In the previous entry of this blog, a selection of restaurants offering mouth-watering regional dishes was presented. But it gets even better here in Le Marche when the autumn leaves are falling. Most wine estates have finished their vintage, olives are being picked and truffles are being found in this period.

After the vintage when the grapes have been pressed a residue, called most, is used for various delicious products, such as pan di mosto (bread made of most, flour, yeast and aniseed). Sapa is made of the most of blue grapes and is used in the same way as balsamic vinegar. Read the rest of this entry »

Virtually untravelled by Toscana-happy Americans, Le Marche is an excellent culinary example of cross pollination. The inherent richness of northern neighboring Emilia Romagna is made evident through rich pasta dishes like Vincigrassi, a kind of lasagne made with chicken liver ragù and black truffles; and another dish called Passatelli, bread crumb, egg and cheese dowels served in rich chicken broth with lots of grated cheese on top. The relatively spare cucina of western neighboring Umbria is more obvious in dishes like Potacchio, a spicy stew of rabbit or lamb (or even monkfish), or the simple charcoal-grilled meats that appear on every trattoria menu. The more south central bent is also evident in products like the simple soft salami made in Fabriano, the excellent dried pasta made by the Latini family in Osimo, or the farro produced by Fattoria di Montesecco. Read the rest of this entry »

As soon as the summer season begins, you can find them everywhere in Italy: historical events and sagre. The Palio of Siena is probably the most famous historical Italian event in Tuscany and is held twice during the season. But you can also find historical events in The Marches. For example in Montecassiano (Province of Macerata) there is the ‘Palio dei Terzieri’, in Treia ‘The Disfida del Bracciale’ (a Roman ball game), in Ascoli Piceno the ‘Quintana’ and in Fermo ‘The Cavalcata dell’ Assunta’. These are examples of town quarters competing against each other and the winner gets a standard (Palio).

A sagra is not a historical event but is a fair dedicated to one or two local food products. They are usually organised by local sports clubs, parishes or the local tourist office. Each evening a selection of food products and dishes is offered from which guests can compose their evening meal. It’s an excellent way to sample local food and to get in touch with the locals. For example the tiny hill town of Pievefavera organises a ’sagra de lu Vitellu’ (veal) in August, Treia has a ’sagra del Calcione e del Raviolo in May. These are just two of hundreds of sagre organised throughout Le Marche.

If you have any questions regarding historical events and sagre in Le Marche, please contact us.

André and Carlien van Lieshout

Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian.