Discover the region of Le Marche, which is located on the eastern central coast of Italy between the Apennine mountains and Adriatic Sea, with its white sandy beaches, medieval countryside villages, rich food and wine, and the national park of Monti Sibillini.  To get you started, the itinerary begins in Rome with a one night stay so you will have enough time to reach Le Marche at a comfortable pace. In Rome, you will have a private tour of the city center which includes Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Pantheon.

On to Le Marche where you will arrive by private car transfer through some of the most beautiful countryside of the Central Apennines. We will stop at Ascoli Piceno for a quick lunch and refreshments before a private walking tour of the historical centre. The walking tour will include the Piazza del Popolo and the other main square Piazza Arringo, considered by many as two of the most beautiful squares in all of Italy. We then proceed to your 4 star accommodation in Pesaro for 6 nights.

You will enjoy a food and wine adventure with the Art of the Italian Aperitivo, a cooking class with a market tour, tasting of famous Le Marche wines Verdicchio and Rosso Conero, and a delicious pecorino cheese and olive oil tasting.

Just over the border of Le Marche, you will have a full day visit to the tiny Republic of San Marino. San Marino claims to be the oldest state and constitutional republic in the world and is worth a visit for its history, pageantry and its magnificent hilltop setting, which offers excellent views of the surrounding countryside and is also great for shopping as San Marino is jam packed with duty free shops. In the afternoon, we will visit San Leo with its ancient castle perched above sheer cliffs and will have a rest in the beautiful town square where we will have lunch and taste the delicious formaggio di fossa: a cheese walled in rock caves that matures for months.

We visit Urbino, the land once ruled by the medieval lords of Montefeltro, which after Florence, was one of the most important centres of the Italian Renaissance and also the birthplace of Raphael. There will be a tour of the magnificent Ducal Palace which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche with its precious paintings by Piero della Francesca, Tiziano, Paolo Uccello and Raphael. Lunch will be organized in a traditional osteria serving delicious local produce and wine.

To top it all off, make sure your picture taking skills are ready and your senses prepared as you will experience a hot air balloon ride over Le Marche and see the stunning beauty of this magnificent region.

The package includes:

• • Private transfer from FCO airport to Rome city center hotel
  • 1 night accommodation at Hotel Mozart in a Deluxe room with private balcony
  • Private tour of Rome city center, (Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon), 3 hrs.
  • Private transfer from Rome hotel to Pesaro
  • 6 nights accommodation at Hotel Mamiani in a double junior suite
  • Private walking tour of Ascoli Piceno
  • The art of the Italian Aperitivo, 2 hrs.
  • Cooking class with market tour, 5 hrs.
  • The Wines of Le Marche/Verdicchio and Rosso Conero, the most known local grapes, 9 ½ hrs.
  • Visit of San Marino and San Leo
  • Day trip to Urbino
  • Pecorino cheese and olive oil tasting tour in Le Marche, 9 ½ hrs.
  • Ballooning over Le Marche
  • Private transfer from Pesaro hotel to Hilton Rome airport for 1 night in a guest room

If you like this package but prefer to customize it in any way, such as a different style of hotel, additions or subtractions in the number of nights, extensions to other cities or a change in the number of participants, please send an email to info@selectitaly.com or call 800-877-1755.