HISTORY OF MARCHE:
The area of today’s Marche was populated by the Picentes in the 6th century BC. In the 4th century BC, the northern part of the region was occupied by the Senones, a tribe of Gauls. Read More [...]
After the Battle of Sentinum of 295 BC, the Romans founded numerous colonies in the area, connected to Rome by Via Flaminia and Via Salaria. Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the region was invaded by the Goths.
After the Gothic War, Marche became part of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna, with Ancona, Fano, Pesaro, Rimini and Senigallia forming the so-called Pentapolis. After the fall of the Exarchate, it was briefly in the possession of the Lombards, and then it was conquered by Charlemagne in the late 8th century.
During the Renaissance period, rival aristocratic families fought for the territory of Marche, such as the Malatesta of Rimini and the Montefeltro of Urbino.
In 1631, the region was included in the Papal States, and it remained under Pope’s rule until 1860, when it was annexed to the unified Kingdom of Italy.
GEOGRAPHY OF MARCHE:
Marche is a region located in Central Italy, and is bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the Republic of San Marino to the north, by Tuscany to the west, by Umbria to the southwest, by Abruzzo and Lazio to the south, and by the Adriatic Sea to the east. Read More [...]
The region has an area of about 9,600 square kilometers and a population of about 1.5 million people. Most of Marche is mountainous or hilly, and the hilly area covers two-thirds of the region. The coastline is 173 kilometers long.
The capital and largest city of Marche is Ancona. Other important cities in the region are Pesaro, Fano, Ascoli Piceno, Urbino, Senigallia, Macerata and Fermo.
TRANSPORT TO/IN MARCHE:
The main airport of the region is the Marche Airport, also known as the Raffaello Sanzio Airport, located about 15 kilometers west of Ancona. The airport is connected to Ancona and Falconara Marittima by the shuttle bus Raffaello Aerobus. Read More [...]
The railway that runs along the coast of Marche is excellent for exploring the region, with fast and frequent trains running all day. A trip from Rimini to Ancona takes about an hour and a quarter, and the cheapest ticket costs 9.55€. A trip from Pescara to Ancona takes about two hours, and the cheapest ticket costs 12.70€.
