Rick Steves Italy for Food Lovers by Rick Steves & Fred Plotkin

Author:Rick Steves & Fred Plotkin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Publishing
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Brodetto

Verdicchio

Light white wine, at one time overproduced, and now returning to its original quality.

CITIES, TOWNS, AND PLACES

Ancona (pop. 100,000), the capital and biggest city, is situated on an elbow-shaped peninsula (“Ancona” comes from the ancient Greek word for “elbow”). The peninsula’s layout blocks winds from blowing south, so the part of Marche to the south is much warmer than that to the north. The city is a hub of transit and commerce, but most visitors simply pass through.

Urbino (pop. 15,000) is more worth a lingering visit. During the Renaissance, Urbino had one of the most refined courts in Italy, full of artists and scholars in the service of Federico da Montelfetro (whose famous hook-nosed portrait hangs in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery). And the province was home to three Renaissance greats: Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, a.k.a. simply “Raphael”; the lesser-known but also talented Federico Barocci; and Donato Bramante, the architect who first designed the new St. Peter’s in Rome. (The National Gallery of Marche is a surprise treasure trove of Renaissance art. If it were in a bigger Italian city, it would be famous and crowded. But it isn’t…so it’s not.) The town’s streets are alternately steep and narrow, culminating in views of undulating green fields under blue skies. And the local student population helps give Urbino a youthful vibe.

The most attractive part of the Marche is in the Montefeltro area, which spreads north from Urbino, tucked into the border areas of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. Carpegna produces top-quality, salty, melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto crudo, and the surrounding woods abound with game.

The coastline is mainly tourist-oriented beach towns (such as big Pesaro, pop. 95,000). One fine town here—close to the border with Romagna—is Gabicce Mare, less overrun than many of its neighbors; in the mountains just above is its uphill sister town, Gabicce Monte, which was a trendy artistic community in the 1960s (Fellini used to hang out here) and has now settled into a quieter existence.

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