Mondavio – a Marche gem

The area around Mondavio, San Leo and Urbino is one of the loveliest places in Italy. The town itself is an easy and scenic drive up from Ancona. Ancona is often your place of arrival with many great flight deals on offer. From Ancona enjoy a drive that winds up hill after hill as you move inland.

The town is is very impressive as you get nearer. The castle and the three bell towers, all within the perfectly preserved town walls, dominate the surrounding countryside.

It is worth spending, at the very least, a full day in the town. A morning spent wondering the lovely little streets and soaking up the atmosphere can be followed by an afternoon visiting the perfectly preserved castle and its museum.

The medieval castle was the work of the Tuscan architect Francesco Giorgio di Martini. The castle is apparently, or so castle-buffs tell me, revolutionary in its design. It is one of the very few castles anywhere to have remained entirely intact. The five storey main tower in the shape of an octagon dominates the castle and was the last line of defence according to the same castle buffs. I know little about castles so I hope what they tell me is true.

The town is also one of the best places to learn Italian. The local Italian school is in fact one of the selected few under my Italian language section.

If you are in town during August then the Hunting of the Wild Boar festa is well worth a visit.

Where to Stay

There are a couple of decent hotels in the town and its surrounds. The best is The Hotel i Tigli (click for more) which is a short drive from Mondavio in the wonderful little village of Corinaldo. This hotel is a real bargain, very well run and a friendly home from home.

Corinaldo is a magical place. A thousand years of history comes alive within the ancient medieval walls of this delightful gem of a village. The town is surrounded by rolling hills and the sense of timeless peace is unbeatable.

If you really want to get away from it all and see how the other half live (simply but well) Corinaldo is a very good place to do it. This is the sort of town that enchants and leads to a life long love of the Italian lifestyle

A good way to explore the area well is to rent a villa in the surrounding countryside and hire a car. This is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this area. Ideas on places to rent in Mondavio and Le Marche? These are my picks.