Marche is one of the last undiscovered regions of Italy. Refreshingly free from tourists and the english language, brush up on your basic Italian (or at least your dramatic hand gestures) and you’ll be bene, grazie. You won’t find a tourist menu in sight at any of the charming towns that make up this region.

Head five minutes down the road from our town and you'll find a host of charming towns with authentic, local restaurants and pizzerias, italian language schools, wine bars, historical churches and buildings, university towns and of course, those breathtaking views from the hilltops of the rolling Italian landscape.

With beach umbrellas and cabanas as far as the eye can see, many beachside spots can be reached in less than an hour by car from Mercatello. The Marche region is also home to an abundance of outlet shopping destinations – the kind you always hope to find but just never do - for some of the world's biggest fashion brands.

Region Highlights

Hilltop Towns serving up the most incredible handmade pasta, it would be hard to find a bad trattoria in these parts!
Regional Events like the annual Palio festival, St. Francis Day, The Potato Festival and festivals celebrating every other vegetable/foodstuff e.g. The Pork Festival, The Truffle Festival...you get the point
Crazy Italian Drivers taking on narrow back alleyways and unsealed mountain roads like Formula 1 drivers
Sunday Church/Sunday Lunch Culture where visiting any of the little towns in Italy on Sundays sees a procession of families dressed well going for the church and long lunch combo
Hidden Beaches + Bays lay waiting to be discovered on the East Coast of Italy, this is the undiscovered coastline of Italy after all where the locals like to holiday
Sprawling Markets on weekends; large towns in the region host huge flea and produce markets sprawling all the way through the town streets
Wine Production in Le Marche is thriving, the best known of these wines is the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, an outstanding white wine hailing from Ancona
Outlet Shopping is big in this region, with the likes of Prada, Tod's and many more offering incredible sale stock

Essentials

Driving Distance | Depending on the route, you can traverse the region in about four hours taking the coastline
Regional specialties | Brodetto, Cinghiale, Prosciutto & Verdicchio (white wine)
Population | 1.5 million
Biggest towns | Urbino, Ascoli Piceno, Ancona, Pesaro, Macerata and Fermo
Most famous for | Mountainous, scenic drives and charming hilltop towns
Famous former + current residents | Motorcycle champion, Valentino Rossi, Renaissance painter, Raphael and Italy's greatest poet, Giacomo Leopardi
Bordered by | Emilia-Romagna and San Marino to the North, Tuscany to the West, Umbria to the South-West and Abruzzo and Lazio to the South.

We've compiled all of our favourite towns and beaches in the region listed below into an easy-to-use Google map for you to plan all your Marche adventures!

Tour the tiny towns surrounding Mercatello sul Metauro, all within 15 minutes' drive from our apartments and town.

Castello Della Pieve

5 min. This hilltop town is technically a part of Mercatello – make a reservation at the charming restaurant and enjoy a walk through the ancient streets with views out over the mountainside.

Sant’Angelo in Vado

5 min. A small town with good restaurants, find the best local cheese and gelati bar both on the main corso. Explore Demus Tifernum – an ancient roman villa.

Urbania

10 mins. A beautiful ancient town with the Teatro Barmante in the central piazza with regular opera concerts. Find great restaurants, wine bars and small museums dotted around the town. Interestingly, Urbania hosts a world-renowned opera school as well as a great language school.

Borgo Pace

10 mins. Another charming small town down the road worth exploring, the main event here is the pizza!

If driving and exploring Italy is your thing, enjoy the journey (one to two hours' drive from Mercatello) to these charming towns and cities throughout Marche, Umbria and Tuscany.

Urbino

35 min. Urbino is a historical hub and university town with plenty for visitors to see and do – shopping, bars, churches and restaurants. As the birthplace of Raphael, the town has many historically significant sites including the ornate Ducale Palace.

Gubbio

45 min. This completely intact medieval town will take your breath away with stunning views, a beautiful church perched atop the town, restaurants and old world charms. Don’t miss the annual Festa Dei Ceri (festival of candles) in May.

Perugia

1.25 hrs. Perugia is a lively historical and university city with another hilltop location, jaw dropping architecture, great restaurants and shopping. Schedule your visit around July’s Jazz Festival or September’s Festival of Chocolate.

