At Home in Le Marche

Le Marche is a peaceful region of hilltop towns scattered across green valleys that roll down from the Apennines to the sandy beaches of the Adriatic. Small family workshops in which artisans have plied their trade for centuries dot the area. Historically, locals have a knack for making musical instruments (Macerata specializes in guitars, Castefidardo in piano accordions) and also for music making (Rossini was from Pesaro, Pergolesi from Jesi). Art, too: Bramante came from Fermignano and Raphael was born in Urbino, an impeccably preserved Renaissance town with a stunning Ducal Palace.

The Marchigiani are notoriously big eaters who stuff their appetites along with their food: in Ascoli they fill chicken with olives (pollo ripieno all’ascolana) and olives with meat (olive all’ascolana). The best wine to go with the rustic fare of the interior is Rosso del Conero from the coastal promontory of the same name, while the perfect tipple in the seaport trattorias, where cooks argue over who makes the best brodetto (the local fish stew), is Verdicchio from inland Jesi—all emblematic of Le Marche, a land of happy paradoxes.

Spend a week in Le Marche at this artfully modernized farmhouse, available only to PRIOR members.

For guests here, we can arrange a private itinerary in Urbino centered on the life of hometown artist Raphael with a visit to his house and workshop, and to the Ducal Palace and Museum. We can also organize a hike along the sea-facing trails leading up to Monte Conero, followed by a private tasting of local wines at Cantina Moroder and a seafood feast in Portonovo at superstar chef Moreno Cedroni’s Clandestino Susci bar.

A Farmhouse Reimagined

Eight miles outside the hilltop town of Treia in central Marche, a 300-year-old farmhouse surrounded by olive groves and sunflower fields lay derelict for years until its current owners, who were hunting for their dream country home in 2005, laid eyes on it. With the help of a Swiss architect, local talent and regional materials, they carefully restored the property into one of the most desirable private stays in Le Marche.

The original rough-hewn stone walls and wood-beam ceilings remain intact inside the light-filled, three-story building, but the five bedrooms and common areas skew more minimalist and modern, with glass-walled fireplaces, deep tubs and a fully up-to-date kitchen. In summertime, dinner takes place in a shaded garden dining area with an outdoor oven facing the green hills, not far from the home’s white-walled infinity pool.

PRIOR’s Bespoke team can design a trip for your group, safely helping you explore the surroundings when you are ready to travel again. Inquire at membership@prior.club.