Le Marche culinary trips

When we first visited Le Marche to check out if what we had heard about this Adriatic region  – some of the best food in Italy, remarkable wines, stunning nature and elusive white truffles – was true or not, it simply exceeded all expectations.

We have made it our business to to dive deep under the surface and build personal contacts who now open doors which would normally be closed to what few tourists visit this jaw-droppingly beautiful region.

We think that the testimonials we receive give more justice to what our trips to Le Marche entail than our own words and would like to share the most recent one, from our June trip to Villa il Boschetto.

My husband and I had a fabulous holiday in Le Marche at the end of June with the Cambridge Cookery School. I knew that the cooking classes would be informative, fun and ultimately delicious having completed the eight week cooking course a couple of years ago, but the holiday itself totally exceeded our expectations. We spent six glorious days with four other guests at the Villa il Boschetto. A beautiful villa with a huge garden, set in remote rolling countryside at the top of a sun flower lined road. No photograph we took can do it justice. The facilities were top class, from the outdoor kitchen to the cooling pool, which proved to be a welcome treat in the afternoon heat. Our room was enormous the bed very comfortable and the facilities luxurious.

The cooking was a lot of fun. We spent a a few hours each day preparing our lunch and evening meal working under the expert guidance of Tine and Natalie, sometimes in the outdoor kitchen, sometimes inside, nearly always with an aperol spritz or glass of wine at hand. By the end of the week we were all experts in making staples like pasta and focaccia, but also prepared some stunning dishes fit for a feast – the porchetta was a real highlight, and the chicken with rosemary and garlic – who knew something so simple could taste so good?

Meals were taken outside with the other guests, now friends, with a selection of very good locally produced wines, and would last all evening as we sat and ate what we had cooked that day, drank as much or as little as we wanted, talked and laughed together. It was wonderfully informal, intimate and felt very exclusive.

The holiday was fully inclusive from the time we were met at Ancona airport until we dropped off there. I spent less than 10 euro all week and only then to buy some insect repellent. We were encouraged to treat the villa as we would our home, if you wanted a drink or a snack then you just helped yourself from the fridge, or if you had washing you just put it in the machine (which was really useful given Ryanair luggage restrictions).

There was also plenty of downtime to relax, lots of sunny or shady spots by the pool to read or snooze, or to go for a walk. We also enjoyed some trips out with the group for a little sightseeing, coffee and the most enormous Sunday lunch. Another highlight was an exclusive tour of a beautiful family vineyard, and a trip to a local market where we were able to stock up on fresh local supplies. These trips and all food and drink whilst out were also included in the price.

The holiday was excellent value for money, beautiful location, great company, delicious food made even better by the fact we had prepared it ourselves. We both agreed we would do it all again in a heartbeat (and I suspect we will).

Rachel & Adrian