Guest Hook Travel Guides Marche, Italy | Page 5

5 EXPERIENCES YOU CANNOT MISS... 1 La Torre Boat Trip... 2 Festivals - Live Like a Local... 3 The Conero... 4 Castelluccio... 5 Wine Tasting... The most relaxing way to enjoy the beautiful Conero coast is a launch from La Torre restaurant in Numana. As the boat passes secret caves, coves and Napoleonic defences, you can stretch out in the sun, sip Prosecco, and watch the views unfold. Go for a swim in a secluded bay while the skipper prepares a four-course lunch or dinner. Can you think of a better way to experience one of the loveliest stretches of Italy’s Adriatic? Every night during the long season offers a different festival in a local town. Pay two denari for a flagon of mead and travel back to the 16th century at the Sarnano Medieval festival; see 18th-century craftsmen and meet costumed gentry in Mogliano’s 1744 celebration; or enjoy jousting in Servigliano. Forget Disney, this is entertainment for the locals. Visitors are welcomed enthusiastically with great street food and local wines. Rising 500m from the sea, the Conero National Park’s micro-climate is perfect for the production of the famous Rosso Conero wines, and vineyards in the area proudly offer tastings. The pretty little towns of Numana and Sirolo rival Positano or Portofino. Extensive pine woods have great walking and cycling trails as well as flora found nowhere else on earth. And a 10-minute trek down to Mezzavalle ends on a pristine beach. The oft snow-capped Sibillini Mountains form the backdrop to Marche. At 1,300 meters, Umbria’s Piano Grande cheekily pokes into Marche’s territory. Rising from the plat VRF