Music in Le Marche

Guest Blog by WNYC’s Aaron Cohen

"Le Marche is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. I had the great pleasure of spending a week there in early August with author & journalist Fred Plotkin. Fred’s three great areas of expertise are Italy, food, and opera, and many people know him through his books, articles and media appearances in these fields. Among his books are “Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera” and “Italy for the Gourmet Traveler.” As you can imagine, I could not ask for a better travel companion. Through Fred I learned that this region (the Italian equivalent of a US state) called Le Marche, with Tuscany to the west and a long Adriatic coastline to the east, has more historic opera houses (76) than any other region of Italy. We set out to explore some of them.

Our visit began in the charming hill town of Macerata. I knew of Italy’s reputation as a global food capital, but nothing could prepare me for the food in Macerata. I had heavenly gnocchi at Osteria dei Pigliapochi, the most voluptuous watermelon I’ve ever eaten at da Silvano, and a local lasagne called Vincisgrassi at Trattoria da Ezio that I will remember for the rest of my life. Aside from the food, the most famous summer attraction in Macerata is the Sferisterio Opera Festival."

Read the rest of the article here.

In Pesaro, The Rossini Opera Festival - August 9-23

The Rossini Opera Festival (frequently referred to among musicians as the Pesaro Festival) is an opera festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioacchino Rossini.

Performances are given in the 850-seat theatre built in 1818, the Teatro Rossini and, since 1988, the modified "Palasport" sports arena which holds 1,500. Since 2000 another venue, theTeatro Sperimentale (Experimental Theatre), has offered the opportunity to present smaller-scale or minor works by contemporaries of Rossini such as Mosca, Generali, and Coccia.

For more information visit the offical festival site here.

Watch a scene in this video of a past Pesaro Festival, with Orchestra del Comunale di Bologna conducted by Daniele Belardinelli.

The Frasassi Caves

Tourists in Le Marche must see the Frasassi Caves, a place which attracts more visitors than anywhere else in the region. This series of underground caves has been described as among the most beautiful in the world. It was discover in 1971 by the CAI Speleological Association from Ancona. Realising that this was a place of rare outstanding beauty it was decided within a space of three years to open the caves to the public. Over the years the tourist route through the caves has been extended and improved in order to highlight the colours and form of the stalactites and stalagmites as well as the natural presence of water and its majestic rock vaults. The caves are open throughout the year (except for 1st January, 24th and 25th December).
In 1997, Frasassi became part of the Parco Naturale Regionale della Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi, the largest protected area in the region. A journey around the park reveals a rich historical and artistic heritage concealed in a fascinating, peaceful landscape which is still healthy and unspoiled. This natural scenery stands in the even larger Esino-Frasassi mountain area, which comprises the towns of Arcevia, Fabriano, Genga and Serra San Quirico, places of great historical, archaeological and artistic interest.

Historical castle of San Leo Italy

San Leo is a medieval town nestled below its ancient castle. The huge fortress sits on a rocky hill and can be visited by walking up from the town. In the 18th century the fortress was used as a papal top security prison. San Leo has a 9th century church, 12th century cathedral, and columns from the Roman period. San Leo is considered one of the top ten places to visit in Le Marche.

Here is a short video featuring the castle.

Cucina of Le Marche: A Chef's Treasury of Recipes from Italy's Last Culinary Frontier

From Publishers Weekly
Trabocchi, chef at Maestro in Washington, D.C., is a native son of Le Marche, the Italian region that the New York Times recently deemed "the new Tuscany." Trabocchi grew up in the small town of Santo Stefano, and with assistance from Kaminsky (Pig Perfect) he achieves a lovely style that is rather low-key in comparison to the commanding tone many chefs affect in cookbooks. Trabocchi also does an excellent job of isolating the best, most characteristic recipes from Le Marche, as cucina marchigiana is often difficult to differentiate from that of Umbria or Emilia-Romagna. Yet what makes the food of Le Marche so special is its rustic quality, which is hard to imitate in American kitchens. It's fun to read about dishes like Roasted Suckling Pig Ascolana-Style and Turbot in Smoky Hay, but preparing them may be out of reach ("You will need to get clean green hay from a local farm," instructs the latter recipe). Fried Stuffed Olives Ascolana-Style, one of the region's classics, calls for pitting, stuffing (with a mixture of chicken liver and pork butt) and deep-frying 60 individual olives. There are less labor-intensive choices, such as Ancona's famous fish stew, and Trabocchi includes an excellent discussion of local wines. Buy it here.

Tourism Le Marche Video

In italian, but great short film!

Le Marche Mountains

On the border with Umbria lies the jewel in the crown of the Italian mountain ranges – the Monti Sibillini National Park. Carved from the ancient limestone by massive glaciers, the mountains and valleys are rich in rare fauna and flora, in friendly towns and villages, ancient churches and medieval legends of magic and necromancy.

This mountain range takes its name from the mythical prophetess who lived at the mouth of the underworld. Fleeing from the furies after guiding Aenaeas through Hades, she made her home in these mountains. The Grotta delle Fate (Cave of the Furies) on Monti Sibilla is an extremely important site of ancient cult worship.

The magnificent landscape of the Sibillini mountains is a nature lover’s paradise - home to wolves, bears, and wild and mountain cats. The golden eagle and peregrine falcon nest up in the highest peaks, above the woods, which change from hornbeam and ash to beech as you rise. Walking, mountain biking and horse-riding are the ideal ways to see this area in summer, and in winter you can ski in relative peace and solitude.

Read the full article here.