Travellers who want the best of central Italy are now heading for Le Marche, the third region, alongside Tuscany and Umbria, that makes up the area. It is pronounced "lay markay", is plural (Le Marche) and is sometimes translated into English as "The Marches".

The region lies on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the high Apennine mountains and much of it remains unspoilt by the ravages of mass tourism.

True, the Adriatic coast has been a mecca for "sun n' sand" holiday makers for decades; but few venture far from the beaches. Inland, perhaps more so than anywhere else in central Italy, you will find places where time really has stood still. Compared to its central Italian sisters, here culture comes in more easily digestible proportions but quality, as at Urbino, is often of the very best.

While it can be hot between mid-July to mid-August, it is rarely overcrowded and up in the mountains the breezes are cooling. May, June and September are the ideal months to tour Le Marche if you can't take the heat; the landscape is clothed in spring green or the first tints of autumn, any rain tends towards brief showers rather than endless drizzle, and it's usually possible to find a bed without booking.

The wettest seasons are mid-February to mid-April and mid-October to mid-December when days of grey mist and rain can set in up in the mountains. It can also be cold in mid-winter, particularly when the bitter northerly tramontana winds blow.