Climate and Environment
Temperature, winds, intensity and distribution
of precipitations very considerably throughout the region, depending
on the lie of the mountains, exposure to air currents and the marked
differences in altitude of the coastal belt and inland mountains and
between valley floors and the peaks. Along the coast the climate is
mainly maritime with a limited temperature range and little rainfall;
towards the interior, the temperature range increases as do precipitations,
reaching as much as 2,000 mm/year in some limited mountainous areas.
Snow is frequent in winter, mostly inland, while the rainiest seasons
are generally spring and autumn.
The natural vegetation has been greatly modified by man, originally
to obtain arable land, later for tourist resorts. The woods that once
spread over most of the area now cover only 16.2% of the region.
A typical coastal environment is
Mount Conero (572 m.), an isolated massif rising on the Adriatic
Coast, composed of calcareous rock, marl and sandstone. The massif is
steep towards the sea but slopes smoothly inland. In ancient times it
was covered with thick woods, in perfect harmony with the vegetation
and fauna of both Apennines and coast. Nowadays, as a result of the
extensive urbanization of coastal and hilly areas, it stands like a
green island surrounded by wasteland. The famous woods were cut down
at random and have almost disappeared, though interesting examples of
luxuriant vegetation still survive. Holm oaks grow plentifully together
with cane apples and rare examples of Mediterranean maquis. In the most
despoiled areas, the Mediterranean maquis has been replaced by garigue
with rockrose, sharp cedar, broom and helichrysum. The Portonovo lakes
have a mass of ditch reeds, sedges, water-weeds and pondweed. The fauna
is scanty, and mainly consists of foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, some weasels
and nocturnal birds of prey.
Sibillini Mountains on the Umbrian border is a typical Apennine
environment, though partly spoilt by tourist resort construction. Woods
of white oak, manna-ash and hornbeam mantle the lowest slopes, while
on the peaks lie large beechwoods, together with sycamores, yews and
holly oak. The mountain flora is rich and rare; outstanding examples
are the Apennine wormwood, the Apennine edelweiss and the fritillary.
In spite of a decline in wildlife of over the last few decades, a few
examples of local fauna still survive: Apennine wolves, wild cats and
otters together with larges numbers of foxes, martens, stonemartens,
badgers and weasels, as well as porcupines, which have recently increased
in number. Remarkable birds are the golden eagle, falcon and goshawk;
reptiles include Orsini vipers and smooth snakes. A distinctive indigenous
denizen of the Lake of Pilato is the Marchesoni chirocephalus crustacean.
Among the protect areas we mention the Natural
Park of Mount Conero, the Natural
Park of Mount San Bartolo, the
National Park of the Sibillini Mounts, instituted in 1994
and shared with the Umbria, the National Park of the Laga
Mounts shared with the Abruzzi.
Recently, the important underground environment of the Frasassi
Caves was discovered. These caves are situated in the Valley
of Sentino near Frasassi Gorge, north of Fabriano and, as far
as is known, extend for 15 km underground. They are still being explored,
and form an extraordinary karst group, with pits, swallow holes, underground
lakes and phantasmagoric shapes, stalactites and stalagmites, marble
columns and cascades of alabaster crystals that are an extremely beautiful
sight. On the walls of Frasassi Gorge a rare example of flora can be
found: the ephedra major, a true relic of the Cenozoic Era.
Economy
Though farming methods are not particularly efficient,
agriculture still employs one sixth of the working population. There
are two main reasons for this: farmers are strongly attached to their
land and small craft businesses (nearly 50,000) often offer part-time
jobs or work at home, so that farming is a spare time activity. Even
full-time farmers sometimes produce wooden, pottery, wrought-iron,
straw and wicker articles. The share-cropping system too
helped to delay the development of agriculture (this as changed only
recently), as did the low acreage of farms. The most important crops
are: wheat, sugar-beet, cauliflowers, fennel,
olives and grapes. Livestock resources are rather limited,
while fishing is greatly developed (1/10 of national fish production,
1/7 of mussels and shellfish). Main fishing port is San
Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli
Piceno), one of the best equipped of the Adriatic Sea also under
the profile of the canning industry.
Industry spreads mainly along the coast and mussels traditionally
characterized by the semi-craft system, although in the last few decades,
large concerns have undergone development, particularly near ports.
The most important industries footwear, textiles, furniture,
paper (Fabriano),
musical instruments (Castelfidardo), mechanical products
(Pesaro), tinned food, ships and boats (Ancona),
petrolchemicals (Falconara), electromechanical instruments
and chemicals. The regional production of electricity is fairly
low.
