Visit Le Marche

Angelo Recchi.com has disappeared, but it's just a new beginning

2012-01-09T11:17:00.002+01:00

Hey there, after a while I wasn't posting in my blog, I see Angelo Recchi.com has disappeared. No problem, it's just I couldn't maintain it in a proper way, and did not want to invest any longer on a "personal" domain. Therefore, I'm working on another project, which will be broader than my personal website. I'll find the way to put my face on it. :-)

Stay tuned!

A Le Marche Tour between Rome and Venice

2010-08-25T17:03:00.004+02:00

Have you ever thought about Le Marche in between an Italy grand-tour?

In case you have already visited Tuscany, you can easily put Le Marche between Rome and Venice.

It takes 4 hours to get from Venice to Ancona by train, and 3 hours from Rome to Ancona, on a spectacular and panoramic route.

Why don't you move to the Adriatic side?

Think about it!

Enlarge the map

Sorry, I have been busy for a while...

2010-08-23T16:54:00.001+02:00

One year ago, the 27th August, little Diego jumped into our lives.

It's been a dreaming year.

Views from a b&b in Monte Conero area

2009-03-10T12:07:00.004+01:00

Last time I went to see a b&b, during one of my explorations of Le Marche.

I was near home, in Monte Conero area, few miles from Ancona.

This is the view you can enjoy at sunset from the b&b.

Poems in Le Marche

2009-03-05T11:12:00.003+01:00

We all are poets, especially in front of beautiful views.

One of those views - which my guests know very well - can be enjoyed from Fratte Rosa, where baked clay potteries are still hand-made and sold to people who loves cooking well.

The 21st March, when Spring starts, the roads around Fratte Rosa will be closed to traffic and will be accessible only by bus from a close parking. All the visitors will be given a chalk to write a poem, or just few lines, right on the asphalt.

A food point will be available to eat.

The whole programme is available here. Unfortunately, it's only in Italian, but I'm sure that if you email the organization, they will give you instructions in English (although it's not difficult to understand).

Bologna and Le Marche: a combo tour

2009-02-24T13:01:00.004+01:00

Few days ago I had a wonderful tour with Dan and Emac, a South African couple on their late sixties.

They arrived from Asmterdam on Wednesday and went back to Holland on Sunday morning. We spent two days together, Friday and Saturday, having a very interesting tour.

Indeed, since they were based in Bologna, we decided to dedicate the first day to this city and the second to Le Marche, Monte Conero area to be precise.

The Bologna walking tour was awesome although a bit phisically demanding, and the day in Monte Conero area was fantastic.

If you consider that we had a very elegant fish lunch in Portonovo, and that the night before we had a jazz dinner in one of the best places of Bologna... why don't you book a tour like this?

After Christmas and Holiday season

2009-01-29T09:46:00.003+01:00

Hey there... just to tell you that I'm alive :-)

And that I haven't been writing for a long time in this blog just because... I have no inspiration!

I usually write and talk when I've something interesting to say.

Well, except for Christmas, I don't have big news, or something really worth to be written.

Doing the ordinary job, working on some upcoming tours, always happy to drive people around Le Marche.

And also working on the contents of my newsletter: this time I will introduce something new... hiking in Le Marche!

Stay tuned!

The Summer of San Martino, Indian Summer, Festa dei Cornuti

2008-11-10T18:49:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow is the 11th November, the San Martino day. In Le Marche we call it "Festa dei Cornuti", that is the Feast of the betrayed men. Literally, it means "men with the horns" (popular way to say "cheated"), since in the past this was period of Cows Fairs (that's why the "horns").

In this period, we eat chestnuts and try the first wine ("Novello"). Somebody cooks also the

God bless you, God Bless America!

2008-11-05T11:51:00.003+01:00

Last night I wish I was in Chicago.

My dear American friends, visitors, readers, thank you: you demonstrate that America is a place where all things are possible.

Houses in the USA's neighbourhood

2008-10-27T09:59:00.003+01:00

Some impressions about my last tour in the US.

In Italy we usually live very close to each other, even in small towns. The only very-detached houses are the old farmhouses, almost abandoned or restored or even bought by foreigners (English above all). They were built in the middle of the farmland, so that the farmer family could easily manage to get everywhere in a short time. The concept underneath was the same of the village and the town, i.e. to get easily everywhere you need.

When in New Jersey and Pennsylvania neighbourhood I and Francy were impressed about how you need a car to get around, even to buy some produce. Let's say, in Italy we are getting more and more addicted by using a car, but still is something that you may avoid in lots of areas. Old people in towns take advantage of the weekly market and the pedlars: everything goes on wheels, from small handcarts to the modern vans. But still we don't need to rely on a car so deeply as in the United States.

That gave us a sense of disorientation: houses there are ten times better than here in Italy, but we are not sure we could live relying on cars and petrol...

The great hiking tour in Le Marche

2008-10-24T11:57:00.002+02:00

As I promised, some things about the great tour we had last September in Le Marche with Bill, Linda, Marco, Jean, Bruce and Sue, from Pennsylvania / New Jersey.

We had a week-long tour based on gentle hiking in the morning and couzy town strolling, interspersed with delicious meals and wine tastings.

Preparing a tour like that hasn't been that easy, since I had to double check all the itineraries, considering the duration of each trail, alternative activities in case of rain, finding the best places to eat and the best wines to drink.
Eventually, the tour has been one of my best ever, and the group's experience has been great.
We visited the area of Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, Monte Conero and Urbino, in order to get an idea of the province.

The experience was awesome, both for me and my guests. You can have a look at the comment page to see it.

Other posts and lots of pictures will follow...

Back from Philly and NYC

2008-10-23T09:56:00.003+02:00

After a while, here I am again with a short report of my second tour to America. I've been to Philadelphia and New York, for tourism (our first wedding anniversary) and for business: together with Diane, we had a great dinner at Stefano's restaurant in Mt Laurel, NJ (recommended if you live or get around it), along with about 40 people interested in Le Marche. Four of them were people who came on tour last september and... right, didn't I tell you about our last Le Marche hiking tour? mmhh, lots of things to say then... :-)

Anyway, I had a speech about Le Marche, saying what you followers of this blog may surely know: hidden treasure of Italy, the real taste of Italy with the prices of Tuscany... twenty years ago. Exactly: Le Marche are not the new Tuscany, rather they are the old Tuscany...

Pictures will follow as Kim will send them to me.

Looking for translator

2008-08-21T09:22:00.001+02:00

You can see these posts are written in Italish (or Engliano): I would like to have them written in a very good English, so that I can be free to write more than once in a while.

Whoever might be interested in translate my posts, can apply by sending me an email: angelo.recchi@gmail.com

We will find an agreement on the compensation. Please don't expect to get rich :-)

UPDATE: translator found. He's the legendary Marcus (in exchange of some Le Marche's excursions :-)), whom I thank very much here.

Seen "Under the Tuscan Sun"...

2008-08-20T08:31:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I happened to see "Under the Tuscan Sun": now I understand why people love Tuscany.

As an opinion by an Italian, most of the things seen there are plainly false, like the Tuscan market with the animals alive, and everything is set up to build a fabolous scenery. Tuscany is beautiful, and full of art, but most of its cities are now places you cannot live in anymore. Lots of friends of mine told me that 20-30 years ago you could enjoy places like Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino, Montepulciano and others without spending a fortune to buy food, and without taking the car for every single need. Now, these towns are like Venice: beautiful to see, fabulous sceneries, but with no soul. Mansions are bought by cinema stars, music idols, big managers, princes, but the soul of Tuscany is largely lost.

A phenomenon like this recalls when I went to Germany and visited the Hauptbrauerei in Munich: very typical, but completely false. People inside were foreigners, and everything was built like a theathre.

Indeed, most of the times this is really what we are looking for when on holidays, fantasy instead of reality, fake instead of truth.

Now friend of The Wine Hub!

2008-08-08T09:17:00.002+02:00

It's worth a visit: The Wine Hub, good source for planning a wine trip to any wine region in the world. And of course, with their 12 doc wines, Le Marche is one of them.

A meaningful spot on what Le Marche can offer

2008-08-05T10:15:00.002+02:00

Shot by Bebowsky, from Ferrara.

Email address change

2008-07-08T12:59:00.002+02:00

Hey there, just to tell you I want to get rid of my traditional email address, since it's full of spam.

