Touring Italy In The Winter – Visit The Marche Region
Don’t think of Italy as only a summer destination. There are plenty of things to do and to see during the Italian spring, fall, and even winter. This series of articles provides ideas for agence seo montreal your Italian winter vacation, describing regional spectacles, tourist attractions, and special events, and sometimes skiing and other winter sports. Italian winter holidays have several advantages: You won’t fight the crowds, hotels and other accommodations are easier and cheaper to find, and every region has its own winter festivals. When we say winter, we mean November to February; spring comes early in Italy. Don’t look here for information about Italy’s marvelous Carnivale; we are planning a separate series covering regional Carnivale celebrations. Talk about planning; start organizing your Italian winter holidays now. Keep reading.
The Marche is truffle country. Acqualagna is a town, which calls itself the “truffle capital.” It holds a white truffle fair on weekends starting at the end of October and runs through mid-November. You’ll find another truffle fair on weekends, mid-October through early November in Sant’Angelo in Vado. Saturday night means live music as well. Pay careful attention to the full town name; Italy is home to several Sant’Angelos. To my knowledge the other ones are not truffle territory.
One Christmas tradition that occurs all across Italy are the Nativity Scenes called Presepi. There’s a fine example called Citta’ dei Presepi in the town of Loreto. This town is most well known for its Santuario della Santa Casa (Shrine of the Holy House), a Catholic pilgrimage site. Besides Easter week, Loreto greets many pilgrims on December 10, the Feast of the Holy House. The Museo Tipologico del Presepio (Nativity Scene Museum) in Macerata boasts a collection of over four thousand nativity artifacts including a Seventeenth Century masterpiece from Naples.
According to Italian tradition, the Befana is a good witch who brings sweets to the good children but only lumps of coal to the bad ones on the 6th of January. According to local residents she lives in the town of Urbania. Residents start the celebration about January 2, but the high point is the parade on the night of January 5. Once you are there, you will want to check out this town’s multiple attractions and visit the beautiful Renaissance hill town of Urbino, a UNESCO World Heritage site only about 10 miles (17 kilometers) away. And wherever you go and whatever you do, check out the fine Marche wines including Rosso Conero Riserva, and Vernaccia de Serrapetrona.