Marche: a region which tops the Italian classification for the longevity of its' inhabitants.

A region which represent the quintessential part of whole Italy.

From a geographical point of view, it can be state that within a mere 20', no matter where you are, you can easily reach sea, the lakes, or indeed the mountains. It is true that it is a relatively small Region with less than 1.500.000 inhabitants, but its geographical beauty is reflected in the strenght
of its economy.

On the hill crests, one can come across ancient abbeys, tiny medieval villages where farmers and professionals live together in perfect harmony, where old taverns and modern restaurants, or daily life and turism live side by side.

In the same way we have the harmonious co-existence of the customs and traditions of ancient populations: the Galli Senoni who founded Senigallia, the Piceni with ever present medieval memories, Gradara castle with the love between Paolo and Francesca which was celebrated by the Divine poet Dante, the cross of all italian students. We have Urbino, a global example of conservation of all ancient things and a seat of an extremely modern university, Ancona with his legend of ancient piracy and it's modern commercial and turist port.

We can tell about ancient and modern stories of men who wrote about poetry, music, sculpture and economy, religion and politics. We can tell about Raffaello, Leopardi, about Rossini, Pergolesi, Pope Pius the 9th, about Pomodoro and, finally about the unknown farmer who with the love for its land contributed to keep our region a simple but beautiful place.

We can boast of magnificent works of nature such as the Frasassi caves (biggest in Europe) or works of men such as the paper mill in Fabriano. We mustn't allow ourselves to be fooled by the image of modernism. In these region, the farmers, whose only machinery are his bear hands and his oxen, can live in perfect harmony with the agricultural business man who, because of the inevitable laws of the economy, followed the evolution of time and now works with a tractor which costs as much as a Ferrari, while in the sound proof air-conditioned driver's cabin, he listened to music on a CD or makes a call with his mobile phone; or indeed the old cobbler who still labours at his work bench while his updated colleague employs 500 workers and signs his creations with famous brands names.

This is the essence of the fantastic scenery of this Region: maybe it is indeed the recipe for a longer life span!