Therefore, from now on please write me to my gmail address: angelo.recchi@gmail.com

Corinaldo as the best Italian town for sustainable tourism

2008-06-11T08:32:00.003+02:00

I've said it hundred of times, and now the European Tourism Forum (taking place in Bordeaux next semptember) is supporting my words by awarding Corinaldo as the best town in Italy for sustainable tourism.

I'd also say that Corinaldo - one of the highlights of my tours - is an example of what Le Marche have to offer in lots of towns: wonderful views, slow pace of life, quietness but still shops, groceries, pharmacies and so on. Corinaldo is the masterpiece out of other fifty wonderful Le Marche towns (at least!).

Corinaldo is also member of the "Walled Town Friendship Circle", along with Padua (Italy - Veneto), Zadar (Croatia), Chester (England), St Malo (France), Rothenburg (Germany), 's-Hertogenbosch (Holland), Avila (Spain), Radstadt (Austria), Almeida (Portugal), Thessaloniki (Greece), Pecs (Hungary), Visby (Sweden) and many others.

Visitlemarche.com, part of my new website

2008-06-09T12:29:00.003+02:00

I am still here and alive, sorry if I don't update so frequently, but there are times in which I prefer to read rather than to write.

This just to keep you informed that a new website, www.visitlemarche.com is online. It's still a work in progress, but the aim is to put all the online material for tours in Le Marche. Hotel reviews,blogs ran by some b&b's owners and so on.

At the moment, it is just part of my "shop window", and my R&D lab, where I'm practising in using css to set a table-less layout. If any of you would be interested to build a table-less layout on that website (maybe in exchange of a mini-tour in Le Marche) that would be very welcome!

Italy elections: some comments

2008-04-16T12:55:00.003+02:00

It's hard to explain what happens in Italy during the elections. It's hard to those who live in foreing countries why Italians are so charmed by people like Silvio Berlusconi (Umberto Bossi, the other winner, is barely known abroad).

Well, I don't know either. Maybe because I have a level of culture higher than the average. Maybe because I have a family tradition more genuine (I have been taught that money is what you get from work, not from robberies) than the average in Italy.

Or maybe because I don't usually watch TV. I think this is the main reason.

Dutch reality show in Le Marche

2008-04-14T10:02:00.002+02:00

Italy has always been the symbol of quality of life. In spite of bad governments, corruption, disorganization, Italy is still the place where people would like to move from all over the world.

In Holland, a reality show is based in Italy, where four couples are competing to build up a b&b, is having a great success. The article says in Tuscany, since the name "Tuscany" has a great appeal. In fact, the reality takes place in Piticchio di Arcevia, in Le Marche.

Le Marche, under the name of Tuscany, are the ideal setting for moving and for quality of life. Tuscany was, Le Marche are.

Back from Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra

2008-04-08T09:40:00.005+02:00

Last week I had two very intensive days in Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra, to check, double-check, test and scout out places, roads, trails suitable for our hiking tour.

I met a lot of interesting people, who gave me the "spirit", the "soul" of the places.

Both Offida and Abbadia di Fiastra are wonderful: they have a "superior" intimate soul, which made me breathtaking. It doesn't happen always, and that's the reason why I take people to some places and skip other places.

I found two great restaurants and a cute b&b, and I'm starting to think about some tours I could organize for next year.

Here could be the title of the tour:

The Piceno area: from the coast and the palms to the mountains.

If you have any different suggestion, please let me know.

Next thursday and friday discovering Le Marche

2008-04-01T12:35:00.002+02:00

The next Thursday and Friday I will be travelling around Le Marche in some unknown places, to discover something unusual and wonderful to share with those of you will decide to come on tour with me.

I will go to Offida, then Sibillini, then the area between Sibillini and Piceno. I will go looking for wineries, craftsmen, artisans, wonderful places and itineraries to add to my tours.

I'll let you know once back home again.

Have you eaten?

2008-03-26T12:34:00.003+01:00

One of the big differences between Italians and Americans is on the idea of wasting food. When I went to US I was hit by the great amount of food used on 4th July, pounds of spare ribs and coke with almost no bread which, as we know, prevents to eat too much meat.

When I was a child, there were dinners in which my mum used to say "This is a bread-necessary dinner", which meant that without eating bread we would feel hungry soon.

Much more than my parents - who were baby-boomer after all, as they grew up in the 50s and 60s, the years of the Italian Miracle - my nonni were the best example of 100% food usage. When I peel my apple or the cheese, I always remember my grandmother telling me to peel it thinner: "Otherwise, half of the food will remain on the skin, and will be thrown away". Even now, we use to kiss a piece of bread before throw it away.

Since my family was composed by fishermen, my nonne were great fish cookers, especially with poor fish: nonna Nannina is still making great sauces with testoline or little monkfish tails, or even with so small and thin fishes that I hardly know their names in Italian!

Even in the 50s, a lot of Italians were starving, and most of them didn't have two meals a day. This is one of the reasons why in Italy restaurants with big portions are greatly appreciated by popular classes, even if they economically improved. The quantity of food is often perceived in direct relation with quality: the more, the better. Moreover, the high-class restaurants, which in my opinion are now even overpriced, are most of the times object of fun by popular classes (popular for the origin, no matter the money).

That's why - I will always remember it - the typical question when I call my grandparents, especially in lunch or dinner time, is: how are you? have you eaten?
Not yet, I'm preparing - Not yet, I'm not very hungry, I was concerned about something.
Yes, but... eat first!

Eat first: this is the first problem to solve for those who experienced the hunger.

Walking in Le Marche

2008-03-04T08:56:00.003+01:00

Thinking about Le Marche, watching some tour programmes here, one may think that Le Marche are nice to see by car.

This is not completely true: yes, by car you can jump from a town to another, from a castle to a fortress to a walled town, from a vineyard to an olive oil producer, from a craftman to a country house, from an agriturismo to a trattoria, from the sea to the hills, to the mountains.

However, there are many other ways to explore Le Marche. One is actually the contrary of the car. If you walk, you may enjoy Le Marche by entering yourself in its real pace of life: step by step, day by day, with no hurry but following your skills, you will reach the aim.

In a way, it seems to be the opposite of Australia or America: here there are no big distances, no reasons to run and run, no fronteers, you don't feel in competition with the nature, rather there is more balancing. This doesn't mean to be a judgement, it's simply the fact that in places where nature is immense and big, and distances are very very large, people have a different view of life. If you think about the wonderful Australia, you wouldn't live like in Le Marche, otherwise you will be submerged by the nature.

In the beautiful Canada, you can go hiking for a day, for a week or a month, but you won't go very far, and there are still places you shouldn't go alone. In Australia, the desert won't forgive you if you challenge him. In Le Marche, there's nothing like that. Except from the top of the mountains in the winter, nature is much easier to cope with. But since we haven't got big plains, the land is limited, the work must be hard but also very very careful and you have to be patient. There is few quantity, quality is all to think about.

Therefore, if you come to Le Marche, consider to come here and hike, or even bike. Lots of wonderful sceneries are waiting for you, between a trattoria and an agriturismo...

Cellars in Monte Conero area

2008-02-25T12:30:00.001+01:00

Panorama from the cellars where we usually go on a typical Le Marche tour.

The town in the picture is Osimo, Town of Headless People, wonderful spot on a natural spring and an Ancient Roman water deposit.

The picture was taken in Offagna.

Dante Ferretti WON!!!

2008-02-25T09:29:00.002+01:00

(From the Academy Awards website)
Achievement in art direction:

“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Art Direction: Dante Ferretti
Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Tomorrow in Ascoli Piceno

2008-02-22T12:37:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow I'll be in Ascoli Piceno, to check a (seems-to-be) beautiful Agriturismo.

Then I will go shopping to the Pantofola d'Oro outlet, and afterwards, well... a coffee with anisee at Meletti's, in Piazza del Popolo, of course!

Hiking tour in Le Marche

2008-02-22T09:31:00.005+01:00

At the moment I'm working on a gentle hiking tour in Le Marche. Above is where I'll take my guests.

And below is where we will go hiking. We won't arrive in front of Le Due Sorelle, but we will see them from above, at the beginning of the Passo del Lupo.

