Marche Revisited
As explained in the Introduction to the Region post, when I published the website originally, Marche was the region I had explored the least. I since returned in December 2021, and this post is a record of that experience with a particular focus around the area of Jesi. Namely, we visited Arcevia (sweeping views pictured in the cover photo for this region), Corinaldo, Jesi, and Moie. We stayed at the Agriturismo/ winery called Tenuta San Marcello, which I will explain further in this post, and we visited Moie because my partner has family there. For touristic purposes, I would recommend Corinaldo and Jesi in this part of the Marche region.
The Italian ‘agriturismo’ is a difficult concept to translate, but a wonderful experience to have! In addition to AirBnB and Vrbo, there is a website, Agriturismo.it, which is solely dedicated to these ‘agriturismi’ which can probably best be translated to a bed and breakfast found on a farm, or at the least, in the countryside. ‘Agro’ connects etymologically to the agriculture, hence the ‘farm’ connection, and ‘turismo’ is related to tourism. You will find great variety in the offerings of agriturismi throughout Italy; that is, you will find diversity in price, size, style, and location, as you can find them across all regions of Italy. I had a recent experience in the underrated and my partner jokingly refers to ‘underground’ region of Marche.
Three ‘anfore’ at Tenuta San Marcello and the rolling hills of Marche as a scenic background.
This particular agriturismo in the Marche region, was particularly attractive to me because it satisfied my desire for a quiet countryside escape, but Tenuta San Marcello is also a winery, specifically, a natural winery, that ages many of their grapes in ‘anfore’ (amphore in English). This style of winemaking is commonly referred to as Georgian style as I have referenced in the Food and Wine section for this region. In addition to the aesthetic value these large vessels offer (see three of them pictured above), wine that has been aged in an amphora has a particular taste. (Obviously, the tastes vary greatly and you will find red and white grapes used.)
Views while driving through the region
We drove to Tenuta San Marcello from Rome, which is a nice way to arrive as you can pass through the picturesque countryside of at least 2 other regions, Lazio and Umbria.
We made our first stop at Arcevia on the recommendation of my partner’s father who has familial origins from the Marche region. The town was quiet upon our arrival, a pre-Christmas and Covid lull. The town itself does not offer too much; however, the views looking over the undulating hills stretching towards the sea were lovely. In fact, arguably the most prominent Italian Romantic poet, Giacomo Leopardi, a Marche native, captured the visual beauty in a collage of descriptive phrases:
The ‘distances’ and the ‘horizon’s furthest reaches’ with views from Arcevia in Marche
Leopardi hailed from the town of Recanati, which is about an hour south of Arcevia. It is still in the same general proximity, thus this particular type of regional beauty is captured quite well by his words.
After our brief stop in Arcevia we carried on to our chosen agriturismo, Tenuta San Marcello. The drive allowed for nice vistas, which was one of my goals for the trip. I wanted to explore the landscape of Marche, the region that, to date, I had spent the least amount of time exploring. In fact, before arriving in Arcevia, we drove near the town of Fabriano, which is known to be the original European paper manufactures. You may have seen a stationary shop (in busy shopping areas or even at the airport) called Fabriano, and I learned the origin is indeed, this town in Marche. You can explore more of the fascinating history, which is dated to the 13th century but started centuries before and much further east.
Wine Making mural narrative at Tenuta San Marcello
Tenuta San Marcello was quiet, serene when we arrived. It was a perfect respite, post semester, pre-Christmas bustle. The only disadvantage was that the restaurant was not open during our stay, as we were virtually the only guests staying at the time. The team still made us feel very welcomed and arranged a tour and wine tasting. As mentioned, I was particularly attracted to this wine producer because of the amphorae used in the winemaking process. We tasted many wines, white, amber, rose and red, paired with delicious and local salumi and formaggi. You can read more about a few particularities of the regional cuisine in the Food and Wine post.
I love this winery because while might be considered somewhat ‘experimental’ and bold by conventional wine making standards, they are ironically harking back to some of the oldest and most ‘natural’ techniques by aging the wine in, what are essentially, clay pots. The tour was one of my favorites I have been on (as sometimes it feels like, seen one seen them all). At Tenuta San Marcello the owners employed the artist who also produced work for their labels to create murals of the wine making process. These vibrant, cheeky illustrations add another dimension (and a helpful visual narrative!) to the experience.
The very personable and kind owners invited us back in the summer months when the restaurant is open and the pool can be made use of, and it is certainly on the list. On this trip we ventured into a nearby town for dinner instead, and I am glad we did.
A restaurant not to miss in Corinaldo
The quaint Corinaldo has made the list of the ‘borghi piu belli d’italia’ (one of the most beautiful Italian villages). We explored it at night, but the long medieval staircase, distinctive well, and Renaissance era city walls and tower all contribute to the charm. Then, the restaurant, Nova Taberna, is worth a visit alone. They carry the wines of Tenuta San Marcello and have a seasonal menu that features local products and produce.
Jesi (and myself) in the Christmas spirit
We visited one more Marche town which has a particular connection to wine production in the region. The town is Jesi (pronounced ‘yesi’ in Italian). As you can see from the pictures, we were in full on winter holiday mode. Jesi has Renaissance palaces, such as the Palazzo della Signoria, and famously the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II was born here, in Jesi, in 1194. I went into a Google deep dive trying to find out why, and it seems that his mother, Constance, Queen of Sicily, was in transit to meet Henry VI, her husband, current Holy Roman Emperor, and Jesi happened to be the place. Frederick later declared Jesi a ‘holy city’ which gave it some freedom and autonomy in coming centuries. ‘Che culo’ one would say in Italian. (It translates to ‘what luck’ but ‘culo’ literally means ‘bum’, FYI.) In December 2021, l I felt that Jesi was a nice town to wander around and get the feel of the region and the feel of the Christmas season. The famous regional wine ‘Verdicchio’ is produced in the Castelli (hills) that surround the town of Jesi. From medieval times, these little hilltop towns, they do not all contain literal ‘castles’, have been grouped together territorially. Today, the grape, namely Verdicchio, as stated, is the bond that keeps them together in the perfect microclimate in the hills of Vallesina.
Jesi, Marche
I hope that the next stop in this region for me is Conero (a beautiful natural and regional park area), located just under the capital city of Ancona. I hope to visit in the late summer months of this year. As Ancona was my first stop and ‘featured’ city in the region, I hope to revisit and add to some more recommendations here as well.