Landscapes to savour: the agri-food excellence of the Marche region

In Le Marche, wine changes with the landscape: it follows the curves of the hills overlooking the Adriatic, climbs towards the Apennines, and crosses valleys and villages. This is how viticulture has shaped not only the territory, but also the life of the communities that inhabit it.

The DOC and DOCG acronyms you see on the label are not technical details: they indicate a clear link with the terroir and a shared body of knowledge that continues to evolve. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is one of the most emblematic expressions of this balance. Taste it here, perhaps in a wine cellar overlooking the hills: you will discover a white wine capable of combining freshness and structure, immediacy and the ability to evolve over time. In the Matelica version, grown at higher altitude and farther from the sea, the same grape variety changes character, becoming more taut and vertical in style.

Alongside the whites, the Rosso Conero – a red wine which, in its Riserva style, attains DOCG status – expresses Montepulciano grown on the slopes of the promontory overlooking the sea. Further inland, Vernaccia di Serrapetrona surprises with its complex production method, which includes a grape drying phase: a tradition reinterpreted with creativity.

In the south of the region, however, the revival of grape varieties such as Pecorino and Passerina shows how innovation can spring from the roots, thanks to producers who have chosen to champion historic, identity‑defining varieties.

In recent decades, the sector has undergone a profound transformation. Many wineries have invested in more precise technologies, sustainable practices and greater attention to individual plots. Alongside the historic brands, there are small artisan companies that focus on limited production and careful processing, and choose quality as their hallmark.

Today, these wines are on the menus of restaurants all over the world. But to really understand them, you have to taste them where they originate. Among the hills that have produced them, you will discover how each DOC and DOCG is the synthesis of soil, climate and technical expertise.

If you happen to cross the Marche countryside in autumn, you will see nets stretched between the trees and oil mills in full operation. This is where Marche oil continues to reinvent itself. In recent years, the sector has undergone a real revival. Many olive groves have been restored, young producers have chosen to stay or return to the land, and oil mills have invested in more precise technologies to preserve aromas and freshness. More and more companies are bottling their own extra virgin olive oil, telling the story of its origin and variety.

Marche olive oil is no longer anonymous: it has a name, a face, a story. One of its strengths is biodiversity. The Marche region is home to numerous native cultivars – from Ascolana Tenera to Raggiola, from Mignola to Rosciola – each linked to a specific territory and capable of expressing different aromas and characters. Tasting a single-varietal means discovering unexpected nuances: more herbaceous, more almond-like, more intense.

The quality is also recognised by designations such as Olio Extravergine di Oliva Cartoceto andOlio di Marche, which guarantee origin and production method. Alongside extra virgin olive oil, the Ascolana del Piceno olive tells the story of the tradition of the table olive, which has become a gastronomic symbol far beyond regional borders.

Today, Marche oil is the result of a delicate balance between tradition and innovation: careful harvesting, rapid pressing, respect for the environment and care for the monumental olive trees that dot the region. There is no shortage of challenges, from the climate to the dynamics of the global market, but the choice is clear: focus on identity and quality.

And when you pour it on a slice of warm bread or a simple local dish, you realise that it is not just a condiment: it is a direct and authentic way to connect with this region.

If there’s an immediate way to get to the heart of a place’s identity, it’s to sit down at the table. And Le Marche is no exception: here, the pork butchery tradition tells a rural story of courtyards, small-scale farming, and knowledge handed down from generation to generation.

Ciauscolo PGI is perhaps the most recognisable expression of this tradition. Soft and fragrant, it is still spread on a slice of warm bread today, as it once was in peasant kitchens. Try it like this, without too many accompaniments: it is in the simple act of spreading that its identity is revealed, the result of a double mincing and a delicate balance of aromas.

Alongside it, the Salame di Fabriano, which is a designated Presidio Slow Food product, represents an even more selective butchery tradition. Produced by very few artisans, it comes from pigs reared for over a year in the Umbrian-Marche Apennines, in small farms that respect natural rhythms and animal welfare. Cut it with a knife and notice the small flecks of fat that dot the slice: they are the sign of slow curing and carefully selected raw ingredients.