Dante Ferretti's nomination for the Academy Awards

2008-01-28T08:18:00.000+01:00

For the ninth times, Dante Ferretti from Macerata has been nominated for the Academy Awards as Art Director and Set Decoration. It's the ninth time for Dante Ferretti: he won the Oscar in 2005 for The Aviator.

This year the nomination comes for Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, starring Johnny Depp.

Le Marche win the "Best Foreign Stand Prize" in Bratislava's food exhibition

2008-01-25T14:03:00.000+01:00

Le Marche's stand at the international food exhibition in Bratislava (Danubius Gastro) has been awarded with the prize for the best foreign stand.

Good job!

Le Marche shops on ebay

2008-01-23T08:28:00.000+01:00

Next February the Artisans Union will teach its members how to use e-commerce tools, especially ebay. In spite of its popularity among young people and teenagers, Internet is barely known by artisan, farmers and those who make the best things sold here.

Who knows? Maybe you can find a Coccio from Fratte Rosa, or an accordion from Castelfidardo on an ebay shop. Or even some shoes from Montegranaro or Sant'Elpidio a Mare.

And after that, you may think to come here and see in what a wonderful land these things are produced.

So come on, type www.ebay.com and look for something from Le Marche!

Building up a tour together

2008-01-22T15:41:00.000+01:00

The concept is very simple: I organize tours in Le Marche, therefore I have the contacts, I know places, restaurants, winemakers, locals etc.

You would like to visit Le Marche, but have no idea on what to do: or maybe you have an idea, but don't know how to make it real.

Why don't you contact me and ask for building up a tour together? You tell me about your interests, what you would like to do, where would you like to go, to sleep, etc., and I will figure out a solution. This way we can optimize prices, schedules and you can obtain exactly what you want.

And what about payments, guarantees, etc.? I have a partnership with a travel agent based in USA, so no worries about anything.

If you feel interested about that, why don't you email me?

The new Chiantishire in the area of Pesaro

2008-01-18T12:27:00.000+01:00

It's the claim of an article I read last day in GoMarche, an e-magazine written in Le Marche (in Italian, sorry!).

The journalist focuses on the fact that lots of people are flocking to Pesaro and Urbino (wonderful area) to buy houses, due to cheaper prices than in Tuscany, and this area is becoming a sort of "new Tuscany".

In my opinion, this is not true. The fact that people are buying houses like in Tuscany doesn't mean that you can re-create the same atmosphere.

I will always repeat, over and over again, that Le Marche are NOT Tuscany, not even "The new Tuscany". Tuscany will always be a sort of theathre, good if you like theathre. Le Marche will always be more genuine, good if you are interested to enjoy the "real", "ordinary" life. Some of us like more Le Marche because they give you the idea that you can move to the region immediately and live like in a paradise. Tuscany looks as wonderful, but I wouldn't spend my entire life here, where you can have a great experience for just few days.

Montalcino is a jewel, as long as you don't have lunch at home. Corinaldo is a pearl, with groceries, bars, supermarket and so on. That's the difference.

San Marino: visiting a foreign country when in Le Marche

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000+01:00

Here are some pictures of San Marino. Strangely enough, this country is completely inside Italy, like Vatican City. Although the Vatican is much more influent on our political life, for lots of historical reasons, San Marino is proud to be independent, and doesn't really want to have many relevance on the Italian political agenda, except of course what is necessary for its needs.

A day in San Marino might be interesting not only for those who would like to add an extra-country on their checklist. San Marino has also some great views, some duty free shops, lots of tourist shops, cheaper meals, coins and stamps for collectors, and an intact and walled city centre.

Going to San Marino is rather simple: if you arrive by car, simply take the A14 motorway and exit at Rimini Sud, then follow the signs. Leave your car at the car parking of the former train station (there's no train anymore), 200 metres from Porta San Francesco, the gate to the city. The town to visit is basically inside the walls.

Merry Christmas with some plans for 2008

2007-12-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

Dear Santa Klaus...

This year has been very important for me, I hope it has been the same for my visitors.

For the next year, I would like to make my website less "flat" and more interactive, somewhat 2.0

I got some suggests from the newsletter, and I thank all the visitors for their contributions.

I also hope to have more and more tourists visiting Le Marche with me the next year: I hope it for me - of course - but I hope for them too, an experience they will never forget. Who knows, it might be a good Christmas present to buy a tour with me as a gift.

In my (extra-)ordinary life, I thank you for the gift of last year (the marriage with Francesca); this year, or the following ones, I hope to have (at least) a child, whenever it is.

I wish a wonderful, fruitful and interesting 2008 for everybody.

A presto!
Angelo Recchi

We have a Ikea, but look at where it is...

2007-12-05T10:53:00.000+01:00

The yellow spot you can see in the valley is the new Ikea. It is at the Ancona South exit of the A14 motorway. In this case too, tradition and modernity are more than balanced: the nature, and the tradition, gives a "human" sense to the modernity.

It is no doubt one of the best advertising for Le Marche.

After a weekend in Le Marche with Diane Arnold

2007-12-04T10:19:00.000+01:00

I've just got back from a fabulous weekend in Le Marche with Diane Arnold. We had a wonderful time, and the weather assisted us: sunny, no raining, no fog, just some haze which made the scenery somewhat misterious.

Very intensive tour to visit all the things that might interest those who would like to come here.

Now, let's see what it will happen...

This weekend in tour

2007-11-29T15:33:00.000+01:00

From tomorrow on, great weekend tour with Diane from USA. Diane is a travel agent, and if she likes Le Marche we will start selling tours together. I am very excited, and I hope everything will be alright.

And the weather? Well, Le Marche are great with myst and fog as well... especially in places like Offagna, or Loretello, or the Enoteca di Jesi...

Tomorrow, moreover, will be my 30th birthday. Happy birthday to me!!!!

Back from the honeymoon, first comments on organized tours

2007-11-16T11:12:00.000+01:00

Hey there, it is already one week we've come back, but I'm still dreaming of coconuts, blue seas, warm weather and kangaroos. What to say? The best tour I've ever had, organized by myself for myself and the most expecting and (shh....) difficult customer ever, that is my wife :-)!

It has been a dream, totally a dream, and... you know what? the only things we absolutely did not enjoyed (and that created a lot of problems to us) were the only things that we did not organized by ourselves. Namely, the four days in Kakadu National Park with the Connection Safaris: we got a weird man, with a disgusting sense of humour (John) who was supposed to be the "guide".

I am a guide myself, and I've never ever seen such an ignorant, unprepared, vulgar and unsensitive person, who didn't have any idea of the places we were visiting, didn't give any relevant information on anything, no sense of time-managing and - most important - no respect nor knowledge of my wife's alergy (she's coeliac, and the tour operator guaranteed they could cater for her food: no way!).

The tour itself costed lots of money (much, much less of what I asked to make dreams coming true, not just simple tours) and was the typical "hard life with electricity" (Safari! ah! ah! ah!). No idea on where our money went, since we stayed in a room which was covered by dust, dirty as a pig-house and with frogs in the toilet (frogs in the toilet!!! it was a lodge, not a camping!!!!)

What else to say? Absolutely not recommend Safari Connection (puah!) tours, the easiest way to waste your money.

------------------------

On the contrary, my best experience (with organized tour) was with Kangaroo Island Wilderness Tours, a local company in Kangaroo Island: our guide, Greg, was brilliant (I took a lot of notes on his way of working) and the tour was simply excellent, nothing went wrong, everything cared in detail. We stayed at the KI lodge, great hotel with ocean view.

We had just these 2 different tours, and as you can see the results have been completely different. Is it a relevant point that the best tour we had was with a local and small tour operator, for which you are not a simple number, but an important person, since they get their earnings from you? Is it relevant to notice that the big tour operator simply did not say at least "sorry" when we asked our money back (and of course, we did not get them back)?

The rest of our honeymoon will be described in details later.

But this just to say that when you come and tour with me, you tour first of all with somebody like you, that knows your needs, your feelings and understands the pleasure to have a perfect tour since you have paid for that. And, secondly, with somebody for whom you are an important customer, not just a number.

Preparing a wedding in Italy: instructions

2007-08-27T14:57:00.000+02:00

Hey there, I'm so sorry to leave you with no news for so many days, but still, I'm really so busy in working on my wedding organization...

