Casal Dei Fichi - The Area

All about Marche

Here you will find information about our village and hopefully some ideas about what is so special about Marche including some of the attractions and activities that might interest you.

To help you plan your journey you will also need some practical information about flight options and how to get to us by rail and road.

Francavilla D'Ete

Casal dei Fichi is 2 k from the centre of the village of Francavilla d'Ete which has a population of less than 1,000; with it's walled medieval centre it's a picturesque place to start your exploration of Marche. Francavilla has all the essentials you will need for your stay with us - a grocers, chemist, general store, newsagent, bank, bakers and two bars. There is also an excellent restaurant serving local dishes, pizzas and great wine at inexpensive prices. Here you will be assured a friendly welcome and a relaxed atmosphere and you can be sure it's good when all the locals go there!

Throughout the year and particularly in the summer there is a constant stream of festivals, many celebrating crops and harvests, local food and wines; most feature music, entertainment and heraldic traditions. Francavilla hosts several, the culmination being September's "Lu Vurgu fa Cantina" this is Marche dialect for the 'village becomes a restaurant' . This fantastic three day party, normally in the 2nd weekend of September, transforms the village as little cantinas are opened up on all the main medieval streets. For the festival the village sets up an enormous kitchen in the square which caters for up to 3,000 people a night. Live music and entertainment keeps the village rocking well into the small hours.

Well how long have you got ?! Marche is a wonderful area and is often described as 'all of Italy in one region'. For one of the best resource sites to everything Marche see Marche Voyager To the east is the Adriatic coastline so as you would expect there are some stunning blue flag beaches to suit all tastes, from isolated sandy quiet coves and sleepy small resorts to large seaside communities at which you will find all the usual beach facilities. To the west are the Sibillini mountains, home to one of the national parks of Italy. Here you will find some fantastic scenery - perfect for walking, climbing, cycling, skiing or just admiring the views.

Casal dei Fichi is situated centrally in Marche half way between the coast and the mountains and also equidistant from two of the largest renaissance cities in the region, Urbino in the north and Ascoli Piceno in the south. Both these cities are worthy of a visit if you are interested in history, renaissance or baroque art, galleries and museums, beautiful architecture, live theatre, shopping, fine dining or simply to enjoy the pleasures of Italian life.

Marche is still very much undiscovered and it's roads and attractions are relatively quiet so you can be assured that your holiday is not likely to be one of a heavily worn tourist trail. There are literally hundreds of medieval hilltop towns to explore, each with its own unique flavour and interest. For us one of the great pleasures has been to explore some of these fascinating villages, be entertained by the local event or attraction and then have a lazy lunch or dinner in a nearby restaurant.

There are of course too many attractions to list, but here is a sample of some of our favourites. We hope they will inspire you to seek out others. We will be happy to guide you further when you stay at Casal dei Fichi.

Macerata Opera Festival:

Held each summer in the dramatic Sferisterio open air theatre which has the medieval town walls as a backdrop and the summer sky as a roof.

Frasassi Caves:

A complex of caves which extends for 30 km on 8 geological levels, one of the largest subterranean routes in the world.

Wine tasting:

Spend a lazy hour or two sampling some of the best local award winning wines such as Verdicchio or Rosso Conero at our favorite vineyard Umani Ronchi.

Mezzavalle beach:

Our particular favourite for its simplicity. There is a great little restaurant here and there is no better stretch of coastline for beachcombing.

Monte Conero national park:

Located near Ancona on a large headland, it offers hours of undisturbed exploration along the winding coast road - a perfect area to discover by foot, cycle or car with some excellent restauarants along the way.

Abbadia di Fiastra & Urbs Salvia:

An ancient abbey set in extensive grounds with restaurants, bars and shops and some lovely walks. Nearby the best preserved Roman remains in Marche dating back to the second century.