Set between the sparkling Adriatic and the majestic Apennines, Le Marche enjoys a splendid position. So much about this region seems well-placed and well-proportioned; there are just enough hills, just enough towns and villages dotted prettily across the landscape and just enough – rather than too many – people. Le Marche is an orderly, contented and prosperous sort of place, offering a famously high quality of life. The region regularly features in international surveys of the best places in the world to live or retire. (Most recently, in 2018, national newspaper Italia Oggi ranked three of Le Marche’s provinces in the top 20 of Italy’s 110 provinces for quality of life.)
Le Marche combines great geography with a delightful way of living. In terms of landscapes, Le Marche offers a long line of clean, family-friendly beaches in its east, an undulating world of green and gold hills in its centre, and handsome rounded mountains in its west. Well-maintained towns crown rises in the land, and many enjoy a lively calendar of annual festivals and events that bring everyone together. Le Marche is full of warm and supportive communities, and the crime rate across the region is very low. Lovers of the urban whirl might be disappointed in Le Marche, but lovers of rural space and small-town friendliness will not. There are no big cities in this region and little heavy industry, and yet the employment rate is above the Italian national average. Many Marchigiani are engaged in the traditional manufacturing sector, producing shoes, clothing, furniture, electrical appliances and so on.
For all its general tranquillity, Le Marche is surprisingly well-connected and easy to reach. International airports at Ancona and Pescara link the region with the UK, Belgium and Germany, and if you fancy it you can hop across the Adriatic by ferry to Croatia and Greece. Meanwhile, the region’s road network is good, meaning that a house out in the ‘remote’ countryside isn’t really so remote at all. It’s pretty easy to get to and from Le Marche, and to get round the region when you’re there.