Therefore, I take the chance to tell you how a wedding is organized in Italy; of course, lots of things may vary from region to region, here is what we do in Le Marche and in Emilia-Romagna (not Bologna, but the mountain, the Appennino Reggiano, where they make the Parmigiano Reggiano!).

First of all, in Italy, the majority of weddings take place in a church: whether a matter of faith or tradition, the wedding in the city hall are not so common, but still they exist. The "typical" Italian wedding, without leaving importance to the others, takes place in a church.

The first things to check are the priest and the restaurant: where we will get married there are a lot of beautiful tiny churches, but few preachers. Anyway, the 6th October the priest is available. Likewise the restaurant: not a normal Osteria, but a good restaurant, with a lot of space, since an Italian wedding has something like 150-200 guests. Our wedding will be more than 200, which is the average for our tradition. In Southern Italy, 3-400 is usual. In Northern Italy, if you go over 150 is a sort of super-party.

Then, the photographer and the wedding-dress are the second most important things. Usually, one starts more than 6 months before to look for the right thing, and usually is not easy, especially for the dress (don't forget we are Italian!)

The honeymoon and the flower shop is another important matter: in our case, we preferred to organize our tour by ourselves (well, I'm a tour organizer, don't you remember?). We will go to Australia and Cook Islands, not exactly round the corner... :-)

Then comes the rest: the hotel and the bus (for my guests arriving from Le Marche, it's more than 3 hours driving, so I reserved a bus or some rooms in a hotel), the party before the celebration, the comfits, the bonbonnière, the music, the car, the decorations, the tables, the cake... really, so many details, which make your brain and your time very very busy.

So, please... say "Best wishes", thanks!

Time of reading

2007-07-06T13:07:00.000+02:00

No, I'm not disappeared. It's that I'm just reading, thinking, working... and I don't like to write just to write. Therefore, don't disperate!

Added pictures of past tours with me

2007-06-01T11:31:00.000+02:00

As you may have noticed, I added some pictures of past tour experiences. They are saved on Flickr, and they will be added to my website as well.

Meanwhile, I want to inform you what I'm doing in this blog, at the moment: you already saw the twitter interface and the pictures. The next addition will be the calendar (which is already present in the website) and, soon, the special offers for tours.

A good way to start the day (with Art)

2007-05-22T12:51:00.000+02:00

Filippino Lippi: The Adoration of the Magi

This painting is not in Le Marche, but in the Uffizi, Florence, Tuscany.

But what I wanted to point is the website: subscribe its feed and enjoy a wonderful painting every day.

Romanian people in Le Marche

2007-05-10T11:34:00.000+02:00

The Romanian government has identified 13 possible locations in Italy for the 19th May referendum voting. This because there are places where the Romanian communities are so dense, both in Italy and France, that they may host polling booths in some supplementary locations. Out of these 13 places, 3 are in Le Marche: Ancona, Recanati and Macerata.

It would be important for Le Marche, although it is seen as a threat, to be a political referring point of the Romanian community, since Romania is a brand new member of European Union and it is part of the Eastern corridor which goes from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea. Ancona would gain importance (and richness) by making efforts to be a node between Italy and Eastern Europe; if not, it will become a node either, but for illegal activities.

A Kitchen from Le Marche

2007-05-09T10:39:00.000+02:00

This is the picture released with a Lube brand new kitchen. As well as Ariston, Scavolini, Berloni, Gatto, it is produced in Le Marche. This case in the town of Treia, to be precise.

A view of Treia is clearly visible from the picture portraited, but if you like some other pic, simply click here.
What the claim says is: "it's from this land that we figure out how your kitchen will be: that's why your purchase has double value". I completely agree!

Rossini Opera in Tennesse

2007-05-07T11:36:00.000+02:00

For those of you who are living near Tennessee, you may be interested in watching some plays in the Knoxville Opera Company's sixth annual Rossini Festival.

Otherways, the only alternative is to come to Pesaro, and enjoy the Italian Rossini Opera Festival.

The boycott of Ancona's port by Jews, 16th century

2007-04-27T08:58:00.000+02:00

Today, surfing on the web, I happened to find something interesting about the Jewish community in Ancona.

During the Middle Ages (1100-1400), Ancona counted 4 graveyards, one for each religion hosted: the English (protestant) graveyard, the Greek (Ortodox), the Catholic and the Jewish one. The first and the latter are still visible near the Old Lighthouse, the so-called Campo degli Ebrei.

After the beginning of the Church rule upon Ancona, this sense of tolerance, along with the sense of business and commerce, started to fade, and of course the Jewish community was one of the first victims of this change.

This episode occurred, and the Ghettarello (our Ghetto, which is not in the city centre like in the biggest cities of Italy) was built.

Wedding and honeymoon: we will go to the land down under

2007-04-13T16:54:00.000+02:00

Two news:

1) I and Francesca are going to get married next October 6th!

2) We will go to Australia on our honeymoon.

The latter point requires some help: if anybody of you knows about Australia, tips, where to stay etc., please let me know, here or via email.

The first point requires just one thing: best wishes! Come on, mail me and congratulate!

Happy Easter, from the sunny Le Marche

2007-04-06T15:15:00.000+02:00

The spring equinox took place couple of weeks ago.

The full moon took place last 2nd April.

Therefore, next Sunday it's Easter.

Next Sunday looks to be sunny and warm in Le Marche.

Happy Easter to you all!

Verdicchio: the International white wine from Le March

2007-04-05T15:10:00.000+02:00

It makes me proud to read about Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi in non-translated-English. It's the case of this article from San Josè, California.

Words like "One of my favorite Italian whites is the Verdicchio Classico dei Castelli di Jesi from Bucci, a wine from the Marches, on Italy's east coast" sound like a melody, honey in my ears.

Traditional vs Fast Food: Villa Belsito, Ascoli Piceno, in New York

2007-03-29T12:19:00.000+02:00

There's an interesting article on Metro magazine which deals about Slow Food movement and the application of its concept to a restaurant in New York.

What makes me proud is that Villa Belsito, in Valtesino di Ripatransone, near Ascoli Piceno, is involved in the project.

Moreover, Villa Belsito seems to be a great place to spend your holidays (Ripatransone and Ascoli Piceno province definitely is!), even rates are certainly competitive.

Therefore, if you happen to go there, please advice me, and I'll post your opinion. Or simply advice me before going, to spend some days around Ascoli Piceno and Le Marche in general.

Anyway, it will be an unforgetable experience.

Johan Padan and the discover of America, by Dario Fo

2007-03-28T19:00:00.000+02:00

Sunday, rainy day, no plans but staying relaxed at home, I watched Johan Padan and the discovering of America.

It's no doubt a great cartoon, taken after the original comedy written by Dario Fo, Noble Literature Prize, at the beginning of the 90ies. It deals with a humile peasant from Bergamo, Lombardy, Northern Italy, who happens to arrive in America and find his way with the natives, helping them to kick the Spanish away and learning the real value of Liberty by the natives themselves.

The satyrical way through which Dario Fo describes all the events, the moments and even some small phrases put every now and then, make this cartoon equally enjoyable by adults and children, both finding a good reason to laugh and think, like always in the best Italian filming tradition.

The adventure of a Scotsman in Ancona

2007-03-28T12:41:00.000+02:00

Just found surfing around, it's always interesting to hear some foreigner's point of view about our region (even in a broader sense, like Central Italy in this case).

Maybe more interesting for me than for you. Who knows?

Giacomo Leopardi, the Infinite in Le Marche

2007-03-27T15:31:00.000+02:00

Surfing on the web, I finally found one of the best translations of the Infinite by Giacomo Leopardi. He was a poet and a philosopher from Recanati, near Loreto, between Ancona and Macerata.

Leopardi is so important for the Italian culture that he is considered one of the most important writers and philosophers of the contemporary age.

When in Recanati, a visit to his house, still preserved by his heirs, must be definitely done, to comprehend more in-depth the Italian culture.

Love Marche and news about Le Marche

2007-03-24T11:34:00.000+01:00

If one loves Le Marche, then I love him/her.

If he/she even calls the website "Lovemarche", and promotes Le Marche in UK via The Sunday Times, then I must indicate it.

Moreover, they report some news, every now and then, about this wonderful region... how could I leave...

