The city of Rimini, Italy is perhaps best known for its shallow beaches on the Adriatic. I found the beach strip to be a nightmare of lounge chairs and shade umbrellas by day, and crowded bars by night, so as usual, I chose the path less taken. I turned my back on the shore and … Read more
There is a place in Italy where things are still done the old way. Where value is measured by the preservation of ancient traditions. Where life is often difficult, but luxuriously slow and overflowing with simple joys. That place is the region of Le Marche. My first inkling that Le Marche would offer a different … Read more
The main Piazza of Mercatello sul Metauro, in the Le Marche region of Italy. I spent an idyllic few days here, wandering the commune and meeting the locals who gathered every evening on the Piazza. But the best view of the Piazza of Mercatello sul Metauro was from the third floor window of the 16th … Read more
Ancient stone buildings mingle with brightly painted facades in the village of Mercatello sul Metauro in the Le Marche province of Italy. Located about 62 miles west of Ancona, the tiny village is home to only 1,300 residents. Some of the homes were built of stone without the use of mortar. Those that remain are … Read more
The virtually unknown Le Marche region of Italy offers splendid scenery that rivals anything found in the more popular province of Tuscany. I found this picture-postcard view in the Metauro River Valley. The river carved this landscape over the centuries as it wound down from the Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Sea. The result is … Read more
