Marche, Italy

The Marche (plural, originally from le marche de Ancona, referring to the March of Ancona) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy.

It is located in the Central area of the country, bordering Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to west, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. In the 19th century a railway from Bologna to Brindisi linked the Marche along the coast-line of the entire territory. Inland, the mountainous nature of the region, even today, allows little communication north and south, except by rough roads over the passes.