The latest news is about exhibitions of Lorenzo Lotto's paintings, which will involve Ancona, Cingoli, Jesi, Loreto, Mogliano, Monte San Giusto and Recanati.

Some other bloggers from Le Marche: Michael Eldridge

2007-03-21T15:28:00.000+01:00

His name is Michael Eldridge, and he's a property consultant for Le Marche.

You may like or not his personal blog, "life in Le Marche", but you definitely have to appreciate his corporate blog, "Property adventures".

Finally, a property consultant has a blog and writes on it!

I am now waiting for his email address (didn't find it!) to write him...

A brand-new stamp about Le Marche

2007-03-20T15:11:00.000+01:00

Last Thursday a new stamp showing Le Marche has been released.

Some monuments of Ascoli Piceno plus the bronze statues of Pergola, together with the shape of the region and its symbol (the woodpecker) compose the image on the stamp.

Showers & Eyebaths Services, Liverpool, supplying Eusebi Impianti, Ancona

2007-03-15T08:47:00.000+01:00

Business news about the fire-fighting industry. The St Helens based decontamination specialists, Showers & Eyebaths Services will supply one of the European leaders in this field: Eusebi Impianti, based in Ancona, Le Marche. The news appeared in the Liverpool daily post yesterday.

This is another example of the increasing relationships between Le Marche and UK. Another good example is the Indesit Company, based in Fabriano, but present everywhere in Europe. In Le Marche, this factory is still known like Merloni Elettrodomestici.

In particular, for Liverpool, the relationship with Ancona is rather old: one of the first episodes was early in the last century, with a soccer team...

Gioacchino Rossini, the famous Pesaro composer, on Metropolitan Opera broadcasting

2007-03-08T10:30:00.000+01:00

The famous composer Gioacchino Rossini is wide-known. His operas are very famous too. But maybe not everybody know that he was born in Pesaro, where every year, in August, the Rossini Opera Festival is held.

One of the most famous Rossini's Opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, will be broadcasted on March 24th, at 1.30 pm, at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Centre, New York.

A good statistical report about Le Marche wines

2007-03-05T11:04:00.000+01:00

Wine is no doubts one of the typical products of Le Marche.

When coming to Le Marche, with or without me, you will always taste a glass of our wine, which is harder to find outside our region, except of Verdicchio and Rosso Piceno.

It might be interesting, then, to read a report about Le Marche wines, published by Marco Baccaglio on his blog "The Numbers of Wine". The article is translated in English too (well done, Marco!).

Marcamp: a Le Marche version of Bar Camp

2007-03-02T09:41:00.000+01:00

Last Saturday, in the wonderful scenario of Villarey (the former barracks of the army, built in 1860, when Italy unified and Ancona was the strategical port in the Adriatic, being Venezia still under the Austrian control), the Marcamp took place.

It is a Barcamp organized in Le Marche, by some people from Ancona. It's been a success, like every Barcamp, it seems!

Link: pics of the Marcamp (special thanks to Giovy and Mia)

Blog tour, reloaded!

2007-02-18T17:26:00.000+01:00

Like the last year, we now try to sell a "blog tour", i.e. a tour for those who read the blog. Here is the programme (the same of last year, good things shouldn't be changed).
Every programme can be customized, according to your needs.

Prices and dates can be checked on my website, by clicking here.

Here it is:

---------------------

PROGRAMME OF THE WEEKEND:

Saturday: I'll pick you up somewhere between Ancona train station, Falconara airport, Jesi train station or wherever you want.

(Accomodation, if you need one.)

On Saturday, a stroll in Corinaldo is a must. This "Town of the Crazy Ones" is definitely worth a visit, and you will confirm that while admiring the great view from the towers or the beautiful stairs which are the symbol of the town. Stories about the Crazy Ones will add a nice frame on the visit.

Afterwards, well... we are in the land of Verdicchio, so, why don't we have a sip of this amazing wine at the Enoteca Regionale di Jesi. Moreover, why don't we have a light lunch at the Enoteca? A mix of delicious affettati and wines, in the elegant scenery of the Enoteca...

In the afternoon, the best place to stay and relax is Offagna. This is a medieval town built around a fortress, which is still intact from the XV century. Having a drink while sitting and amdiring the hills in front of you is one of the best pleasures life is worthwhile of.

In front of you there is Osimo, the "Town of Headless People". Why it is called so? I can't tell you everything... come and see!

For a great conclusion, we must have a gala dinner. Fish, of course: didn't I tell you this is the land of fish? And where to have fish better than a
fishermen's house? And what is better than knowing that this house is my parents' one? What is better than coming to Italy and have a dinner at
somebody's house, moreover... have a fish dinner at a fishermen's house?

The best thing to do on Sunday is to have a walk in Ancona, trying to discover why this town is so undervaluate by every Lonely Planet guidebook, and finding that Lonely Planet had better to send somebody here.

Lunch is a surprise: I can't tell you everything, so think that lunch is a pleasant uncertainty...

A relaxing afternoon can't schedule anything but visiting the Monte Conero area, with the astonishing bay of Portonovo and the beautiful village of Sirolo, which was entirely built with the white stone of the Conero taken up from the sea to the top of the hill.

To conclude our wonderful tour, we must have a final "candy", like the cherry on the top of a cake. The cherry is Loreto, with its great Basilica and wonderful terrace. Nothing better than enjoying the Conero area's view from one of the symbols of this region, that is the religious capital. It is a way to understand much better the story of Le Marche, a story too long to be told on a website or a blog.

Better to come and hear in person!

You may say I'm a dreamer...

2007-01-29T17:20:00.000+01:00

January, Bologna station. It's Friday, a day when you'd like to go everywhere. Why not Le Marche? I was just thinking to go there for a weekend, and I see, from the posters, that I may not be the only one :-)

Sometimes I'm proud to see posters like this: beautiful pics for a beautiful land.

ah...

The pork feast

2007-01-26T13:14:00.000+01:00

This year is the 5th edition of Festa del Nino, literally "the Feast of the Pork", as Nino is the local nickname for pork.
All around Italy, the pork is very important, since in the past it represented the only source of food for the family. The death of the family pork was a tragedy far more than the death of a child: you could have a child again, as long as you were alive thank to the pork.

In Le Marche, the pork is undoubtedly the protagonist of the table, together with the rabbit, the chicken and the pigeon, is the meat we traditionally have in the table. Cows and oxes were only to work, rarely to be eaten.

For the Festa del Nino, there is a calendar you can download from here. It's only in Italian, with just the title, but it's possible to call an information office. At least for the dinners which follow the meetings, it sounds worthwhile.

Otherwise, you have another reason to learn Italian :-)

Hot hot days, but the cold weather is coming

2007-01-24T06:25:00.000+01:00

The last week has been one of the hottest of the past two centuries. Flowers blooming, bears out of dormancy, cabbages with opened leaves... everything was like in spring. On Friday night, near Modena, in the hills, the temperature was 21°C (70 Fahreneit degrees), like in July.

But now, the cold weather is coming back, and the forecast has said that the cold winds of the North Pole are coming to freeze us. In Northern Europe the weather is terrible: we don't know what will happen here. Probably, we'll have some snow, which is not bad, though.

Shifting to Mac

2007-01-22T18:52:00.000+01:00

Ten days ago I bought an Imac. It's been a hard choice, but very very thoughtful. I fell in love with this wonderful designed computer from the first time, then I read some book about it, then, finally, I bought it.

It is a real wonderful experience. He knows everything: which modem is this, which hard disk is this, what I'm about to do and so on. It's so easy to use that sometimes one may feel embarassed in finding some complicate choice as it is in the pc world.

Still some doubts, though, like the one-button mouse which seems to be a sort of "proud" feature, but useless.

Anyway, I expect this mac to wake me up, someday, asking me if I'd like some coffee... :-)

Betsy Pool: are you coming?

2007-01-18T15:07:00.000+01:00

Sorry, but this is an important advice, since I can't reply to an email I got few days ago.
So I decided to put a message here: should be seen by my guests.

So, Betsy, are you coming? Please email me at angelo.recchi@gmail.com
I suppose that my reply didn't arrive to you.

Look forward to hearing from you.
A presto!
Angelo

Another blog. In Italian, this time

2007-01-17T06:40:00.000+01:00

From last October, I started a new blog in San-Lorenzo.com platform. It's written in Italian.