Trade is reasonably lively and often linked to agricultural products.
The transport, banking and insurance sectors are steadily increasing.
The tourist flow towards seaside resorts is high in summer.
Due to the morphology of the area, communications
are sufficiently well developed along the coast, with the Bologna-Bari
motorway and railway, though still inadequate in the interior. Ancona-Falconara
is the only passenger airport. The port of Ancona handles a large amount
of shipping and some passenger traffic, especially in summer.
Tourism
Of particular relief the tourism.
The Marches are generally renowned for their famous seaside resorts.
From north to south, the most important are: Gabicce
Mare,
Pesaro, Marotta, Senigallia
(the famous `Velvet Beach'), Ancona,
Numana, Porto
Recanati, Civitanova
Marche,
Porto San Giorgio, Lido di Fermo, Cupra
Marittima, Grottammare,and
San
Benedetto del Tronto. The presence
of so many seaside resorts, often rich in artistic attractions, leads
one to forget the countless other interesting places in the region.
However, towards the hilly inland, lie various little towns as yet undiscovered
by mass tourism (Cagli,
Arcevia,
Camerino,
Tolentino), in spite of their historical artistic and cultural importance
(Urbino,
Ascoli,
Fano, Jesi);
indeed, they are well worth including in delightful tours through gentle
relaxing scenery like the evocative " balconies " of the Marches: Cingoli,
Recanati,
Osimo.
Picturesque ancient villages are often found on
hilltops, frequently dominated by an old castle or tower or surrounded
by thick walls. From north to south, the first is S. Leo in Montefeltro,
with its imposing 14th century fortress and the Romanesque parish church;
to the south stands Sassocorvaro with the Fortress of Ubaldini,
masterpiece of 14th century military architecture; further south Urbania,
with its interesting 14th-15th century centre, and Fossombrone,
with Renaissance buildings. Passing through the suggestive Furlo
Gorge (Galleria Romana) one reaches Cagli, a little town
of great environmental interest with its 13th-14th century Town Hall;
from here one can take a short trip to the lonely Camaldolese Monastery
of Fonte Avellana at the foot of Mount Catria (1,701 m.).
In the province of Ancona the first town one comes to is Sassoferrato,
with its interesting medieval centre and Gothic church of St. Francis
(in the surrounding area the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Sentinum).
On the way back to the coast from Sassoferrato, one passes through Cingoli,
with its wonderful landscape and interesting urban structure; Recanati,
Leopardi's hometown, Osimo and its beautiful brass font (17th
century) inside the Baptistry; Iesi, surrounded by 13th century
walls, with the Renaissance Palazzo della Signoria. Further south, lies
Fabriano (Tapestry Museum), then Camerino, seat of an
ancient University, Tolentino, with St. Nicholas's Basilica (13th-15th
century) and outstanding frescoes, and S. Ginesio (Romanesque-Gothic
Collegiate Church). In the province of Ascoli,
one can visit Amandola at the foot of Sibillini Mountains; then
heading towards the sea, reach Offida, with the Church of Santa
Maria della Rocca (14th century); the little medieval town of Ripatransone,
with the narrowest lane in Italy (38-43 cm. wide) and Fermo,
near the Adriatic Sea, with an imposing Romanesque-Gothic cathedral
and the wonderful Piazza del Popolo.
Beautiful natural scenery is another attraction of the region; and the
Conero headland and Caves of Frasassi, already mentioned
in the Introduction, are outstanding. But the Marches is also a mountainous
region (the Sibillini Mountains range) with good skiing resorts,
such as Forca Canapine, Ussita, Sarnano and Piobbico.
There are also several health spas with good hotel facilities: Acquasanta
Terme with sodium bromide waters used in the treatment of arthritis
and respiratory disorders; Sarnano with bicarbonate alkaline
waters for illnesses of the urinary tract; Aspio Terme, where
four springs with different properties enable a wide range of treatment
to be made available; Carignano Terme, near Fano, with sodium
bromide waters for metabolic and gastric disorders.
Loreto has a special role in tourism in the Marches; the Sanctuary
Church of the Holy House, rich in works of art, has been the destination
of millions of pilgrims for centuries.
