Pesaro, by the seaside, was the perfect place to begin our Le Marche (pronounced Markay) wine country explorations. It's was mid-day when we picked up our car rental in Milan and headed to Pesaro on the Adriatic Sea. Le Marche wine region, on the eastern side of central Italy, is a coastal gem. Our journey to Le Marche was inspired after an introduction to this wine region at a Wine Media Conference (#WMC21) in Eugene, Oregon. After a relaxing stopover on the Adriatic, from there we headed inland to Maiolati Spontini. While in Maiolati Spontini area Verdicchio wine became the primary focus of our vine-filled adventures.
Pesaro, on the Adriatic Sea © Spaswinefood
We were about to discovered that the Adriatic Sea city of Pesaro, the capital city of Pesaro and Urbino province, was the perfect introduction to the Marche region. In case you are wondering, the Adriatic Sea separates the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. It is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea. Countries, other than Italy, with coasts on the Adriatic include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. Regrettably, our drive to Pesaro from Milan, which should have taken us three and half hours to drive, instead it turned into an over five hour drive because of heavy traffic. Finally, we checked into Gran Hotel Vittoria in city center around 6 pm. Fortunately, Pesaro was the ideal location to unwind for a few days. It was a much needed change of pace for this wine country traveler after attending a wine media conference (#WMC22 in Lake Garda), followed by a post-conference trip to Oltrepó Pavese.
Chilling in Pesaro
Arriving in Pesaro at the beginning of October meant the tourist season had already ended. While we love visiting without the tourists it does have its downside. The downside is some services are only available during the tourist season. Nevertheless, October in Pesaro is most ideal for a relaxing visit.
Beach Side In October, Pesaro © Spaswinefood
Finally Chilling in Pesaro © Spaswinefood
After searching for a restaurant that was open we even managed to find one with an ocean view.
Dining by the Seaside, Pesaro © Spaswinefood
During our Pesaro stay we enjoyed those relaxing walks around city center.
Exploring Pesaro © Spaswinefood
Running Errands, Pesaro © Spaswinefood
I did manage to taste a few Le Marche wines while in Pesaro. Overall, I was disappointed that the local restaurants offered very few Le Marche wines in the off-season. In most cases we had to order wines from other Italian wine regions.
During our stay we managed to check out a few local restaurants, such as Osteria Marconi.
Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
Since Oltrepó Pavese wines were still fresh in our minds from a recent visit we ordered: Cruase Metodo Classico, DOCG Oltrepó Pavese 2018.
La Piotta Suspir, Cruase Metodo Classico, DOCG Oltrepó Pavese 2018 © Spaswinefood
Pinot Nero Brut Rosé, Cruase Metodo Classico, DOCG Oltrepó Pavese 2018 © Spaswinefood
This Cruase DOCG Oltrepó Pavese Brut Rosé was a delight on that October afternoon.
The salad was a big hit for us.
Salad, Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
Pesaro is a great place to order seafood and John did. If you love seafood Pesaro is the place.
Seafood Platter, Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
I ordered a vegetarian pasta.
Veggie Pasta, Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
It was a lovely late afternoon lunch. Tasty food and great service was what we appreciated.
Lunch, Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
We felt very welcomed at this restaurant. The waiter insisted on taking our photo.
CHEERS! Osteria Marconi © Spaswinefood
After lunch we return to our seaside hotel.
Late Afternoon, Pesaro © Spaswinefood
After a relaxing visit to Pesaro, on the eastern side of central Italy, we can certainly see why it is considered to be Italy’s coastal gem. From Pesaro we traveled inland to Maiolati Spontini to discover Le Marche wine country.
Why Le Marche?
Our journey to Le Marche was inspired after learning about this region at a Wine Media Conference (#WMC21). Winemaking in Marche dates back thousands of years, being influenced by Etruscans, Romans and Lombards. While Le Marche is best known for its white wines Trebbiano and Verdicchio, it is also home to some big quality reds. Some of Italy’s finest Marche red wines are made with Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes. We were about to discover that Italy's Le Marche is ideal for making wine discoveries off the beaten path.
Italy's Marche Wine Country © Spaswinefood
The Marche region is divided into five provinces: Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, and Pesaro and Urbino. Within each of the provinces there is much to discover.
Why Le Marche, Italy © Spaswinefood
While sometimes Le Marche is overshadowed by its neighbors Abruzzo to the south, and Umbria and Tuscany to the west, this wine region produces great wines. It is home to 15 DOCs and 5 DOCGs.
Marche Wine Appellations © Spaswinefood
Later in Le Marche's Maiolati Spontini area we explored Verdicchio dei Castilli di Jesi wine country. Discovering Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi became the primary focus on our recent Le Marche wine travels.
Maiolati Spontini, Le Marche © Spaswinefood
Maiolati Spontini © Spaswinefood
After leaving Pesaro it was a pleasant drive from the coast inland to wine country. We loved our vine-filled explorations in Le Marche's Verdicchio dei Castilli di Jesi DOC. Time to relax in Pesaro and those special Le Marche welcomes along the way added so much to our travel memories of Italy. I am happy that after our first introduction to these wines we made plans to go to Le Marche wine country. Undoubtedly that Wine Media #WMC21 session Le Marche, the "new Tuscany" in Central Italy certainly was a hit for us. It prompted us to head to Italy's Marche. We have since discovered that not only are there great wines but some of Italy's best cheeses are in Le Marche. Le Marche was absolutely the perfect introduction to making wine discoveries off the beaten path in Italy. Wine travelers who discover this region will be impressed by the charm of its towns and wineries. I so look forward to sharing more on our Italian vine-filled explorations. I invite you to join me in my wine travels in Italy at Wine Travels with Dr. Sharon, and at Spaswinefood on Twitter and Facebook.
CHEERS!
Sharon
October 2022
Marche, Italy
© Spaswinefood
Pesaro by the Seaside © Spaswinefood
October Seaside Walk, Pesaro © Spaswinefood
Why Visit Le Marche © Spaswinefood
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