Marche Madness: Learning Italian, Opera, and being Ugly in the land of the Dukes

If you think all there is to see and do in Italy can be found along the trodden-to-death path that goes from Rome to Florence to Venice, it's time to rethink your mistaken notion. I've just visited the northern Marche region of Italy, where I've seen Opera students perform arias inside the 16th century bishop's palace (to a wine bottle yet!). I've eaten the Marche's famous truffles on top of a delightful summer salad; I've stayed in a country house called Parco Ducale that's a stone's throw from the Duke's elaborate hunting lodge called the Barco Ducale and I've visited a language school called Scuola Italia that specializes in teaching Italian in small classes and integrating students into the community. Guess what? I didn't have to leave the town of Urbania to do all this.

Scuola Italia not only sponsors an Opera School for aspiring students of the art, but they'll integrate the learning of Italian with other passions Italians are famous for, like cooking and soccer (coming soon). You can also learn about culture and language in the town of Piobbico, which not only hosts the recently restored Renaissance era Brancaleoni Castle, but is also the seat of the world famous Club dei Brutti, or Ugly Club. That's the door to the club over there to the right. It's ugly, no? I'm not a member, by the way--and no, I don't think there's a way to nominate me.

When you plan your Italian Vacation, take time out to discover the countryside and the wonders of the undiscovered places. Urbania is just 17 kilometers from Urbino, and, unlike the famous city, it's darn flat, so you don't mind walking around in the summer heat--and there's plenty of free parking, too (now there's an Italian discovery!)

Marche Travel Resources: Marche Map | Scuola Italia Language and Culture School | Parco Ducale Country House | Club Dei Brutti article from the Cagli Project (Cagli is another interesting town in the Marche)

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