Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
Unknown t THE MARCHE HOLDS UNEXPECTED RICHES OF FOOD AND WINE he Marche is the most beautiful part of Italy you’ve never heard of. Located east of Tuscany and Umbria on the Adriatic coast, this region has the most varied and striking landscapes in an already picturesque country. It offers craggy mountain promontories, undulating green meadows, thick forests, breathtaking nature preserves and deep, sandy beaches. Instead of one dominant large metropolis, the Marche (pronounced MAR-kay) offers a number of small, historic towns and cities: Urbino, Pesaro, Fano, Ancona, Fermo, Ascoli Piceno, Jesi. Ten percent of its land mass is set aside as park and nature reserve. Agriculture—wheat, corn, olives, vineyards—dominates this verdant land crisscrossed by rivers and accented by steep rock formations within which the dramatic Frasassi Caves offer phantasmagorical moonscapes. The ducal palace in Urbino at sunset. PHOTO COURTESY OF REGIONE MARCHE TOURISM DEPARTMENT august 201 1 / the tasting panel / 87 Italy by Anthony Dias Blue