History
The
word Marche, in its plural form, has been in use since the beginning
of the 19th century. The region's territory was originally
divided into three areas: the Marca Ascolana, the Marca Fermana
and the Marca Anconitana. The singular form of the word Marca
(march) derives from the feudal organisation and comes from the
German term "Mark" meaning border. During the Middle Ages, the
German emperors so referred to the territories located along the borders
of their realms. Prior to the Middle Ages, the Latin word Picenum was
employed to identify the region, that corresponds to the southern part
of what is now Marche.
The rests of the remotest Marches prehistoric cultures have been discovered
on the mount Conero and on the rivers Misa and Nevola. A lot of neolithic
reports was founded almost everywhere and especially in the caves of
the Frasassi Gorge, near Genga
and Arcevia.
Also the cultures of the bronze age are very represented,
but the civilizations most represented are those of the iron age,
to which several necropolis date back. In particular those of Novilara
(near Pesaro), Numana and Sirolo, Ripatransone,
Fabriano,
Monte
Roberto, Pianello di Genga and Fermo.
Around
the 10th century BC a population of unknown origin and which
Latin tradition linked to the Sabines, settled in the area. It seems
that the term Piceni, employed by the Romans for these people derives
from the Latin word for woodpecker, a bird venerated by the ancient
Sabines as sacred.
The territory of Picenum, Italy's geographical centre, was a meeting
place for diverse tribes and civilisations coming both from the north
and from the south.
First came the Terramare settlers from the valley of the River Po in
the North, only to be followed by other people coming from the Mediterranean
lands. Next came the Gauls, again from the north and the Greeks from
the south, together with other populations coming from Sicily. Representatives
of all these different civilisations came to Picenum but did not influence
the customs and the life style of the proud, indigenous inhabitants,
who steadfastly maintained their traditions.
Just south of the Marche territory a new, major military power was developing.
The inhabitants of Picenum had successfully withstood previous outside
influences but had to bow their heads when faced with Rome's expansionism.
At the beginning of the 3rd century BC the local populations
stipulated a defensive/offensive alliance with Rome against their common
enemy: the Gauls. Only three decades later, having defeated
Pyrrhus, Rome focused its expansionist policy against its ancient
allies and, after a strenuous war, managed to acquire sovereignty over
the rich and densely populated region.
In the following centuries the new rulers derived remarkable benefits
from Picenum offering little in exchange, as borne out by the harsh
levies imposed. The local populations arose various times, demanding
economic benefits and political representation. Their demands were met
only when Octavian rose to power, transforming the Republic into the
Empire and in so doing Picenum was acknowledged as the fifth of the
eleven regions in which Octavian Augustus divided Italy.
During
the Empire, Picenum enjoyed a period of prosperity and the farmers could
at last peacefully till their fertile lands and be rewarded by plentiful
crops. The cities along the coast developed their maritime trade links
and every other important city was embellished by paved roads, buildings
and monuments.
The administrative structure introduced by Augustus lasted three centuries
but then the region's territorial unity was broken down under the various
barbaric rulers. Through the centuries the region was invaded and
came under Goth, Byzantine and Lombard rule. The only authority acknowledged
by the people was that of the bishops. After having defeated the Lombards,
Pepin and then again Charlemagne in 774, bestowed the territories of
Picenum upon the Church which found the region's inhabitants all too
ready to recognise the new ruler.
In order to maintain sovereignty over the region the Church had
to withstand the pressures brought to bear by subsequent German emperors,
who demanded identical rights over these lands by virtue of their being
the rightful heirs of the Holy Roman Empire, and also by the cities
themselves when they became Communes. As the feudal urban households
or seignories increased their power and until the 16th
century, the history of the Marche region mirrors that of its cities.
The Malatesta family ruled the cities of
Fano
and Pesaro,
the Montefeltro and subsequently the Della Rovere ruled over Urbino
and Cagli, the Da Varano over Camerino
and Chiavelli over Fabriano.
In
the 17th century the various territories once again became
a single political and administrative entity under the sovereignty of
the Papal States.
Napoleon's troops displaced this sovereignty for a period lasting just
over 15 years, when they invaded the Papal States. However it was restored
in 1815 after the French Emperor's definite defeat.
But a few years later uprisings and intrigues, tending to Italian unification
and independence, broke out and continued until 1860, when Italian troops
led by General Cialdini occupied Marche, and after a plebiscite the
region was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy.
In the successive period to the unit of Italy, the republican tradition
in the north of the region remained alive, while in other zones the
currents of the Catholicism animated new political and trade-union initiatives.
In the course of the second world war the movement of Resistance
to the nazi-fascism operated in the Apennine and pre-Apennine zones.
In the years after the Second World War the Marches have known a rapid
development.
