Explore Marche

Do you want to explore the region of Marche?

When we first came, Ieva and I, we didn't know where to travel or how to get around. So we started to investigate the train lines and their connections.

We still have a lot to visit, but this is a guide of the trips we made first month. How to get there, their prices and what to see there and recommendations.

Ancona

This was our first trip, and we really liked it.

We got off the train at the Ancona station, and we had two options, take a 10-minute bus that left us in the city center or walk for 50 minutes exploring Ancona. We took the second option.

We went straight to Spiaggia del Passetto, it is a small beach at the foot of a cliff. We went down to the beach and took a walk along it. It is a fisherman's beach, so it is not your typical summer sandy beach (not really a good place to swim). It has small former fisher-men's houses, many of which have now been converted into small houses to spend the day on the beach. The aesthetics are very nice, it is not crowded and it is very quiet.

Then, when the sun went down, we took another walk through the city center. Ancona is a larger city than Jesi, it has many more shops and restaurants, and it has a university so the youth atmosphere is more noticeable. We sat down to eat at a Kebad pizzeria, which is right in the main square, it is not the most beautiful place in Ancona but they have slices of pizza for 1.50 euros and they are quite delicious, we recommend it. Then we went to an ice cream shop but we did noy like it very much (Jesi has better ice cream for sure), it was near the Fontana del Calamo or Fontana delle tredici cannelle, the fountain of the thirteen spouts and the tradition dictates that if you drink from the fountain you will return to Ancona (“La tradizione vuole che se alla fontana berrai, ad Ancona tornerai…”). We did after few weeks - went to the peace walk/protest.

On the way to the station we stopped for another piece of pizza, to a place right in front of the station and it was VERY bad. We don't recommend eating near the train station

How to get?

Direct train Jesi - Ancona with a duration of approximately 34 minutes, price of 3.80 euros each way. Trains quite frequently, we recommend taking the 11a.m train.

Falconara Marittima

It was October but it was very hot and it seemed like a summer day, so we wanted to go to the beach so we looked for the closest thing we had to Falconara Marittima.

We got off the train station in Falconara Marittima, and we walked about 15 minutes until we reached the beach. Falconara is not a very pretty town and it is a bit dirty.

We got to the beach and took a dip. The water wasn't clean because there happens to be an petroleum station nearby, but we didn't know that then. We sunbathed on the beach. It was quiet and calm. 

We only spent the morning there.

How to get?

Direct train Jesi - Falconara Marittima with a duration of approximately 20 min, price of 2,55 euro each way. Trains quite frequently. 

 

Cingoli 

We went on the second day of November to visit the Fair of the Dead, and the other volunteers who are in the Red Cross of Cingoli. Cingoli is a small town on top of a hill, so the temperature is cold and it can only be reached by bus. We took a walk and saw the viewpoint, very beautiful, but we went on a very windy day so it was a bit unpleasant. So, if you plan to visit Cingoli - dress a bit warmer!! The fair had several stalls selling clothing, food and games. It was OK, nothing special.

How to get?

Direct bus Jesi - Cingoli with a duration approximately 40 min, price of 3,60 each way. Buy the ticket at the "La Tini" bar,  it is next to the bus station in Jesi. Tickets are sold in the automate that only takes cash. You need to know how long is the trip (how many kilometers) to chose the right ticket. It's quite complicated. Keep in mind that you can always buy a ticket in the bus, but it will be more expensive (4,20 eur for this trip). In Cingoli tickets can be bought at the tobacco shop near the station.

The schedules change depending on the day.

Assisi

We went to Assisi the first week of November. Upon arriving at the station we had to take a bus for about 10 minutes that left us at the top of the hill, where the historic center is located. We saw the Basilica of San Francisco d'Assisi, is the most popular thing to see there is, and it has been a World Heritage Site since 2000.

Then we took a walk through the city, it is beautiful, medieval in style, it has many small cathedrals and nearby is the Assisi monastery.

How to get?

Train Jesi - Foligno and Foligno - Assisi, then a bus Assisi - Assisi centro with a duration approx 2h40min all the trip, price of 12,10 (both train and the bus) each way.