This new blog deals with tours, but it's more focused on personal tours all around Italy, Europe and world.

Of course, this blog keep on with its randomly posts. Le Marche are always first in my heart :-)

Here is the link to the new blog:
http://blogs.san-lorenzo.com/tourblog

Enjoy!

For the Sun coming into life again

2006-12-22T12:18:00.000+01:00

Dear all,

Christmas is, before even Jesus' (supposed) birth, the rebirth of the Sun. The year has almost finished, and the sun is rising again. The light is about to shine, the darkness is moving back. I hope that you all get the real meaning of Christmas and New Year, and that you enjoy the rebirth together, with all your beloved reatives.

Sincerely,

Angelo Recchi

ps: I do not send a newsletter for Christmas. I rarely send newsletter, to make this a special occasion. For Christmas, I prefer people come to my blog and read the wishes, rather than sending the hundred-and-fiftieth email.

Seven towns separate from Le Marche

2006-12-19T06:36:00.000+01:00

Last Sunday a referendum took place. The inhabitants of 7 towns in the border between Le Marche and Emilia-Romagna had to decide which region to be part of. Eventually, 83% of voters decided to switch to Emilia-Romagna.

I always say that Le Marche is one of the best places ever to stay, but this might not be true for everybody. Especially for those who have much more feeling with a region which is closer for language, for customs etc. In particular, Emilia-Romagna gives much more funds for tourism, and this is one of the most important reasons why these towns decided to change.

Anyway, better alone... :-)

Perfect balance

2006-12-15T17:54:00.000+01:00

To live between Bologna and Le Marche is sometimes tiring, but some other times it's wonderful. For instance, in December, approaching the weekend. Lot of things can be done, like cinema (Lumiere, Roman Polanski next sunday), beer tasting (La Tana del Luppolo beer retailer) or simply walking around Bologna.

What's in the pot

2006-12-06T08:17:00.000+01:00

The pot is boiling. Inside, some nice new things.

First, I'm working on planning the first walking tours in Bologna. At first, it will be a sort of beta-version, trying to organize a market tour in late morning, special lunch, visit in the afternoon and dinner (or not). I want the first to begin in March. I'm now living between Bologna and Le Marche, some of you enjoyed travelling with me in Le Marche, it might be nice to discover another "chapter" of Italy.

Second, in consequence of this, I'm working at a newer version of the website, which won't be a ugc because - honestly - there's a lot of spamming on it and I don't have a good filter. However, I will authorize any sort of no-spam comment, even negative ones (at the moment, there aren't!).

Third, due to the augmented expenses of the car, some prices will be increased. But don't worry about that, it will be always worthwhile to travel with me, a full day dedicated to you. Enjoy and relax!

picture from a brand new house

2006-10-30T12:38:00.000+01:00

This is me trying to build an Ikea pc desk, priced 80 Euro. Will I manage to?

It's still possible to die at sea in 2006

2006-10-26T21:23:00.000+02:00

Last time about long life in Le Marche, this time about death out at sea. A fishing boat from San Benedetto del Tronto, south Le Marche, sunk last night under mysterious circumstances. Only the commander survived, the crew is dispersed.

You know my life is the sea, the sea that sometimes can bring death. This sad day is one of those.

God bless the victims in (not of) the sea.

Wish you a long long life...

2006-10-24T21:52:00.000+02:00

Today has come out a report about a research on life expectance in the EU. Italy is the second country for life length, after Sweden. The first region for life length in Italy is... guess it!

Earthquake!!!

2006-10-22T11:09:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, things trembling, a known experience, especially in Ancona and in the area of Norcia, hiot by a big earthquake in 1972 and in 1997. Fortunately, the town of crazy ones didn't suffer any damage.

Flickr, new membership

2006-10-03T12:39:00.000+02:00

Hey there, just to tell you I'm a new member of Flickr. You can find me with my name: "angelorecchi".

The first picture I've put on is one from Portonovo bay, taken last Sunday, with people swimming, since it was so hot!

Here was the city and the cement, now there's a park

2006-10-03T06:13:00.000+02:00

Ancona is a very special city, and I love Her.

One special thing it has, it's that is a landsliding and earthquake area, so everything must be built according to strict anti-sysmic criteria. Here, were the picture was built, one of the most meaningful stories of corruption took place. Here they built everything, in the 60s and in the 70s, the worst period for architecture in Italy. In this landsliding area there were 2 hospital, the university of Medicine, lot of houses. It was the area of Posatora and Borghetto.
On 12th december 1982, after two days of endless raining, everything fell down, so slowly that people could escape without damages, nor injuries or even victims. Eventually they could grab whatever they had, but their houses were destroyed, and they had to move somewhere else. For many people, that was a tragedy, although the municipality gave them some refund.

Now, after 24 years from that tragedy, there is no trace of building over there, instead there is a park, Belvedere Park, with an enchanting view to the port, the city centre and the coastline. This park, in the summer, is one of the meeting point of young Ancona people. Differently from other cities, where there were houses, now there's a park.

Myst

2006-09-21T06:42:00.000+02:00

September, early morning. The humidity starts to freeze at dawn, and the myst is coming. Today, or tomorrow or even saturday, the autumn is supposed to come. The sun will rest and the dark will come. Ancient time, the equinox symbolized the never ending strugge between light and dark. We have just one month more, and then - leaving the legal hour - the dark will envelope us. Time will come to sit in front of a fireplace eating chestnuts and drinking sweet new wine. The winter, in Italy, is still a romantic and myst-erious time.

How to be a tourist guide

2006-09-13T06:53:00.000+02:00

I want to be boasty. Last night I went out in Bologna downtown for a tour with this cultural association. The topic was really charming: Dante and Bologna.

It was about Dante Alighieri, claimed as the "father" of the Italian language, and his relationship with Bologna, which he visited at the age of 21. Dante wrote a supreme poem, the Divine Comedy, where he criticized his society by putting a lot of contemporary famous people either in Hell, in Purgatory (waiting for the Paradise), and in Paradise. Lot of Bolognesi were put in Hell, I'd say all of them, as Dante couldn't stand some of this city's habits. However, he was fascinated by its towers (Bologna counted about 100 towers in the Middle Age, built between 1000 and 1250), especially the tower of Garisenda (the lowest of the famous "two towers" of Bologna), so much that he talked about a huge and terrifying giant (Anteo), describing him like the Garisenda. There our walking tour ended.

As you see, I learnt plenty of things last night, and I'm happy of that. But I have to admit that I'm a tour leader, used to listen to guides, and that I already knew pretty much of Bologna and pretty much of Dante Alighieri (separately). A great part of the public (about 40 people), although motivated to come - there was a reservation and a 6 euro admission ticket, not properly cheap - got bored. This because our guide, even though she was very committed on her job, she found all the referrings to Bologna's people and places, and she knew the subject pretty well, didn't know how to involve people in her speech. It was like at the Primary school, the teacher with some yawning bored pupils, and this is not good for a guide.

A guide, actually, has to be - first of all - an entertainer. We are talking about tourism, not about Academy neither school. The education, at some stage of one's life, become emotion. Adult people find the culture as an emotion, since they even spend money to have a guided walk at 9 in the evening, when other people are thinking to go to bed. Given that, the guide has to be easy, voiceful, has to change the tone of his voice, has to put some mottoes or some jokes in the midst of a discussion. Dante is very easy to be linked to some interesting and funny stories, and these were to be told yesterday. It's a way to interrupt the mind's labour on memorize what the guide is telling, and at the same time a device to help in memorizing it.

I want to be hazardous: better to tell a wrong thing, but in the proper way. It might be more interesting, funny and emotionally rich than a right thing told in the wrong way.

Our guide last night was exactly the contrary, and this really disappointed me. She did a great preparatory job, but she didn't express it in the right way. She prepared the cake, but she didn't put it in the oven.

The sad point is that at least 85% of guides in Italy is like her.

The train to Rimini

2006-09-02T09:47:00.000+02:00

Rimini is a nice sea ad amusement resort halfway between Ancona and Bologna. Rimini is the hometown of Federico Fellini, one of the best film directors ever. Rimini is the history of mass tourism, by having one of the oldest tradition of hospitality in Italy, without being a historical site like Rome, Taormina, Naples and so on.

