Marche to re-discover: Exploring travel halfway between art, history and traditions
Four great ambassadors of culture and art of the Marche region
Perhaps because of its peculiar profile, or maybe because the Duke Federico da Montefeltro during the Renaissance became known for his military skills but above all, for being one of the greatest patrons of the time. However this great historical figure, is only one of the representatives of the Marche region culture in the world, who has financed for his celebrations artists as the great Piero Della Francesca.
Not always in the spotlight of History (with a capital H), the Marche region gave birth to several great personalities of Italian culture.
In 2014 came back into the spotlight of the great cinema, during the 71th edition of the Venice Film Festival the name of Giacomo Leopardi great poet of the Italian nineteenth century, known for the elegance of his verse and for a particularly pessimistic view of the world . He was interpreted in 2014 by Elio Germano in “The fabulous young” by Mario Martone. A film in which the landscape of the Marche region and the beauty of its nature crystallize themselves in the poetry of Leopardi.
At artistic level, the Marche region has been home to many great artists that have influenced not only the Italian art but the one all over the world, one above all Raffaello Sanzio.
Raffaello counted among the pantheon of the great masters of painting has left several traces in his native region, as in the period before as well as in the one next to his transfer to Rome where he became a favorite among the performers of the papal court. Among the hometown of Urbino through some of the major museums of the Marche region you can follow a route in the footsteps of the works left by this great artist in the region.
A few decades later, again in Urbino, was born another great painter from the Marche region, Federico Barocci known and rediscovered recently with various thematic exhibitions, such as the in 2010 al Santa Maria della Scala di Siena and the one in 2013 alla National Gallery di Londra.
Popular Culture
As any other respected Italian region, the Marche alternate bursts of great artistic and intellectual value, to a very strong popular culture that manifests itself in a wide network of parties closely linked to the rural world and to traditions that have their roots in a society marked by strong values.
Moving from festivals that celebrate the cycle of wheat to historical re-enactments which refer to particularly relevant or even felt on moments, up to the traditional challenges between neighbourhoods and districts of various towns, the timing of these events is thick, and allows you to know not only the situation present in the region, but also a part of the more or less recent history of the villages of the region.
Let’s take a quick overview of the ones that are the most significant events during the year:
The main festivities joined to the cycle of wheat are:
The Day of the lair, which falls on the first Sunday of August in Campocavallo of Osimo
The Procession of the Canestrelle in Amandola in the province of Fermo
With regard to religious holidays is strongly felt on the day of Corpus Christi (procession on the first Sunday after Easter), celebrated with the traditional “decking with flowers”, flowers arrangements that create a carpet among the streets of the city showing a weave of holy images. Very nice “infiorate” are the ones in the municipalities of:
Castelraimondo
Corridonia
Cupramontana
Montefiore dell’Aso
Monterubbiano
Ortezzano e
Servigliano
Even Carnival is a very important moment, and is celebrated according to their own customs in the various cities of the Marche region. Especially in Fano, Ascoli Piceno and Offida Carnival is celebrated in two main moments, in dialect called Lu Bov Fint and the Parade of Vlurd.
During Lu Bov Fint (literally “The Fake Bove ” that occurs on Friday’s Carnival), are evoked the carnival raids a fake ox.
While the Shrove Thursday people will return to more similar festivities to those of the Italian tradition or to a procession of floats that in dialect is called Sfilata dei Vlurd(Parade of Vlurd) (Velurd bundles of rods of variable length that are filled with straw and held together by ties wicker).
The pageants are an important part of the traditions of the Marcheregion so that it’s present on the territory a regional association (http://www.rievocazionimarche.it/) that takes care of the organization of these events.
A great fortune of the re-enactment of Marches pageants is that the setting given from some small medieval villages that make up the “normal” landscape of this region greatly facilitate the task of the organizers providing a naturally beautiful scenery full of charm.
In order to learn about the popular culture of this region certainly a stretch you cannot ignore, is certainly that of the delights of the gourmet cuisine of the Marche region, about which undoubtedly there would be many words to spend.
Each area of the Marche region is mapped concerning the variety of DOC and DOCG wines which are produced and which can boast different aftertaste and fragrances deeply influenced by the terrain structure and the climatic conditions.
The cuisine in the Marche region, combines the taste for fish of the coast and the sea to the hinterland one, where you can find the production of cheeses and meats of the highest quality.