The popularity in the beautiful hilltop villages in Le Marche usually grow each year. Tourists as well as Italians from the rest of Italy are increasingly keen to buy townhouses through these beautiful and largely unspoilt mediaeval villages. Use many of the villages date from to the 14th Century and beyond and the majority with the properties now standing have parts dating back to the telltale times.
The houses were often built on the natural rock and despite many small earthquakes over the centuries remain largely untouched and show only small signs of damage and cracking.
These villages were originally built as strongholds through the villagers against passing bands of outlaws and robbers. But eventually these were mainly to use as defence from the surrounding sometimes hostile neighbouring villages. A famous example being the siege of Corinaldo resistant to the village of Ostra Vetere in central Le Marche. Rivalries and animosity ran high between these villages while these were not many kilometres apart. This rivalry proceeded up until relatively recently and in many cases today villagers are fiercely happy with their residence village and customs and even its particular recipe for pasta!
Going through the hilltop villages and their defences today, it is difficult to think about the period of time and energy that villagers will need to have expended on the building. Walls are incredibly thick many have towers and battlements. Villages for example Montlato delle Marche in addition have a large churches with good towers dominating the nearby countryside. With regards to Montalto the pinnacle from the catholic church Pope Sisto V was instrumental from the building in the Cathedral, which in fact had been were only available in 1587 through the first Bishop of Montalto. A little Le Marche hilltop village featuring its own Cathedral just isn't you might normally expect to find within this component of Italy!
The houses were often built on the natural rock and despite many small earthquakes over the centuries remain largely untouched and show only small signs of damage and cracking.
These villages were originally built as strongholds through the villagers against passing bands of outlaws and robbers. But eventually these were mainly to use as defence from the surrounding sometimes hostile neighbouring villages. A famous example being the siege of Corinaldo resistant to the village of Ostra Vetere in central Le Marche. Rivalries and animosity ran high between these villages while these were not many kilometres apart. This rivalry proceeded up until relatively recently and in many cases today villagers are fiercely happy with their residence village and customs and even its particular recipe for pasta!
Going through the hilltop villages and their defences today, it is difficult to think about the period of time and energy that villagers will need to have expended on the building. Walls are incredibly thick many have towers and battlements. Villages for example Montlato delle Marche in addition have a large churches with good towers dominating the nearby countryside. With regards to Montalto the pinnacle from the catholic church Pope Sisto V was instrumental from the building in the Cathedral, which in fact had been were only available in 1587 through the first Bishop of Montalto. A little Le Marche hilltop village featuring its own Cathedral just isn't you might normally expect to find within this component of Italy!
The villages that I find seem most in-demand with clients and also tourists are numerous and varied. Some such as Amandola, Fabriano, Camerino, Urbino and Sarnano are found in or are extremely towards the Sibillini Mountains. Others such as Serra de Conti, Corinaldo, Ostra, Ostra Vetere, Ripe and Cingoli are in central Le Marche. Monterubbiano, Moresco, Carassai, Recanati and Ripatransone are nearer to the coast along with southern Le Marche.
As the geography of Le Marche changes from north to south, so does the look and size the villages. Some less complicated more popular than others, some particular favourites of mine being Monterubbiano, Ripatransone and Moresco in southern Le Marche. Corinaldo, Cingoli and Ostra Vetere in central Le Marche.
Monterubbiano and Ripatransone i think have views from other walls virtually unrivalled in different elements of Le Marche plus a day at these villages is well rewarded.
During the long hot summer season, every one of the villages and towns of Le Marche have many religious festivals, festas and sagras. Sagras are when a village or town features a day or a night devoted to a particular type of food or drink Some villages have polenta sagras, some roast meat sagras or sea food sagras. In some instances it is a celebration of the local white or red wine, sometimes even the locally produced organic olive oil or wine vinegar. On these evenings the villagers or townsfolk gather together in addition to many outsiders to take pleasure from your neighborhood produce along with music and infrequently fireworks.
