Rising or falling either sharply or slowly, The Marches (Marche) is never flat. Even near the coast the ground refuses to lie down, breaking off just before its beaches. The capital of Ancona's harbour, the best in the region, was first discovered by Greek traders, and is Italy's gateway to the East.

North of the capital, Senigallia's Velvet Beach is one of the finest stretches of sand along the Adriatic, and Pesaro has its own coastal oasis. Much of the delicate ecosystem lining The Marshes' waters is protected by the fascinating Parco Naturale de Monte Conero. Inland, Macerata's ambient open-air amphitheatre transports opera-lovers during the summer months, and the hill-town of Urbino was a Renaissance celebrity. The Grotte di Frasassi, discovered in 1971, are the largest known caves in Europe, melting with million-year-old stalactites and stalagmites. Ascoli Piceno sits at the edge of the barren landscape of the Apennines in the shadow of Monti Sibillini, whose caves have been rumoured for centuries to be the home to mythic n'er-do-wells, wizards and demons.