The Marche Region consists of a network of cities of art and historical villages set amidst a rolling expanse of hillside farmland that overlooks valleys stretching from the sea to the Apennines: sites that hold masterpieces by artists such as Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Lorenzo Lotto, Giovanni Bellini, Carlo Crivelli and Tiepolo, as well as Rubens and Titian, moreover historical theatres, Roman roads, amphitheatres, historical libraries and renowned pottery manufacturers.
Cultural events enliven the Region, including the Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) in Pesaro, the Opera Festival in the Sphaeristerium Arena of Macerata and the Pergolesi Spontini Festival in Jesi. Along with the Region’s museums, libraries, archives and theatres, its cultural heritage includes a host of important religious structures such as abbeys, monasteries and churches. As for civil constructions, the Marche Region boasts a wealth of castles, walled towns and fortresses harking back to a glorious, lively past: buildings whose key features are still intact in all the cities and towns. In Urbino, a UNESCO City and a capital of the Renaissance, Duke Federico da Montefeltro commissioned the building of the Palazzo Ducale, one of Europe’s most sumptuous noble residences.
The group of “Gilded Bronzes from Cartoceto” is the only group of gilded bronze in the world that comes from Roman times to the present day.
The complex is a probable family group, consisting originally of two female figures cloaked and veiled, and two knights as high-ranking military, with horses richly ornamented.
The Marche is a Region open to change, but also firmly anchored in the values and traditions that continue to inspire it, a Region whose quality of life and environmental health make its residents Italy’s longest-lived, a Region where the centuries-old tie between culture and the art of doing, creating, inventing and practicing crafts has ushered in a “Made in Marche” system known worldwide. Culture is the heart of the Marche “Brand”.
A 2010 video meant to promote the Marche Region in Italy and throughout the world starred the American actor Dustin Hoffman, shown walking among the hills and theatres of the Region while reading one of the most symbolic poems of Italian literature, the “Infinito” by Giacomo Leopardi. With its unique, innovative vision of the Marche Region, the video met with great success.