 The hurly-burly of Le Marche life
Delve into the "Marchigiana" way of life on your holiday to Italy's Le Marche and uncover some hidden gems with guided tours to local artisans crafting handmade italian shoes, truffle hunting in the woods or shop for a stylish summer hat in the hill top town of Montappone where the hat industry dates back to the 17th century.
This is the Conrad family's fifth year in Le Marche, Italy, having moved there from south London. After several years of holidaying in Italy and the need for a challenge, they decided to make a drastic change and come to Italy to start a new life.
A great deal of hard work and determination has paid off and they have realised their dream of successfully renovating a derelict farmhouse and barn to create an Italy Villa and four wonderful rental apartments and a lovely pool and they are currently gearing up for a summer season when they hope to greet interesting people from all over the world.
They are always keen for their guests to get the most out of their holidays and for those who like to experience more than relaxing in the sun enjoying the glorious mountain views from the villa or ambling into the local medieval town for a cool drink in one of the many bars, Sharon and Damien are excited to be offering a series of guided tours and itineraries that delve into the Marche way of life and uncover some hidden gems.
After a lot of research into the various regions of Italy, including 4 weeks travelling around the majority of Le Marche pulling a trailer tent from one campsite to another, their minds were made up that this beautiful, ever-changing and fascinating part of Italy was the place for them. Knowing that they intended to run a holiday rental business, Le Marche offered amazing and spectacular scenery from the Sibillini Mountains to the Adriatic coast, historical towns, delicious food and wine and a welcoming people which all adds to exciting experiences and discoveries and a holiday to remember.
The Conrads spent their first two years finding and renovating their dream house. They knew that financial constraints meant they would have to carry out the majority of the building project themselves. Undaunted by the rebuild of a 10 bedroom house with 6 bathrooms and 4 kitchens, Damien and Sharon's quickly acquired new skills and managed to survive the discomfort of living on site and going without some of the home comforts we all take for granted such as a working toilet, electrical sockets and a sofa.
The hardships now seem an age ago as the cold and snowy winter is now fading and the crocuses are emerging. The Sibillini Mountains are still snow-capped but with the increasingly warmer nights and sunny days the snow will be disappearing and replaced by a colourful carpet of wild flowers.
Organised Days Out in Le Marche
The region of Le Marche has so much to offer and as a relatively unknown holiday destination it has not been swamped by tourism and therefore it is quite rare to find an English speaker. For a glimpse under the skin of Le Marche, the Conrads have collaborated with some of the locals to organise various tours. They will provide visitors with an insight into the lives of the Marchigiani (the people of the Le Marche) and visit artisans who will demonstrate some of the many trades and crafts that have been passed down through the generations.
There is a tour around a ceramics works where the fourth generation of the same family are still hand making pots using the clay from their own land, a shoemaker who produces fantastic handmade shoes and boots that the Italian pilots have been wearing for years and a tour around a Marche vineyard, chatting with the owner and tasting his wines.
Another of the itineraries takes in one of the many small medieval Marche hill top towns, Montappone, which has surprisingly been the centre of the Italian hat making industry since the 17th century. Today sixty million hats a year are made in Montappone and six neighbouring towns ranging from baseball caps to a Dolce and Gabbana show stopper. As you walk through the town there are numerous shops selling all shapes and sorts as well as a hat museum where the story is told.
For the foodies and those keen to get their hands dirty there are truffle hunts accompanied by a local Italian who used to supply truffles to many of the top London restaurants but now 'hunts' for his own kitchen in his nearby agriturismo. Visitors are taken to secret spots to search for truffles and then return to the agriturismo where they can learn how to cook local dishes using truffles and of course eat their creations along side other tasty regional specialities.
The villa and pool at the Villa are surrounded by a vineyard, pick your own organic vegetables, incredible countryside and benefit from mesmerising views of the Sibillini Mountains and the medieval town of Sarnano which is a 5-minute drive away. Sarnano is a vibrant spa town that is popular all year round with visitors wandering through the immaculate medieval centro storico and enjoying the fresh mountain air. During the summer Sarnano is alive with many festas, fairs and musical events including the big Ferragosto celebrations on the 14th August. This is usually celebrated with medieval games, entertainers in period costumes, juggling and fire eating and alfresco dining.
During the spring we have been planting many indigenous shrubs, plants and fruit trees and an ash tree for each set of guests in an effort to offset a proportion of the carbon emissions generated by a holiday abroad.
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