Inspiring Adventure

Le Marche is an area on the East of Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and Apennine mountains. It borders Umbria and Tuscany but is a more affordable, less crowded, and just as beautiful area to visit.

When we were planning this holiday we wanted somewhere off the beaten track, with mountain scenery and lakes that we could swim in. We stayed just outside the town of Sarnano, on the edge of the Sibillini Mountains and National Park.

We visited in June 2017, when this area of Italy was experiencing a heat wave. Temperatures were in the low 30s which is unusual, particularly near the mountains when there is generally a cooler breeze. The months of July and August are usually the hottest but Le Marche benefits from warm weather from Mid April through to the end of October.  

This holiday was not actually during the school holidays, but was the last time we could benefit from ‘term time’ prices before our eldest started school. The flight and accommodation prices will likely vary from what we paid, and I have included comparisons, but the cost of days out will remain the same (give or take changes to inflation and exchange rates).

Flights

It is relatively easy to find affordable flights to Le Marche due to the number of airports surrounding the region. The closest are Pescara, Perugia, Ancona and Perigia. Low cost airline, Ryanair flies to all of them from various locations in Europe. Other nearby airports are Rimini, Bologna-Forli, Rome and Bologna. These are serviced by Easyjet and British Airways.

We flew into Ancona with Ryanair from Stansted. This cost £313 for three seats, our youngest was one at the time and sat on our lap, and two checked bags. The same flights in the middle of August will cost around £250 per person.

Accommodation

We stayed on the edge of Sarnano in an apartment at Villa San Raffaello. This is a beautiful barn conversion which has been split into four apartments. There is an outdoor pool with spectacular views and a large garden with tables to eat at and hammocks to relax in. The villa boasts an extensive vegetable garden which guests are allowed to pick produce from. There is also a small children’s playground. The villa is completely secluded and perfect for unwinding. There is a BBQ/fire pit available which was perfect to cook on while watching the sun set behind the mountains with a nice glass of something cold.

Although Villa Raffaello is less than two kilometres from Sarnano you will need a car to explore the surrounding area and get into town, particularly if you have small children as the road does not have a pavement.

The total cost of a large two bedroom apartment at San Raffaello was €450 per week. However, this was significantly reduced due to the 2016 earthquakes damaging two of the four apartments. We were warned that there may have been building works at the time of our visit. Sadly for the owners the building work had not started and they were unable to make the necessary repair works until they received approval from the authorities. The usual price of the apartment for the dates we stayed is €875 per week.

Getting around

We hired a car from Ancona airport for the duration of our holiday. We rented through Budget at a cost of €372. The drive from the airport to Sarnano took about an hour and a half along the A14 and SS77var.

Driving around the area was relatively easy. If you are venturing into the mountains then be aware that the roads get narrow with a lot of hairpin bends, and the Italian drivers do not seem to slow down for them!

We did get a bit confused buying petrol on one occasion. Normally the petrol stations were serviced and someone would come out and fill the car up for us. On the drive back from Porto San Giorgio we went into a petrol station which was self service. We put €20 of petrol in the car and put a €50 note into the machine to pay. We expected to get €30 euros change but instead got a €30 credit voucher. We had no idea what we needed to do with it, we tried to give it to locals but they didn’t want it, we tried to use it at other petrol stations in the same chain but they also wouldn’t accept it. It turned out that it could only be used at the exact same petrol station, not ideal when that station was over an hour away from where we were staying and we were due to fly back home in two days time. So we learned another lesson and lost €30. Having said all that we absolutely loved having our rental car and in order to fully explore the area it was definitely a necessity.

Sarnano

Sarnano is a beautiful medieval town with winding cobbled streets and friendly locals. It sits on top of a hill looking every bit the picturesque Italian town and has been named as “one of the prettiest towns in Italy”.

A walk up to the top of town is highly recommended. The Church of Santa Chiara sits at the top and has commanding views over the surrounding countryside. The Piazza Alta hosts regular events.

There are two parks, a small shaded green area with a water fountain and benches at Piazza Liberta, and another larger area with playground at Pista Di Pattinaggio. There is also a public swimming pool on Via S. Francesco.

From Sarnano there are plenty of walking and cycle trails. With two very small children we were not able to do them justice but further information can be found here.

