Rocca D'Ajello is an ancient fortress that stands on a wooded hill, 10 km from Camerino and 30 from Macerata, in the middle of a typical bucolic landscape. For over three hundred years, between years 1200 and 1500, Rocca D'Ajello was owned by the Duke of Varano; then the Vatican acquired it, gave it to different families throughout the years, and f...
READ MOREI hadn’t heard of Pesaro before my ex-flatmate sent me there in summer 2018. I was writing a book at the time, and Giulia reckoned the best place for me to do such work was in her grandad’s old flat, a modest unit in a block put up in 1946, during the short reign of Umberto II. It had lain empty since her nonno – Dottor Spinicci – died of liver fai...
READ MOREWe are lounging on the terrace of Lapis Turris, a medieval watchtower high in the Sibillini mountains, taking it in turns to name films that remind us of the extraordinary landscape that wraps itself around us. Game of Thrones? Skull Island in King Kong? Tolkien’s Rivendell? It’s difficult to pick; this stunning, empty wilderness is Italy’s answer...
READ MOREWe discovered a new fresh pasta, it tastes like olives but maintains all the characteristics of a beautiful artisanal pasta in both aroma and texture. It's the latest creation of Paride Vagnoni, a visionary and pragmatic entrepreneur, deeply passionate about Ascolan gastronomic traditions, who wanted to propel them into the future through industria...
READ MOREThe name “Cacciatore” (hunter’s style) derives etymologically from its original use in the rations that hunters carried in their knapsacks during their trips. The history of the product developed hand in hand with the evolution of the rural culture typical of the regions of the production area, which provide the raw material that is processed accor...
READ MOREWhy wine travel? Well, that’s an easy one. Wine takes on the taste of its environment. Great wines are made from surly grapes, grapes that struggle to grow. The same grapes make living wines that taste different anywhere you go; it’s the wanderer’s drink of choice. This is in great contrast to Cola drinks, whose makers spend millions assuring ever...
READ MOREThese days, when you think of fish dishes, the last thing that comes to mind is the idea of cucina povera, that type of dishes based on once-upon-a-time cheap and widely available ingredients, which could satiate whole families without spending too much. So many of Italy’s most popular foods, including polenta, pasta e ceci, canederli, ribollita, m...
READ MOREUrbino, a city located in the hills of the Marche region, has gained international fame for its extraordinary artistic and cultural heritage. However, its notoriety is not only due to its artistic riches, but also to its history and the key role it played in the Italian cultural landscape of the Renaissance. In the heart of Urbino is the Ducal Pala...
READ MORERecently, large publications that send writers out to a particular foreign destination for a week every year or two have taken to the practice of calling Le Marche "the next Tuscany." It is hard to tell what they mean. It's not crowded with English speakers, the landscape is very different, the shutters are mostly brown instead of green. The food,...
READ MOREFabriano is one of the few cities in the world where paper is still being made by hand as a testament to the will not to lose its ties with a tradition that is hundreds of years old. The first paper in the West was created here thanks to the technological innovations that this area brought to the manufacture of this product. The most important inno...
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