Geography & Climate
The Marche (literally "the Marches", originally referring to the medieval March of Ancona and nearby marches of Camerino and Fermo) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. The name in Italian is Le Marche, where marche is the Italian plural of marca.
The Marche is located in the Central area of the country, bordering Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to the west, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. In the nineteenth century, a railway from Bologna to Brindisi linked the Marche along the coastline of the entire territory. Inland, the mountainous nature of the region, even today, allows little travel north and south, except by rough roads over the passes.
The Marche extends over an area of 9,694 km2 of the central Adriatic slope between Emilia-Romagna to the north, Tuscany and Umbria to the west, and Lazio and Abruzzo to the south, the entire eastern boundary being formed by the Adriatic. Most of the region is mountainous or hilly, the main features being the Apennine chain along the internal boundary and an extensive system of hills escending towards the Adriatic. With the sole exception of Monte Vettore, 2,476 m high, the mountains do not exceed 2,000 m. The hilly area covers two-thirds of the region and is interrupted by wide gullies with numerous - albeit short - rivers and by alluvial plains perpendicular to the principal chain. The parallel mountain chains contain deep river gorges, the best known being those of the Furlo, the Rossa and the Frasassi.
The coastal area is 173 km long and is relatively flat and straight except for the hilly area between Gabicce and Pesaro in the north, and the eastern slopes of Monte Conero near Ancona [source: Wikipedia].
Wines
In this little known region the amount of red and white wines produced are almost equal.
The main regional white is the excellent Verdicchio, a dry characteristically flavored exceptional white, made from at least 85% of the grape with the same name. Both the Verdicchio di Jesi and the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC wines complement perfectly local dishes such as the Lumache alle Nove Erbe, snails cocked with nine aromatic herbs, and the Brodetto di Pesce, a bouillabaisse-like rich seafood stew that, though found all over the Adriatic coast, reaches its best expression here.
Other whites include the Bianchello del Metauro, made near the Metauro River estuary on the north coast of Pesaro, as well as the Bianco dei Colli Maceratesi or, "White from the Macerata Hills", produced near Macerata, south of Ancona.
Among the reds, the Rosso Conero and the Rosso Piceno are particularly appreciated. The limestone-rich soil of places like the Mount Conero,
combined with the dry maritime climate, contribute to giving the Montepulciano grapes that make up these wines their characteristic flavor [source: Wine Country].
"Marche." Wikipedia (accessed 10/12/2009)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marche
Wine Country. "Marches: Agriculture and Fishing", (accessed 10/12/2009)
http://winecountry.it/regions/marche/index.html