Eating and drinking

Sarnano has a number of restaurants and bars tucked away on side streets that are worth exploring – the wine is excellent and incredibly cheap! We self catered for much of our holiday and the four supermarkets in Sarnano made that very simple. We used Coal on Via Bendetto Costa which was good for meat and vegetables and Eurospin on Strada Picena which had excellent value wine and beer. There is a weekly fresh food market every Thursday and a daily fish van in Piazza Liberta.

On a couple of occasions we bought take away meals and recommend Pasta all’uovo, well known in the area for serving delicious pasta dishes so they sell out quickly, and Pizzeria Da Marino (just behind Hotel Terme). The pizzas were amazing and the bar vibrant and popular with young Sarnano locals – a great spot to have a drink while waiting for your pizza to be cooked.

At the time of visiting much of the area, including Sarnano, was still recovering from the 2016 earthquakes. Many of the buildings in the area had been condemned and owners were waiting for local government to authorise repair works. This meant that quite a few restaurants we had read about in guidebooks or online were no longer trading or had moved elsewhere.

We attempted to eat at La Clarisse which was supposed to be in the medieval part of town but when we went to find it we discovered it had relocated due to earthquake damage. They are now situated within  Camping Four Seasons Village Marche. This is one kilometre outside Sarnano along the SP120 and well worth the visit. Do not be put off by first appearances as the garish awning and buzzing insect light on the terrace are stark contrast to the internal décor and the excellent quality food and hospitality.

Day trips in the surrounding areas

Ascoli Piceno

Situated between the mountains and coast we decided to visit Ascoli Piceno on our way to the beach. It is a larger town with a stunning main square, Piazza del Popolo. This is completely traffic free so the children were able to explore the numerous arches. At one end of the piazza sits the Church of San Francesco.

We visited the beautiful Cattedrale di Sant’Emidio in Piazza Aringo. Legend has it that Saint Emidio is the patron saint of earthquakes and protects the city. In the 2016 earthquakes Ascoli Piceno was relatively unscathed, unlike many surrounding towns and villages.

The main cathedral is stunning but the highlight of the visit was St Emidio’s crypt. The boys absolutely loved it and were fascinated by the mosaics.

Lago di San Ruffino via Amandola

A 22 minute drive from Sarnano is Lago di San Ruffino. This is a beautiful spot to picnic or spend an afternoon. There is plenty of free parking along the road above Osteria del Lago. The weather was unusually hot during our holiday so this was a perfect place to find shade and a cooling breeze off the lake.

The lake is not suitable for swimming but you are able to rent a kayak, canoe or pedelo from the hut next to the boat ramp.

The Osteria del Lago is a lovely place to have lunch and serves an extensive menu of local dishes. If you prefer to picnic there is a large grassy area in front of the restaurant which has picnic tables and children’s play equipment along the lakeside. These are very popular at the weekend when local families gather. There is also a snack bar serving coffee and ice cream.

Amandola

Less than 15 minutes from the villa is the pretty town of Amandola, known for its artisan workshops restoring antique furniture and surrounded by the Sibillini Mountains. The main road through town passes under the medieval stone archway, Porta di san Giacomo. Parking is available on Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, on the left just before you go through the arch, or within the main square,but this gets busy.

The original medieval architecture is impressive and the narrow cobbled streets beautifully maintained.  Places of interest are the 14th century Church of Sant Agostino and 12th century Church of San Francesco.

The main square is surrounded by cafes and bars and is a good place to stop for a coffee and watch the world go by. We recommend the Gran Caffe Belli. At the top of the town there is a playground which has amazing views of the surrounding areas.

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Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini

Established in 1993 to protect the natural wildlife and historic villages, the Mount Sibillini National Park is a stunning stretch of the Apeninne Mountain range.

We spent a day exploring the areas of Montefortino, Shrine Church of Madonna Dell’ Ambrogio and Gola dell’Infernaccio. The drive into the mountains from Villa San Raffaello was spectacular. Travelling with two small children meant that there were plenty of stops to enjoy the views.

Montefortino

We had a brief stop in Montefortino which is built in semi-circles on top of a hill. The village itself was very quiet. We saw an artist making sculptures from metal on his balcony which were very impressive.

Shrine Church of the Madonna dell’ Ambrogio

The beautiful Church of the Madonna dell’ Ambrogio is dwarfed by the surrounding mountains. There is free parking directly in front of the church, a couple of snack bars and a restaurant. Public toilets are situated below the car park.

Alongside the church there is a river with a walking trail up into the mountains. The easiest route to walk with children is along the same side of the river as the church. Next to the church there is a bridge which crosses the river and another restaurant can be reached on foot.