The train to Rimini, in the summer (and now it's still summer), is full of tourists: young guys (and girls), old ladies (married or with some friends), middle-age people. Everybody goes to Rimini, usually for a week.

Today is a wonderful sunny and warm day. A classical end-of-summer day. In the train, voices of people going on holiday cancel the noise of this old Interregional train.

Found it!

2006-09-01T07:00:00.000+02:00

Two years later, the police has found it.
Well done!

Turisti protagonisti

2006-09-01T06:35:00.000+02:00

Spinto da questo articolo di Repubblica (un classico esempio di giornalismo governativo), ho dato un'occhiata al sito turisti protagonisti, realizzato dalla Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri. L'idea è interessante: ognuno scrive un contributo, in cui spiega perché è andato all'estero anziché in Italia. Anche il sito non è male, facile da navigare, non presenta particolari problemi per l'inserimento di post, nel quale effettua anche la verifica parole per l'antispam.

Siamo a quota 1009 racconti (all'ora della pubblicazione di questo articolo). Ora bisogna vedere se la Presidenza recepirà i contributi dei frequentatori del sito. E qui verrà il bello.

Speriamo di non trovarci davanti all'ennesima storia italica di buone intenzioni e pessimi risultati.

Podcast guide

2006-08-31T13:12:00.000+02:00

Perhaps is not a news, but for me it is a wonderful news. There are some podcast guides available, FREE, in this website. At the moment, you can download audio guides about Venice, Pisa, Siena, Florence and Rome, either in ipod or mp3 format.

Wonderful, if you download it into your mobile phone or mp3 player, and walk inside these beautiful cities listening to it.

What about making a Le Marche podguide?

No more with Google Adsense

2006-08-30T13:12:00.000+02:00

... after 2 days, I realize that I don't want to bother you with advertisement on my website. I have my own website, and the only advertisement I admit are MINE!, or the ones that I want to advertise.
Therefore, I cancelled from Google adsense, also because the revenue were expected to be extremely poor, in spite of the noise of the banners goign around the webpage.

Better clean!

Always on!

2006-08-30T12:45:00.000+02:00

One of the first requirements of a blogger-tour-guide is to be always connected. Well, I'm not always (like: 24/7) connected, but with this new mobile (good design, good duration, hopefully good resistance) I am online even when in train. That's why my blog is now more updated than before!

This is nice, but lack something...

2006-08-30T06:38:00.000+02:00

I found a nice picture in RY website, which is good to understand where & what for the Ry flights.

I'd like to add a spot: Magical Marche next to Ancona and Forlì airport!

Happy birthday!

2006-08-30T06:31:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was Francesca's birthday.

Francy is a very special person: she's the girl (better to say the woman) who's travelling with me in my most important tour, the one of my life.

Happy birthday, Francy: now we live together, and it's wonderful to come back home and find you waiting for me.

With love...

...and also with Google Adsense

2006-08-21T13:37:00.000+02:00

Actually, I just applied to become a publisher... who knows, maybe I'll be millionaire next year... well... within 2 years, let me be realistic.

Now in Technorati

2006-08-21T12:53:00.000+02:00

I've already signed up in Technorati, a (famous) blogosphere centre. Anybody of you who knows all the secrets of this website? Tell me, please!
Technorati Profile

Province of Ancona's new website

2006-08-18T06:33:00.000+02:00

The new website of the Province of Ancona is online. There is (at least!) an English translation, but it's available a translation into French and German.
Only point: the events are only in Italian. I'm sure they will improve this feature.

What a wonderful world...

2006-08-07T17:55:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I went - my second time of my life - to the Grotta Azzurra. It's a wonderful place at the feet of Monte Cardeto, where the old lighthouse stands. The Grotta Azzurra (blue cave) is called so after the bigest cave present in the area. It is the only artificial cave. But something very strange - and wonderful at the same time - is to see about fifty small caves dug by the Anconetani in the 50s, which are know really a sort of casa al mare, villette, romantic refuge with the sea wetting the table of the sitting room. Yesterday, Sunday, it was full of people gathering mussels, symbol of the town, to prepare spaghetti alla tarantina, with some fresh tomato, mussels, oil and salt - amazing!

It is not only because I'm from here that I always celebrate the beautiness f this region. It is because every time I realize to live in a place which has a great sea 5 minutes walking from the city centre, I think I can't live too far away from here.

Dico la mia sul Mondiale

2006-08-04T13:04:00.000+02:00

Ora che le luci si sono spente, ora che l'Italia pallonara, quella non in ferie, torna a parlare di calcio mercato e di scandali (che possono interessare solo a chi legge la Gazzetta dello Sport anche il martedì, notoriamente il più insignificante dei giorni, sportivamente parlando), voglio dire la mia su questi mondiali appena finiti e vinti. Lo fanno tutti, voglio farlo anch'io, eccheccacchio!

1) A livello tecnico, sono stati i Mondiali tra i più scarsi della storia. C'è un perché. Gli attuali campioni, o presunti tali, sono oramai fatti per il 20% da abilità tecnica e per l'80% da una potenza fisica ai limiti del normale. Il Ronaldo dei bei tempi, calata la potenza fisica, non c'è più. Ronaldinho, che fa dell'esplosività il suo cavallo di battaglia (il gioco dell'elastico riesce nei momenti cruciali solo se hai le gambe al massimo), non si è praticamente visto. Lo stesso Kakà, malconcio, ha retto la baracca fino alla Francia. Idem per Ballack, incapace di trasformare in gol un regalo di Archundia in semifinale (do you remember la punizione dal limite inesistente a dieci minuti dalla fine dei tempi regolamentari, calciata in tribuna?). Non è quindi un caso che l'unico campione a confermarsi tale è stato Zidane, per il quale la tecnica conta al 90%, tanto che potrebbe giocare anche da fermo (cosa che per lunghi tratti ha pure fatto).

Giusto per divagare: Maradona era un fenomeno anche da fermo (quando correva, ovviamente, non ce n'era per nessuno - vedi Argentina-Inghilterra 1986 e Argentina-Brasile 1990), Zidane lo stesso, ma un gradino più sotto. Gli altri (Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kakà) sono molto più sotto. A 34 anni forse solo Kakà sarà ancora forte. Ronaldinho a 30 anni sarà cotto. Ronaldo non esiste più da un pezzo.

2) Essendo questi Mondiali più fisici che tecnici, l'Italia ha prevalso, non a caso ai rigori, non a caso contro l'altra squadra che aveva una buona tenuta fisica ed una tecnica leggermente superiore. I nostri hanno disputato un mondiale atleticamente impressionante, non dando mai la sensazione (salvo ai supplementari della finale) di patire fisicamente l'avversario. Questa tenuta è stata poi esaltata dalla carica agonistica di tutti i giocatori: non ce n'era uno che destasse anche solo l'impressione di farsela addosso: erano tutti assatanati. Per queste due caratteristiche, quelle dei vincenti, va dato merito a Lippi.

3) Va invece sottolineato che Lippi non ha mai azzeccato la formazione iniziale salvo contro il Ghana, quando in effetti gli azzurri hanno dato spettacolo, rischiando però moltissimo in difesa. A mio parere, doveva essere sacrificato Toni (un solo gol parzialmente decisivo) e non Gilardino (che contro la Germania era una spanna sopra agli avversari), Totti (praticamente nullo per l'intero mondiale) o Iaquinta (qualcosa di buono, ma proprio poco, contro la Germania e stop) e non Inzaghi (quattro palle gol, una delle quali segnata, in 15 minuti contro la Rep. Ceca). Non è un caso che le partite sono state decise sempre a formazione modificata (a parte contro l'Ucraina dove è stato sufficiente Zambrotta, uno che sa fare egregiamente il difensore, il centrocampista e l'attaccante).
Chiaro che più di vincere il torneo l'Italia non poteva fare, forse con due punte lo avremmo vinto più agevolmente, data la pochezza degli avversari, almeno fino alla finale. Poi, ovvio, chi vince ha sempre ragione, ed il tecnico ha creduto in un'idea, è stato bravo a cambiare in corsa, e quindi tanto di cappello.

