Art Past and Present: a Journey into the Marche Region

Duration: 4 days (at a leisurely pace), departing from Ancona with stops at the Park of Monte Conero, Recanati and Arcevia before returning

Itinerary: about 260km in total

Equipment: comfortable clothing and shoes, a raincoat, scarf, sunglasses, swimsuit and backpack

Divided between green hills and marvelous coasts that could compete with the most famous ones in Italy and in the world, the Marche region is a tourist destination which fortunately still keeps the magic of hidden treasures intact. Start your tour from Ancona, one of the main Italian ports and a city with 2,400 years of history and a great wealth of monuments, including the Mole Vanvitelliana.

Hop aboard your Vespa right at the docks and begin looking for the street-art murals that characterise abandoned sites and old hangars. This is all thanks to the Pop Up Festival that has been transforming Marche into an open air gallery. The silos at the south dock which were reinterpreted by Blu and Ericailcane are definitely the best. The two giants standing one next to the other, named Bottles, were repurposed to be not just containers but also the artist’s canvas, for a strong presence against the maritime backdrop. A beautiful way to revive gray walls and abandoned structures in disuse.

Let the Vespa take you to Piazza del Plebiscito, known as Piazza del Papa by locals for its statue of Clemente XII dominating over the entire area. Park and from here begin walking around the narrow streets of the city centre. After a walk along the promenade, towards the beach of Passetto, go up within the Cardeto Park where you can have a wonderful view of the coast. Descend on the Guasco hill and then off to Piazza San Francesco for a break at Guasco Café. At dusk move back towards Piazza del Plebiscito, for an aperitif at Raval. Have dinner away from the city center. Ideally, your day will end in the magic of an original fish restaurant overlooking the sea: La Vecchia Pesca, built on stilts so it can survive the worst storms.

Day two, continue with good food, nature and the discovery of this part of Italy. Venture towards Conero Park, an area replete with 572 meters of Mediterranean vegetation. A direct route from Ancona is the provincial Conero road, which takes its name from Komaròs, the arbutus tree for ancient Greeks. Once you’ve safely parked the Vespa, choose from the 18 trails available to eventually reach the Grotte Romane (Roman caves). It will take you about 2 hours on foot. The view is stunning, the water is crystal clear and the sand white. Go down to Portonovo and have a relaxing afternoon overlooking the sea, seated at a table in Da Marcello restaurant, where you will dine well while being lulled by the waves of the crystal-clear sea. Get back onto the Vespa as the day will draw to a close and have a restful night at the Campo del Mare B&B.

While it is true that a good day starts in the morning, waking up at the B&B is just perfect. The white stone farmhouse has been completely restored respecting the rules of Green Building, and it is surrounded by a large garden, vegetable garden and small orchard from which all the breakfast goodies come from. Energetic, after a good night sleep, head inland this time to the lovely town of Recanati. Visit the house of poet Giacomo Leopardi, then go back on the saddle because today you will have to drive for a few more kilometres. Drive along the provincial road 3 through cultivated fields and hills and small medieval villages. Through bends and a scent of hay, you will soon arrive in a special place: the Eremo dei Frati Bianchi.

The first traces of human settlement here can be found in the caves and date back to the 11th century, but the unique atmosphere of this place is also very contemporary. It is definitely worth a visit and a break for a picnic lunch, on the lawns facing the monastery. There is also the possibility to spend the night in some of the renovated old monk rooms, but your day won’t end here. The open-air murals are not only a feature of Ancona, but they are also present in other places, including the small railway station of Serra San Quirico. Here, the work was created by 2501 and Basik and is so well-integrated on the facades and inside in the waiting room to make you wonder how the station could be any other way. Take some pictures and head back to your loyal and patient Vespa that will bring you to the final stop of today where you will stay the night: the Riserva di San Settimio.

Going up towards the hinterland, you might have realized how Marche just becomes more and more magical. And if magic is what you want, go to Arcevia and its nine castles. Here, in the 1970s, a group of intellectuals and artists thought about creating an ideal community where all art forms were integrated. Today, all this magic remains in the 400-hectare Riserva di San Settimio, where the love for the earth, nature and art coexist in the romantic and entrepreneurial management of Francesca. Murals are also here on some renovated farmhouses that have been turned into spas, restaurant and apartments, but the poetry of this place lies in the silence and infinity of the green that stands before your eyes upon getting up in the morning. Spend the day discovering the medieval castles that still preserve the medieval plant and traces of battles and confrontations that took place in the past. Get back on the Vespa, loaded with enthusiasm and unforgettable memories, and return to Ancona.