Our honest tips
and hidden gems

Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno, southern Le Marche

If someone asks you what the most beautiful square in Italy is and you hesitate, you've never been to Ascoli Piceno. The Piazza del Popolo is entirely paved in white travertine, surrounded by elegant loggias and on a sunny afternoon so beautiful you briefly forget what you were actually doing. The city breathes history but doesn't feel like a museum. Just Italians drinking coffee, walking their dogs and heading somewhere very slowly. It's infectious.

Espresso bij Caffè Meletti isn't an option but an obligation. This art nouveau café has been here since 1907 and the interior has thankfully remained intact, because a renovation here would be a crime. Sit by the window, watch the square and then order the olive all'ascolana: stuffed fried olives that originated right here. Warm, crispy, addictive. And order the cremini artigianali as well, cubes of chilled custard cream that are breaded and fried, sweet and savoury at once. Outside the region you've probably never heard of them. Here they're on every menu. We lunch at Il Vinattiere, see our review below.

Calafalo Pizza Spot

Porto San Giorgio, Le Marche

Geert has an opinion about pizza, formed in Naples. That opinion runs: Neapolitan, thick rim, thin base, slightly charred, simply topped. Calafalo meets these requirements but aren't afraid to add a generous dose of creativity resulting in lavish toppings. Something that's perfectly acceptable, provided it's well executed. Calafalo have managed it.

Daphne had the salmon with ricotta, creamy without being heavy, just right. Geert spotted guanciale on the menu. After that the choice was quickly made. We also had a starter, something you'd normally skip at a pizzeria because a pizza is quite enough on its own, but the menu seduced us and we had no regrets. Dessert shared, non-alcoholic cocktail ordered which was surprisingly well made by the bar. In season you eat outside by the beach here. Then it's absolutely spot on.

Osteria Il Vinattiere con Cucina

Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche

There are restaurants you research in advance. And there are restaurants you walk into by chance, only to realise an hour later that this was exactly what you were looking for. Il Vinattiere is the latter. No English menu at the door, no decorative olive branches on the windowsill. Just tables, local regulars and a woman who rules the kitchen. The last bit you can tell from every plate that comes out.

We begonnen met de olive all'ascolana artigianali en de cremini artigianali, because if you're in Ascoli Piceno and don't order those, you're doing it wrong. (Read our blog about the olive ascolane.) Daphne wasn't terribly hungry and chose the Tajulì-Unte in brodo di carne, a typical dish from the area: thin pasta in a clear meat broth, simple and comforting. She described it afterwards as "lovely after a hangover, but not something you'd go back specially for." Fair enough. Geert had the Tagliatelle artigianali al ragù bianco di cinghiale, handmade tagliatelle with a white wild boar sauce that had clearly been simmering on a low flame for hours. You can taste it. A peek into the kitchen confirmed the suspicion: here they cook calmly and without haste. The red house wine from the region completed the picture.

Ristorante Roma

Petritoli, Le Marche

The ceiling is full of fluorescent tubes, at the tables around you workmen in overalls sit next to women clearly on a night out, and the wine is served for €2.50 per litre in refilled bottles. For that price you don't complain, but at the sight of the bottle you're rather glad your tetanus jab is still current. This is Ristorante Roma in Petritoli, and it's wonderful.

The menu is simple and honest: country cooking without fuss. Primi for €6, secondi for €9. There were three of us, everyone chose something, and then everything was served on platters. No small plates with big stories. Just food, lots of it. The service is fast, the kitchen faster.

No photos taken. Had we taken any they'd have been overexposed anyway. The bill for three came to €73, and we really did our best to push that amount as high as possible. Quite an experience, but don't drive specially for it. If you happen to be near Petritoli: go.

Via Corso 41

Monteprandone, Le Marche

You walk into a coffee shop and think: nice, but not what I was looking for. Then you go round the corner and find yourself in an atmospheric vault with white tablecloths, subdued lighting and the quiet confidence of a restaurant that doesn't need to try to impress. Via Corso 41 does that all by itself.

We had the set menu on a quiet evening, three tables occupied, so the attention from the staff was more than ample. It began with an amuse that could frankly have passed for a starter: toasted bread with lardo and a second piece with anchovy. Then came the fried vegetables in a light batter, served in a paper cone, remarkably light and flavourful. The primo was a risotto with shaved almonds and ground coffee. Creamy and flowing as it should be, though the coffee we probably wouldn't have chosen ourselves. Fortunately the opener had already warmed us up for surprises. The secondo was a sort of braised beef with a rich sauce, the pomegranate seeds on top providing just enough freshness as counterweight. Dessert was a generous plate of assorted delights that we were allowed to share.

The bill: €75 for two including a bottle of wine. For this level, more than fair.

Ristorante Pizzeria Da Yankee

Fano, Le Marche

Geert went here for lunch alone, something he always finds a touch awkward, especially when a restaurant is packed. He walked in anyway and simply got a front-row table with a sea view. Sometimes it pays to ignore your reservations. Out of guilt he usually orders for two in such cases, and so he did this time.

So lunch was extensive: fresh sardines to start, grilled squid with oven tomato, aubergine with gratinated mozzarella and pasta with shellfish. Half a bottle of wine alongside, and a sea view that made it almost impossible to pay attention to the plate. Almost. The food was too good to ignore.

Summer Jamboree

Senigallia, Le Marche  ·  31 July to 9 August 2026

Geert walked into Senigallia unsuspectingly and landed in the middle of a full-blown festival. That's actually the best way to discover this event, because if you'd had to plan it in advance you might not have believed it. Senigallia transforms completely during the Summer Jamboree: the squares are packed with people in authentic 1950s clothing, the men with pompadour hair and the women in wide skirts and petticoats, all dancing to Rock 'n' Roll, Swing and Rockabilly. Not as a joke, but seriously and to a high standard. You could see they needed new soles after the weekend. The next evening he simply went back.

The main stage is atmospherically positioned against the fortress walls of La Rocca di Senigallia on the Piazza del Duca. Around it you'll find food stalls, drinks in large plastic cups and people dancing their way from one spot to the next. The festival attracts over 400,000 visitors annually from across Europe and beyond, and the stage has welcomed names like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Ben E. King over the years. The artist announcement for 2026 is still to come via the official channels, but the atmosphere alone is reason enough to go. And do drive an hour for it, it's worth it.