In the hills on the border with Romagna, on the other hand, we find Prosciutto di Carpegna, a PDO with a balanced and delicate flavour, to be savoured slowly to appreciate its sweetness and aromatic finesse. It is one of those products that demonstrate how microclimate and technique can transform a raw material into excellence that is even recognised beyond national borders.

And then there is Coppa Marchigiana. But be careful: don't be fooled by the name. Here the "coppa" is not the cured meat that is popular in the rest of Italy, but a cooked sausage, prepared with pieces of boiled and spiced pork head, with a soft texture and full flavour. It is a speciality linked to rural tradition, less well-known outside the region, but all the more surprising for this reason.

The dairy culture in Le Marche follows the rhythm of the seasons and pastures. Casciotta d'Urbino is perhaps the ideal starting point: a PDO with Renaissance origins, it is a soft, delicate and balanced cheese that combines sheep's and cow's milk. Taste it on its own, perhaps with homemade bread and a drizzle of local extra virgin olive oil: its sweetness and creamy texture reveal a discreet, quintessentially Marche elegance.

Further south, among the high-altitude pastures of the Sibillini Mountains, the character of the cheese becomes bolder. Pecorino dei Monti Sibillini, Presidio Slow Food, is the result of pastoral tradition and transhumance. Made with sheep's milk and aged according to artisanal methods, it develops intense aromas and a compact structure. It is the cheese that evokes mountains, paths and flocks on the move. Try it with local honey or a sip of red wine: the contrast enhances its personality.

And then there is a cheese that is perhaps less well known, but which is capable of surprising: Formaggio di Fossa di Cartoceto. The wheels are matured in pits dug into the earth, sealed for months and reopened at the end of winter. The result is a product with a penetrating aroma and an intense, almost wild flavour, which comes from an ancient preservation technique that has now become a hallmark. It is a niche speciality, rare and distinctive, to be discovered with curiosity and without haste.

In small mountain dairies and family farms, these traditions are kept alive thanks to a new generation of farmers who focus on quality, sustainability and small-batch production. This is how dairy culture becomes a contemporary story that is capable of renewing itself without losing its rich past.

In the Marche region, pasta begins in the fields. Wheat outlines the hills from Montefeltro to Fermo and becomes part of the landscape even before it enters the kitchen. This is no small detail: here, the cereal-growing tradition has given rise to a vibrant production network, made up of many different companies that, over time, have taken Marche pasta far beyond regional borders.

To the north, in Montefeltro, the experience of  Girolomoni,  in Montebello di Urbino, has marked a clear path: organic farming and respect for the land. A way of doing business that starts with wheat and ends with pasta without losing sight of its roots. 

Further south towards Ancona, in Osimo, Latini rediscovered the Senatore Cappelli durum wheat, turning it into an identity‑defining project that is now appreciated even beyond the region.

A little further south,  Luciana Mosconi has made Marche egg pasta a recognisable symbol, starting from a home recipe and bringing it to tables all over Italy.

In the Macerata area,  La Pasta di Camerino continues to produce thin, elastic pasta sheets, while in the Fermo area, in Monte San Pietrangeli,  Mancini  grows its own wheat before turning it into pasta, following every step from field to pack. It is this continuity between land and transformation that makes the difference.

And then there is  Campofilone, a small village in the Aso Valley, where  Maccheroncini IGP are born: very thin strands, rich in eggs and capable of absorbing the sauce to the very last drop. Here, tradition has become part of a company’s history. The Spinosi brand, which has been active since the 1930s, has entered the Special Register of Historic Brands of National Interest, a recognition that shows how much this pasta is part of the heritage of Made in Italy. Try them with a simple ragù: you will understand why such a thin sheet of pasta can become an icon.

Follow the wheat through the region, stop where it is kneaded, and ask for a taste. In this region, pasta is not just a shape: it is the common thread that unites fields, hands and tables, revealing another side of Italian creativity.\