We spent quite a bit of time here, and loved it so much we returned on a second occasion. The boys enjoyed walking along the river and found plenty of places where they could safely paddle.

We ate lunch at Osteria del Nonno which is situated on the river and has a beautifully shaded terrace. They serve simple dishes, snacks and delicious coffee at very reasonable prices. Try to get a table down by the waters edge as it is completely relaxing watching the river run by.

Gole Dell’ Infernaccio

Gole Dell’ Infernaccio is a cave system that we had been recommended to visit. The road to the start of the walk in unmade so if you are precious about your rental car, or not allowed to travel on unmade roads, then proceed with caution. Parking at the end of the road is very limited, and gets busy at weekends. Unfortunately both of our kids were tired and asleep in the car when we arrived. We managed to find a space to park and took turns to walk part of the track while the boys slept. Disappointingly the caves were a further 5km walk so we didn’t manage to see them. This is definitely a must do for another occasion though.

Porto San Giorgio

An hour and ten minute drive from Villa San Rafaello is Porto San Giorgio,
a tasteful town with some great Art Nouveux Villas. There is a long sandy stretch of beach on the Adriatic coast and pay and display parking along the road on the seafront.

The beach is ideal for kids. It is shallow shelving and has calm water thanks to breakwaters 100 metres out. There are toilet blocks and play areas situated at regular intervals along the beach. Be aware that there is no shade on the beach. It is possible to rent sunbeds and umbrellas or you can take your own umbrella and towels.

Porto San Giorgio has plenty of good restaurants and bars and it’s usually quite lively. You can hire bikes and take the cycle path to Porto San Elpidio where there are a number of good bars and clubs on the beach.

We ate lunch at Restaurant Chalet Vela which was amazing. Situated right on the beach it has lovely views out to sea. The owner was really friendly and advised us on which dishes to try. They didn’t disappoint. The seafood was so fresh and beautifully presented. The boys had their staple of pizza, sharing an enormous margherita. 

Lago di Fiastra – via Sassotetto and Bolognola

Situated a thirty minute drive from Sarnano is Lago di Fiastra. We chose to take a scenic route through the Mont Sibillini National Park, via the ski resort of Sassotetto and village of Bolognola.

Twenty five minutes into the drive we came to Sassotetto ski resort.  The road up to it is full of hairpin bends but the view from the resort is fantastic. Closed in the summer months you can park for free in the main car park. There is the opportunity to walk up to the top of the ski trails that run back into the resort. This is a tough uphill route with no defined path and a mix of scree and grass underfoot. Probably not recommended for small children but for the fitter and more adventurous the views from the top are worth the effort.

The next village we came to, about 15 minutes drive further, was Bolognola. This is a picturesque mountain village and during the winter is a ski resort with access to five ski runs serviced by seven lifts. We only stopped briefly (to admire another view…we never grew tired of them!) but would definitely spend more time if we are back in the area.

Lago di Fiastra

A spectacular emerald lake with white pebble beaches. We stopped just before the bridge between San Lorenzo and the road going up to Fiastra. Here there is a café and green space with sun loungers on the edge of the lake. Set back there are a couple of restaurants and a very popular ice cream shop. It is possible to swim in Lake Fiastra but this location was unsuitable for young children because of the steep stoney beach and quickly shelving shoreline. We were advised that this is not usually the case and that there was concern that the dam had suffered earthquake damage so the water level in the lake had been reduced to prevent further stress on the structure, causing steep access. Our boys were happy to play on the grass and build stone castles while we had a swim.

Across the bridge and to the left are other beaches, more suitable for children, with boats to rent, BBQs and shady sunbathing areas. There is also an adventure park, which when we visited our children were too young for but looked great fun. 

Rifugio Di Tribbio

Once we had finished at the lake we drove up to Fiastra and had lunch at Rifugio di Tribbio. This is a agritourism restaurant which serves home cooked, local dishes. We had a set menu which cost €15 per person.

The building has plenty of tables inside, but the tables on the terrace provide spectacular views across poppy fields and down to Lago di Fiastra. If the children still have energy after being at the lake, there is a large garden leading onto fields for them to safely explore.

The food was locally produced and consisted of grilled meats, salads, local wine and delicious desserts. This restaurant appeared to be very popular with the local workforce who spent their siesta enjoying lunch here (always the sign of a good restaurant in my opinion!) If you are in the area we really recommend you stop here.