4) La pochezza dei nostri avversari è stata davvero disarmante. Questo non è però un demerito, perché uno deve far valere la propria superiorità. In Giappone, tanto per dire, battuta la Corea del Sud, avremmo avuto la Spagna, una Germania simile a questa in semifinale (e non in casa), ed un Brasile assolutamente terrestre in finale. In Germania, l'Italia è stata finalmente autoritaria, come non lo era dal 1982 e - in parte - dal 2000.

5) L'unico che avrebbe potuto sconfiggere l'Italia sarebbe stato un fuoriclasse assoluto. Ballack non è stato tale (complice lo stato pietoso), Zidane avrebbe potuto esserlo, ma alla fine, con la testata, ci ha regalato la Coppa, perché ha lasciato i suoi compagni soli nel momento del bisogno. Tornando a Maradona: il Napoli, o l'Argentina, anche solo con la sua presenza ed il suo carisma giocavano da grandi squadre. E lui non si sognava di farsi espellere nei momenti decisivi, perché sapeva che, senza di lui, quelle squadre sarebbero tornate piccole piccole. Zidane, in quel momento, non ci ha pensato. Gravissima pecca, specie nella sua ultima partita in carriera.

6) Lippi ha confermato che nelle finali regala sempre almeno due cambi all'avversario. Non si è smentito: Gilardino e Inzaghi colpevolmente fuori, Iaquinta e Del Piero colpevolmente dentro. Solo che questa volta Trezeguet giocava contro.

7) Il miglior giocatore del Mondiale, fino alla testata, è stato senza dubbio Zidane. Cannavaro monumentale, fantastico per costanza, ma il gol francese è colpa sua (errore simile a quello del 2000, colpo di testa sballato, fuori tempo ed attaccante lasciato colpevolmente solo). Zidane aveva fatto il brasiliano tra i brasiliani, cosa vista fare negli ultimi vent'anni, solo da (ancora lui) Maradona. Se metti a sedere tre brasiliani ad un Mondiale, sei il Migliore, stop. Chiaro che se con la testa rovini tutto, sei un cretino. Ri-stop.
Impeccabile Buffon (ancor meglio di Cannavaro sul quale pesa l'errore di cui sopra), fantastici Pirlo e Gattuso, che insieme hanno consentito all'Italia di giocare con lo stile che le è proprio.

8) Finalmente si è rivisto il gioco all'italiana, colpevolmente confuso con il "palla lunga e pedalare", "spazza e qualcuno ci penserà" in stile Cesare Maldini 1998 o Dino Zoff semifinale 2000 (e anche gli ultimi 10 minuti della finale). Il gioco che ci è proprio, quella ragnatela di passaggi, spesso anche ripetitivi, per poi affondare il colpo. Il motore di questo gioco è stato Pirlo, ben protetto da Gattuso (e chissà se Totti fosse stato in forma), che ha consentito all'Italia di difendere in otto uomini e di andare all'attacco con almeno cinque elementi. Contro la Germania c'è stata la dimostrazione più alta del nostro gioco all'italiana, specie nei supplementari, nel quale siamo riusciti a segnare due gol e due quasi-gol con quattro azioni completamente differenti: un assolo, un tiro da calcio d'angolo, un fraseggio in area ed un contropiede. Il tutto, con grande classe: un piacere tornare a vedere l'Italia giocare così, a questi livelli.

About the natural superiority of Greece on tourism

2006-08-01T12:16:00.000+02:00

I've just come back from a tour in Greece. Nice place, nice islands, but in particular excellent services. Everywhere we went, we didn't have to worry about sleeping: hundreds people offering us a room, for about 40 Euro per night. The islands where we went were very nice (Santorini, Paros, Egina), or extremely awful (Mykonos, I'm still asking to myself why it is so advertised... it's a European Riccione, with better beaches, but worse weather, always windy).

What impressed me more, was the ease of having a room, renting a quad, purchasing a ferry ticket, understanding everything everywhere without speaking Greek. In Pantelleria, where I was in June, it was a nightmare renting a car, finding a room, paying with credit card, checking my email (in Greece, an Internet cafè everywhere) or simply planning my tour via the Internet. In Pantelleria, I was lucky to find Il Dammuso and Giovanni Matta, and my holiday there was like a dream. But everything else was like a nightmare: no signs, people hardly speaking Italian, no English at all, no gas stations but in the main town. Everything was set for the winter, not for the summer. Everything but the prices, which were very high, as (I thought) it's normal for an island.

While in Greece, I saw the opposite: prices are very low (half as Italy), for 2 weeks in Greece I spent a little bit more than 1 week in Pantelleria, with 3 nights in Athens, which is more expensive than the average of Greece. Sleeping in Greece costs half than Italy, every room has the air conditioning, everybody speaks English, shopping in the supermarket doesn't cost you a fortune.

Then, no doubt that the favourite tourist aims for Northern Europeans are Greece and Spain. For such a beautiful sea, assistance for tourists is much better. Italy has to acknowledge this and has to start working for improvement. Otherwise, the Colosseum, Pizza, Sole e Mandolino won't be enough any more.

Sorry, I was just moving...

2006-07-31T13:31:00.000+02:00

Ciao a tutti! It's been a month since I don't write. I swear, I'm not lazy, I was just moving from my house. Well, actually, I spent also 2 weeks in Greece for a... ahem, updating tour! :-) Of course, if you want to work with tourists, you have to be a tourist, once in a while!

Anyway, my moving will be complete by the end of the week, but I'm already connected with my mobile phone. Lots of things are coming, I know you'll be on holiday, but, you know... there is the "archives" function, so just press it and read! :-)

A short summary of what is coming:
- On the (un)natural superiority of Greece in tourism;
- How to kick the tourist away in Pantelleria - Sicily (sniff! sniff!)
- ... big surprise... walking tours...

Dedicated to the accordions

2006-07-03T19:22:00.000+02:00

Last Friday I've been in Cstelfidardo with Hin, Sally and Katrina Cheung, to visit the Zero Sette accordion factory, and the International Accordion Museum. Katrina, Hin's and Sally's daughter, is a great accordion player. Her instrument is made indeed by Zero Sette.
Actually, I discovered a world which I didn't know at all. Of course, I knew about accordions and the role of Castelfidardo, but I didn't imagine the quality, the knowledge and the charm which is behind an accordion.

Moreover, in this period of economical crisis I was happy to see a great factory like Zero Sette (unfortunately, they don't have a website), which is experiencing a flourishing time, due to the passion and the very high commitment they put on their job.

A great thanks to the Cheungs to make it possible.

A week off!

2006-06-09T20:01:00.000+02:00

Just to tell you that I'm leaving for Pantelleria, Sicily, for a week of holiday. So, I won't reply to emails until the 18th June. Too many baths to enjoy to check the email!!!

A presto!
Angelo

The best icecream in the world

2006-06-05T21:36:00.000+02:00

This time I shift my attention outside le Marche. in particular, I'd like to tell you about the best icecream I've ever tried. It's in Bologna, it's the Sorbetteria Castiglione.
I just came back from Bologna with a 1,5 Kilo case of icecream. The flavours? Chocolate (extra-cocoa, wonderful, an addiction), custard (with lemon inside, the real Italian custard), a more-than excellent pistachio (maybe the most particular flavour where they really distinguish from the other icecream producers), lemon and hazelnut. Already had a glass full of icecream. Still dreaming...

Never thought to have a food tour in Bologna with me? I know it, I lived there for years... :-)

In memoriam

2006-05-15T23:11:00.000+02:00

Questo post è per una persona che, da ieri, non c'è più.
Una persona che ha dato gran parte della sua vita, forse troppa, allo sport giovanile. Una persona che ha allevato tantissimi giovani calciatori, tutti con la speranza, un giorno, di diventare bravi, ricchi e famosi.
Una persona che, con la sua dolcezza, l'allegria, l'esempio, la bravura, ha fatto divertire centinaia di ragazzi.
Se non ci fosse stato lui, forse tanti oggi sarebbero peggiori, forse non sarebbero "grandi", sicuramente si sarebbero divertiti di meno.
Il nostro caro allenatore, che ha dedicato tante energie a vedere quei ragazzini sorridere e correre dietro al pallone, oggi ci vede e ci segue dal cielo, e ci aiuta a correre sempre più forte degli avversari, a tenere gli occhi aperti, a credere nelle nostre possibilità, e a capire che, in fondo, stiamo solo giocando ad un gioco un po' più lungo.

Per questo, lo ringraziamo.