Wine routes
If you love wine or simply want to discover the beauty of the Marches’ rolling hills, you can follow the paths of two typical DOC (Controlled Origin Denomination) wines of our area: the red Rosso Conero and the white Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. Stop for a taste in a cellar and take advantage of this break to visit the small historic centers that follow one another among the vineyards.
Moscioli, ciauscolo, olive ascolane and
The nice thing of the Marches is that it stretches from the sea to the Apennines in just a few kilometers while food is extremely varied and full of different flavors. In addition to fish specialties, such as the Moscioli di Portonovo (local mussels) and the Adriatic seafood that you can enjoy in one of the many restaurants in Sirolo or along the coastline, you can’t miss the Paccasassi, the famous "Conero marine fennel". It can be found only in summer, it grows among the rocks of Mount Conero and is a protected plant, therefore it’s forbidden to collect it, but some local companies produce it so you can find it in glass jars, perfect to bring home.
Other things not to be missed are sour cherry wine, fig loin, Vernaccia and Verdicchio biscuits, anise liqueurs (such as Varnelli and Anisetta Meletti), oil (you will find indigenous cultivars such as the Raggia, the Leccino, the Coroncina), barley, crescia, Olive all’ascolana (fried stuffed olives) and the ciauscolo, typical of the Sibillini but produced throughout the region: a soft salami that can be spread!
One thing is certain, here on vacation it is very difficult to be on a diet.