The Adriatic coast

One of the delights of this area is that you can walk in the mountains in the morning and lie on the beach in the afternoon, if you so wish.  The Adriatic coast is only three quarters of an hour away at Civitanova Marche.  From there, you can choose to head north towards the pretty beaches of Monte Conero or south to the pleasant resorts heading towards San Benedetto del Tronto and beyond.  Or you could just stay in Civitanova Marche, which is a centre for the footwear industry and colourful fishing port as well as having a decent stretch of beach.

The coastline is clean and safe, mostly protected by breakwaters.  Some attractive resorts that we have visited include Numana on the southern spur of Monte Conero; Porto San Giorgio, the ancient port for Fermo; and Cupra Marittima, an old-fashioned backwater that is rarely overcrowded, even at the height of summer.