, I was struck not only by the destructive force of the 2016 disaster but also by the sense of people pulling together—something confirmed when I spoke to the town’s deputy mayor, Daris Belli.

“The immediate feeling after the disaster was one of fear, and anxiety about the loss of certainties, habits, and homes. However, the earthquake brought the community together,” he explained. “While reconstruction has been slow, people have stepped up to provide emotional and psychological support, and tourism plays a fundamental role in revitalizing San Ginesio.”

The mayor’s office is spearheading community-based tourism as a route to recovery, putting local cafe owners, artisan producers, farmers, and experts on local history at the heart of the visitor experience.

Exploring the Gateway to the Underworld

I took the opportunity to walk around the green uplands of nearby Monti Sibillini National Park, guided by Mariano Constantini, an energetic mountain guide passionate about the hills. As we walked, he told me of his adventures trekking over, climbing up, and paragliding off the summits in the Sibillini range.

The steep-sided peaks rise against the horizon like grasping fingers, brooding with promise and just a hint of menace. According to local folklore, the mountains guard a gateway to the underworld, sheltering a mysterious prophetess who once lured local menfolk to their doom. Today, the forested, cyclamen-dotted gorges and bald summits are better known for hiking, paragliding, and skiing, but the mountains still hold dangers, such as strong winds and frequent avalanches in winter.

As we looked out over a vast sweep of Le Marche’s countryside, Mariano remarked, “When taking off from here, we go as high as we can breathe, but you have to be careful. There are many ways to hurt yourself in the mountains; if the conditions aren’t right, stay at home by the fire!”

We concluded our day on the shores of Lago di Fiastra, a gorgeous lake created by a hydroelectric project in 1955. Thanks to the lake’s chalky white bed, the water gleams a stunning turquoise, and we joined a friendly group of locals swimming and eating at the osterie clustered at the lake’s southern tip.

Onward to Sarnano

After a comfortable night in San Ginesio’s Albergo Centrale hotel—which is awaiting new owners after being restored by the town authorities—I resumed my village-hopping, following a winding route along the fringes of the national park to the postcard-perfect village of Sarnano.

Don’t underestimate the time it takes to travel around this part of Italy: public buses connect most villages and towns, but there are just a few services a day on most routes (and none on Sundays). Villages that appear next to each other on the map can be an hour apart, factoring in the hilly terrain, hence the focus on slow travel.

Treat it as a nudge to take your time. These enchanting villages are meant to be savored, offering opportunities for wandering through tangled laneways, snapping photos of ornate doorways, enjoying quiet moments in village squares, and daydreaming while taking in the mountain views.

Sarnano is a true beauty—coiled around a conical hill and only lightly touched by the 2016 disaster. Wandering uphill from the bottom of town, I navigated a maze of neatly cobbled lanes, each turn revealing another view squeezed between lantern-decked, terracotta-colored houses.

The town culminates at the aptly named Piazza Alta, flanked by the grand Teatro della Vittoria, which looks more like a palace or cathedral than a mere theater. With the restoration still underway, I ventured inside the town’s stately churches, starting with the Romanesque Chiesa di Santa Maria di Piazza Alta on the hilltop.

Renaissance Grandeur and a Preserved Saint

Several buses a day trundle south along the valley from Sarnano, but the short trip to the similarly charming town of Amandola is also easy to cover by taxi. Upon my arrival in Amandola, the temptation was to head straight uphill from the market square. However, acting on a local tip, I stopped first at the imposing Chiesa di Sant’Agostino to view the moody frescoes and the desiccated, nose-less mummy of 15th-century Franciscan friar Beato Antonio—infamously desecrated by Napoleon’s forces.

A calf-straining walk through the old town revealed more classic Le Marche views: cobbled lanes lined with stately brick mansions, archways opening onto slanted squares, and soaring views of the Monti Sibillini range, particularly from the hilltop Parco Giochi Belvedere.

I plotted a route via the graceful Teatro La Fenice, constructed in the 17th century and revamped in 1819, and the 14th-century Chiesa di San Francesco, which houses a museum devoted to the lives of the people of Sibillini, reflecting the region’s captivating history.

Sadly, both were closed for earthquake repairs, but the beauty of travel in Le Marche lies in the exploration of countless villages. Within easy taxi distance of Amandola, dignified Montefortino offered front-row views of the dramatic, rock-faced Infernaccio Gorge, while dainty Monte San Martino looked longingly towards the mirror-image village of Penna San Giovanni across the valley.

The End of Every Trip to Italy? A Memorable Meal

I wrapped up my village circuit at the green and serene Lago di San Ruffino, a man-made lake on the doorstep of the Roman-founded Abbazia dei Santi Ruffino e Vitale. The faint whiff of sulfur served as a reminder of the thermal springs that first attracted Italy’s most famous empire builders to these rolling valleys.

No visit to central Italy would be complete without a slow, leisurely meal, and the lakeside Osteria del Lago served up delights—pasta amatriciana, with fresh tomatoes, guanciale (cured pork), and local cheese, alongside an antipasti platter piled high with prosciutto crudo, ciauscolo (spreadable salami), and lonza (cured pork filet), finished with vino cotto (“cooked” wine) and crisp hazelnut biscotti for dessert.

Squisito! Le Marche perfection.