the locatity: Gualdo, a small picturesque village at 3km has café, restaurant, 2 village supermarkets, baker, green grocer and butcher, bank, post office and petrol station, and stunning views from the hill top location at 652m.
Sarnano 8km away, a well preserved medieval town centre with steep narrow alleys, has a good range of shops cafes and restaurants. The town is a spa, winter skiing resort and excellent good base for hiking in summer.
Macerata the provincial capital and university city is 40 minutes away. The historic city has an international opera festival during July and August in the Sferesterio.
To the east the Adriatic coast is 50 minutes away, south and west Rome is 3.5 hours by car, Assisi and Ascoli Piceno major historic and cultural centres are about 1 hour away.
Il Vigneto is situated in an area of natural beauty with extensive green rolling hills set against the Sibillini Mountains and the National Park, all together some of the most delightful scenery in Italy
the region: Le Marche is one of Italy’s best kept secrets. Prior to the unification of Italy, Le Marche was one of the Papal States governed directly by the Pope, “the Marches” meaning a border province of the Holy Roman Empire.The landscape of Le Marche ranges from undulating agricultural fields and vine clad slopes to snow-capped mountains and dramatic gorges. The mountains are calcareous in origin, producing the magnificent Frassasi limestone caves. There are 20 peaks over 2000m and several ski resorts in the area. The whole area is a walker's paradise with many mountain paths, guided walks if you require, and a stunning array of wild flowers to be seen. Le Marche is rich in historical-artistic and cultural heritage which has been preserved and unlike its neighbours Umbria and Tuscany, is relatively undiscovered and still unspoiled by tourism. Little English is spoken but the local Italians are very friendly and helpful, especially if you try to speak a few words of Italian.
A mosaic of ancient cities, rolling hills, dramatic mountains, hidden valleys and long, sandy beaches, Le Marche is an outstanding holiday destination. Every small hilltop village in this region has a beautiful church and a welcoming bar, but more than that, throughout summer and autumn each village has its local festa or sagra. This is a time to celebrate the year’s hard work and is usually based on produce from mushrooms, sausages, fruit, wine or chestnuts depending on the season. It is a time for eating and drinking, processions, music and dancing.