Assisi

1.5 hrs. Stop by Assisi and visit the famed church and tomb of St. Francis of Assisi and witness stunning sunsets from this hilltop location.

Arezzo

1.5 hrs. A medieval town set on a steep hill with the impressive Medici Fortress at the centre, Birthplace of Renaissance painter Piero della Francesca, the first Sunday of each month sees a sprawling antiques market set up in the historical centre.

Bologna

2.5 hrs. Bologna is a foodie’s heaven as the home of ragu bolognese. Try the ragu with the city’s other specialty – tortellini at any of the authentic trattorias. Don’t miss the grand architecture of the piazza where the many university students convene to create a lively atmosphere.

Visit beachside resorts or explore tiny tucked away bays within one to two hours' drive.

Fano

1 hr. The nearest beach to Mercatello, choose from sand and rock beaches and after a swim check out the boats and great shopping. Stop by one of the cute beach bars set right in the sand.

Pesaro

1 hr 15 mins. Larger than neighbouring Fano, Pesaro features beautiful sandy beaches and authentic seaside restaurants. More great shopping and a beautiful theatre playing opera Rossini make Pesaro much more than just a beach town.

Rimini

1 hr 30 mins. Rimini is the ultimate Italian beach resort on the East coast. With bright beach umbrellas and taut, tanned Italians as far as the eye can see during summer, the nightlife can be little tacky but the great seafood and beach makes it worth it.

Vallugola Bay

1 hr 30 mins. A holiday spot for Italian locals only (and you) here you'll find a very special natural bay at the end of a long skinny drive up and over the mountains. Sky high cliffs hug the beach all around making for a dreamy backdrop when floating in the clear, calm waters. A retro 70's hotel looms large up on the hill with an all-orange beach club at the base. A very good seafood restaurant, Ristorante Falco, sits almost in the sand too.

Riviera del Conero

1 hr 45 mins. Head South past Ancona to the charming Riviera del Conero and discover beaches like Portonovo (natural sheltered bay with camping and resorts) and Numana or Sirolo (hilltop towns perched high above tiny beaches below).

Marche is home to an abundance of outlet shopping destinations – the kind you always hope to find but just never do. These outlet stores deliver (not literally) on jaw-droppingly low prices and world-famous brands – Prada, Miu Miu, Stella McCartney, Marni, Yves Saint Laurent, MaxMara and more.

San Marino

1 hr 15 mins. Stock up on the finer things in life for less in the Republic of San Marino - perfume, alcohol, jewellery, leather goods, watches and Italian designer goods are all sold tax-free in this country within a country, the holy grail of Italian shopping.

MaxMara + Stefanel Outlet

1 hr 30 mins. Spend a morning or afternoon perusing the goods at MaxMara and Stefanel and find something for everyone. Shop MaxMara for classic jackets, basics, shoes and boots, then head next door to Stefanel for coolly casual and oh-so-Italian clothing and accessories. This is a great stop on the way to the beaches of Gabbice Mare or Baia Vallugola, the outlets are close by to these beaches.

Prada Outlet

1 hr 45 mins. Find Prada and Miu Miu at very affordable prices here, these brands have been stashing their sale stock here for years! You'll find showrooms filled floor-to-ceiling with bags, shoes and clothing in beautiful prints and colours, with real people price tags. Secure your very own piece of Italian fashion history-in-the-making. This is a great stop on the way to Florence.

Valdichiana Outlet Village

1 hr 45 mins. This outlet mall houses mainstream big designers like Benetton, Calvin Klein, Gant, Swatch, Guess and Gap at reduced prices.

The Mall

2 hrs. Take a trip just over the border into Tuscany to find The Mall. It's called 'the mall' for a reason, this is a big one. Sprawling, manicured grounds house impeccable outlet stores for brands like Stella McCartney, Marni, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Tod's, Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Gucci, Lanvin, Salvatore Ferragamo and so many more! This is a great stop of the way to or from Florence.

Own your own piece of small-town Italy.

From time-to-time, shares become available in our partnership, contact us to leave an expression of interest in the event that shares do become available.