Experience Le Marche!

Our agro-food production stems from an interaction and integration between man and his environment, due to our ancestors having been able to seize the opportunities made available by a singular Marchigiana valley, I would say unique in its characteristics.
The valley of Alta Vallesina is the only one located downstream from north to south with the mountainous barrier of Monte San Vicino (1479 m) preventing the sea breezes from reaching it. Winters are hard, stiff and long of the continental type. Torrid summers of Mediterranean sun with large deviations of between day and night temperatures. This particular microclimate and alternate soil types of limestone and clay,  form a  unique territory. From this region anything that comes from agricultural practices often reproduced sensory characteristics that cannot be found elsewhere, thus giving origin to several unique names. Probably all the names that run in the valley are derived from the name Eso, a deity of Celtic origin, adored by the Gaul’s, is a testimony to the cultural imprint left in the regional customs. It is generally believed that the Gaul’s could be historically responsible for the presence of all the existing mini production of Ciauscolo (a soft salami) throughout the valley.
Along the syncline Camertina from south to north one can encounter small dorsal that determines and leads to a hilly landscape often of sub-alpine nature. Above the hill lies Camerino with its university, the cathedral, and the bishop palace. Its logography is growing and spontaneously produces a large amount of precious black truffle (tuber - melanosporum) with excellent characteristics.
An old traditional production is the prized Torrone di Camerino, a soft nugget like sweet of unique characteristics.
Going north to cross the river Potenza crosses Castelraimondo and it deviates westwards across to Fiuminata, known for a unique confectionery product known as La Crescia Fogliata.
Visitors arrive in Matelica to find the Museum Piersanti, the civic and Archaeological Museum, the Enoteca Comunale, the municipal center of Sensory Analysis, and the special white wine of Verdicchio di Matelica.
Matelica is not only renowned for its Verdicchio wine but also for the production of honey. Matelica is one of 29 cities aligned to "Association of Cities of Honey” that guarantees a consistent quality product.
A few kilometres west towards the border with Umbria, on the decline of a rocky outcrop at 446 m above sea level rises Esanatoglia, which houses in its territory the source of river Esino, and is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.  It’s an ancient town of the XIV century founded on ceramic production and the tanning of hides.   Here visitors can taste a particularly sweet, a favourite among locals known as Bianca, produced with simple ingredients: flour, sugar, white wine, anise seeds, and is offered as a traditional bakery product.
The river Esino follows the road towards Fabriano then proceeds north to the town of Cerreto d'esi. Founded in Lombard times, this town is currently characterized by Belisario Tower surrounded by a maze of narrow medieval streets and has given new life to the rediscovery of an ancient vine, the Vernaccia Cerretani and is now the subject of numerous trials of winemaking before its reaches commercial status. At the village of Borgo Tufico the river Esino is joined by an effluent Giano, and along its valley, we arrive at Fabriano. The children of the "gens Faber" have left a city with a medieval heart, and visitors should visit Palace of the Podestà, the Episcopal Palace, the Teatro Gentile, the Fountain Sturinalto and much more.
If we abandon the valley Alta Vallesina and we move into the Valle del Cesano we find Pergola, a city born in the thirteenth century, and now famous for its gilded bronzes of Pergola.  Here in the surrounding area the visitor can find the prized white truffle, and due to the quality of the environmental produces high quality white truffles. Pergola is also a land of important wines by grape varieties, such as red Vernaccia Pergola. In this area historically a flavored drink made of wine and cherries was produced called Visner. This wine is intense with a complex nose. The taste is consistent with aromas of red fruit matured in spirit, it is fresh, warm and fairly soft to the palate. It can be enjoyed with sweet confectionery products in particular that contain chocolate.

