Help finding and renting apt west of Ancona, Italy.

September 22, 2009 2:12 PM

Good inexpensive family apartments for rent inland from Ancona, Italy in end-October? Need some assistance.

We're going with the family to Venice from Sweden by plane, then car down to Ancona (my dad is an accordion freak and wants to visit the famous maker there). We're thinking of heading straight inland from there, up the mountain range and hopefully stay in a nice, very italian apartment in some nice, very italian (see a pattern?) picturesque town where we can just enjoy life (gastronomically and wineonomically) for a week or so longer.

Any tips? Need to probably book asap, over the internet would be best. None of us speak italian (I know a few phrases), and only my mother has been to Italy for a week or so (Milan, Rome). We're five people, youngest is 22 yo. No smokers, no pets :)

posted by avocade to travel & transportation around Ancona, Italy (6 answers total)

I personally can't help you out with this, but I think you would get better answers here.

Good luck.
posted by wile e at 2:31 PM on September 22, 2009

More specifically, in case it's hard to find, here.
posted by wile e at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

I would recommend Gubbio or Urbino, both spectacular medieval towns with ducal palaces. I spent a week years ago in a stone tower that is part of a rebuilt village in the hills east of Urbino, and loved the town.
posted by nicwolff at 10:06 PM on September 22, 2009

+1 Gubbio. It's a wonderful place. Late October in Umbria is truffle season. Yum yum! Citta de Castello is the place for truffles. There's also the chocolate festival in Perugia at the end of October.
posted by col at 1:58 AM on September 23, 2009

Accordion: you'll want to (your dad, anyway) visit factories and shops and the accordion museum in Castelfidardo, which is just a few miles out of Ancona - a very nice town in the hills itself. Nearby there's a lot of small towns as Osimo, Offagna, Camerano or, along the coast, Sirolo and Numana. You can try and look for "agriturismi" (farm vacation) or bed and breakfast type accomodation or probably houses to rent here. I was recommended this place by a local friend.

Pretty much every town has a late medieval/renaissance "rocca", a fortress. Some examples are Mondavio or, further north, Sassocorvaro or San Leo - San Marino is also awesome but sadly, a tourist trap. Rimini also deserves a visit, especially the ancient centre -- since you're driving south from Venice, most of those are on your way.

In my experience with the area, finding good food won't be a problem, and the same goes for wine. Have some (or more) "verdicchio" (local white wine), awesome, and the red Rosso dei Monti Sibillini. It's going to be truffle season, and the place to be in that area is Aqualagna, a few miles from Urbino, which is the Marche capital for truffles (for Umbria you'd want to be in Norcia, but that's quite a stretch).

As far as suggestions for other places to visit go, I'm seconding Gubbio and Città di Castello (and Umbria in general is beautiful) but those are a bit far from where you are. Urbino, on the other hand, is about an hour and a half away, and the Palace is really a must.
posted by _dario at 3:21 PM on September 24, 2009

Thanks all, we're looking up the suggestions as I write. Seems like we'll be able to find some hidden treasures on this side of Italy too, and probably have to contend with less tourists than over in Toscana et al. Truffle season sounds great, and we'll be right on the mark it seems :)
posted by avocade at 5:07 AM on October 3, 2009