We had a nice overnight with friends to Senigallia. It is an easy drive. About 1.5 hours if you don’t stop anywhere. We planned some visits to wineries along the way so it took longer. Most of the trip, outside Umbria, was in Le Marche. A pretty region similar in landscape to Umbria except for the proximity to the Adriatic.
Our first target was Matelica. The landscapes and views are beautiful. It’s agricultural and also pretty mountainous. They’re are lots of wineries. They make primarily Verdicchio which is a nice white wine. If you find a good producer, it can be very complex. We chose ColleStefano. A nice property. All the wineries are in the middle of the harvest and the crush so we had a bit of trouble visiting them. We bought a case of the Verdicchio and a few Rosati (Rosé).
Our next goal was finding a place to have the picnic we brought. We visited another winery. We could purchase, but not taste because the family was busy with the harvest. No place to picnic.
Off we went towards Senigallia. No picnic tables to be found. Finally along the Lungomare, the sea coast, we found a small park with a table. The town is quite empty. Quiet. We checked into our hotel, TerrazzoMarconi. Our view.
The evening was a fancy dinner at a Michelin 3 star restaurant Uliassi. Seafood. It sits right on the beach. It was sprinkling as we walked to dinner. We had to wait a bit for the doors to open. Here are a few pictures.
A nice evening.
Thursday morning. We had a nice if surprising breakfast. Buffets have disappeared since the advent of Covid. We had seen none until today when they had a completely open buffet. No glass covers over the food or anything. No restaurants in the Marche took our temperature or contact info. I suppose all the regions have their own rules. We even had a mini-bar, also a thing of the past since Covid.
Luther and I took a walk on the beach. It was hot!
We got underway and headed for another winery for a tasting and to purchase. This one was near Jesi.
After our nice tasting we headed for Fabriano and lunch. There is good news. And there is bad news. We arrived and parked and walked to our intended restaurant. They were closed. So we went to a small piazza not far away where there was a nice bar. So we settled in and ordered lunch. The bad news was, the food was awful. I can’t remember when I’ve gotten such bad food in Italy.
The town of Fabriano is known since the 1300s as a primo paper making city. They are even a UNESCO heritage site for this to this day. I love this city. Here are some pictures.
It was a fun little giro. I must keep in mind that the sea is very accessible and go more often.
That all sounds amazing. I miss going out. Anyplace. It was our 38th anniversary the other day and I asked Hubby if he wanted to go out to eat or somewhere but he said no way.
LOL, I remember going to one restaurant in Ragusa. Hubby got some sort of pasta and the sauce was so sweet, he couldn’t eat it and my lamb chops were so tough, it was like chewing shoe leather.
My daughter is in Sicily now. Did Mt Etna today. I think they are going to find a spot to stay for a bit. Get a long term Airbnb. She has to go back to working from home (or whereever they land) starting Thursday. After that, she is making no plans. Said something about chasing the summer. Damn, to be young and free and actually have the $$$ to do that.
So a good meal at a 3 star restaurant and then, not so good. There’s good and bad everywhere but I would imagine in most of Italy it’s at least 80/20 for the good. Fabriano looks like quiet town, but nice. Reminds me of our lunch stop in San Quirico d’Orcia last year in our way to Montepulciano. We had a good lunch there. Sounds like a good trip overall though.
Thanks again for sharing your car trip with all the lovely pictures and straightforward descriptions. I have a question; when you say the food is “bad”- does that mean without flavor, or isn’t fresh or processed or other? Just curious how someone can botfh the food there.