CRESCIA FOGLIATA
This is a cake like confection whose origins go back to the early Middle Ages, when it was prepared in the autumn and winter seasons. Nowadays it is currently available throughout the year. It is produced in the municipality of Fiuminata, more specifically in the localities of Pontille e Castello.
Crescia Fogliata looks like a flat like cylinder of puff pastry on which they spread ingredients (apples, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, anise seeds). The sheet consists of dough made with flour, water, oil, sugar. After the firing, which takes place in preheated oven at 180 °, it acquires a particular friability. Currently many producers add liquors and other dried fruit to this basic recipe to make a personalised and commercial sweet confection. In some local council areas, like Matelica and Esanatoglia, manufacturers also use a dough made of eggs which gives a softer texture to the confectionary.
Crescia Fogliata is eaten in combination with sweet wines having aromatics derived from withering, maturation in kegs.   It is therefore a satisfying alliance with Verdicchio Passito.

TORRONE DI CAMERINO
Torrone di Camerino was born in 1865 and is made of three ingredients, honey, almonds, and sugar, which gave rise to a compact mix svery similar to a crisp.
Over time the recipe has changed with the addition of eggs and other dried fruits that have changed the texture of the original recipe. Alongside this traditional nougat other types are currently marketed and have achieved notoriety using natural flavorings. It can be accompanied with distilled liquors from Agave Tequilera or dessert wines of potent quality.

VERDICCHIO DI MATELICA
The Verdicchio di Matelica comes from one of the oldest grape varieties in Italy. This grape variety has a strong, traditional and territorial ties with the territory, and the wine made from this variety is unrepeatable elsewhere.  In fact if grown in other geographical areas its qualities are very poor.  It was one of the first wines to have had the Denominaziione di Origine Controllata DOC on 21 July 1967, and has always demonstrated a qualitative growth resulting in numerous national and international accolades  so much so that it is on the road to becoming recognized as a Denominazione di Original Controllata e Guarantita. Currently, the wine can boast of two major types of production, classical and reserve.
Its quality perceives hints of apple, banana, almond in wines that most aging evolve nicely.
The taste has an almond finish, fine and elegant.  It’s a potent wine, fruity, destined for longevity.
It’s recommended in combination with seafood involving the presence of cephalopod mollusks, crustaceans, and delicate tasting fish. For the pairing with dishes that have tomatoes, blue fish, marinated ingredients, must address products with more smoothness and less savory. Its structure makes it suitable for complex preparations of white meat, can be happily served with fresh pecorino cheese and mildly seasoned, with Ciauscolo, Soppressa, and other pork cuts.

CIAUSCOLO
Its certainly a valuable specialties of inland le Marche, whose origins are lost in the mists of time, although the first written descriptions were in 1737. Among the various hypotheses that explain the etymology of the most reliable is related to the derivation from cibusculum, meaning little food or even food of small size in relation to the characteristics of the grain of the dough. The similarity with the paté can lead to a technique of its ancestors from the French word Senoni of the Gauls, who were confined in our mountain areas after the defeat of the Battle of Bilge (295 BC). A mixture of garlic, white wine and smoking are the additives that are added to pasta salami, which has a high percentage of fat, from 37% to 43%. The fat in the Ciauscolo along with high moisture contents results in a unique spread ability feature of the product. This physical characteristic along with the trend and aromaticity provide fresh and unforgettable experiences. Perhaps that is why all of the towns of the regione  of the Appenninica Marche and our valley of Alta Vallesina are considered custodians of the original recipe.

VERNACCIA ROSSA DI PERGOLA
This vine has been the subject of recent studies, and is now entering production in different vineyards. It has initiated a new Marchigiana Denominazione di Origine Controllata called Pergola DOC, which can be appreciated as red, Passito and Novello wines.  The vine is a clone of Aleatico which was present in the territory in 1234, the year of the founding of the city Pergola.  The wine, rich in coloring compounds, has a ruby red color with purple reflections, the floral fragrance reminiscent of the red rose, with hints of red fruit such as sour cherry, raspberry, strawberry. The taste is once again the same aromaticity but is quite balanced and presents aromas of quality difficult to find in other wines. This wine should be consumed young, with white meat in silver fiol  or porchetta, ham mountain, with preparations of structured products such as Senigagliese fish soup.