Starting from the famous spiaggia di velluto (velvet beach), it is possible to visit interesting towns and villages nestling in the green hills of the Marches region, home of the "Verdicchio" wines. Senigallia itself stands on the river Misa and is a popular holiday resort with a very fine velvety sandy beach. In the centre of the town stands the well preserved Rocca Roveresca fortress which overlooks Piazza del Duca. The piazza contains a sixteenth century fountain “Fontana dei Leoni” and a few historic buildings such as Palazzo del Duca and Palazzetto Baviera, where it is possible to admire fine stuccos by Federico Brandani. Also worth a visit are the churches, Chiesa della Croce, Chiesa di S. Martino and the Duomo with its annexed Pinacoteca Diocesana (diocesan art gallery), as well as the birthplace of Pope Pius IX. Immediately inland, in a panoramic position, stands the renaissance church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Inside the church, the semi-dome of the apse contains a precious table by Perugino, while the rooms of the monastery house the Museo di Storia della Mezzadria (Rural life history museum).

Travelling inland, the road leads to Corinaldo, a rather picturesque medieval town surrounded by one of the most spectacular defensive walls in the region. To visit here are the eighteenth century sanctuary of S. Maria Goretti, the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows (Chiesa dell'Addolorata) and the ex Benedictine convent (Convento delle Benedettine) which houses the civic art collection. On the third Sunday of July, Corinaldo is the setting for the “Contesa del Pozzo della Polenta”, an event that re-enacts the local victory over Francesco Maria I della Rovere’s army who had laid siege to the town in 1517.

A little further inland stands Castelleone di Suasa, well-known for its medieval castle, its well preserved historic centre and the important archaeological finds from the ancient Roman city of “Suasa Senonum” (in particular, the amphitheatre and a noble dwelling - domus patrizia - with its rich mosaic decoration) now kept in the Regional Archaeological Park and in the Civic Archaeological Museum.

Continue on to Barbara, with its ancient walls and fourteenth century castle, and then on to Serra de' Conti, where the medieval defensive walls are still almost completely intact and on which stands the Convent of Santa Maria Maddalena, dating back to the fourteen hundreds.

After Moie and a visit to the Romanesque Abbey of Santa Maria, the road arrives at Maiolati Spontini, land of the "Verdicchio" wines and homeland of the composer Gaspare Spontini . The "G. Spontini" museum was created in memory of the musician and houses a rich collection of precious and/or personal objects and manuscripts.

A little further on stands Cupramontana, an important “Verdicchio” production centre. Every year, on the first Sunday in October, the town stages a festival dedicated to the wine. Cupramontana is also home to the international wine label museum “Museo Internazionale dell'Etichetta” . Along the road to Staffolo, the rather suggestive Badia del Beato Angelo (abbey) is well worth a visit.

Staffolo itself has an interesting historic centre, most of which is still surrounded by an impressive defensive wall, and the somewhat original Museo dell'Arte del Vino (museum of Wine Art) which, amongst other artefacts, also contains a precious wine-press in oak and stone.

Now on to Jesi, the Roman “Aesis” dominating the Esino river valley. A flourishing town later under the rule of the Malatesta family and subsequently Francesco Sforza. Jesi is also the birthplace of Frederick II of Svevia (Hohenstaufen) and composer G.B. Pergolesi, to whom the prestigious theatre is dedicated. The eighteenth century Palazzo Pianetti houses the Civic Museums (Musei Civici) and an impressive Pinacoteca (art gallery). In the Pinacoteca, it is possible to admire numerous works of art by Lorenzo Lotto, including the famous “S. Lucia Altarpiece”, while Palazzo della Signoria, designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, is home to the Biblioteca Comunale (Town Library). The picturesque and well-preserved historic centre is characterised by its medieval quarters, aristocratic “palazzi” and splendid churches.

Turning back towards the coast, a visit to Morro d'Alba is highly recommended. This small hamlet, fully enclosed by its fifteenth century defensive walls built on high escarpments, houses the “Museo della Cultura Mezzadrile” (agricultural museum) exhibiting farming machinery and implements from the past. Here, the landscape is dotted by vineyards, famous for the production of the red D.O.C. wine "Lacrima di Morro d'Alba".

Another town in the area worth a visit is Ostra, whose defensive walls and delightful historic centre dominate the Misa valley. An important Antiques Fair is held here every August; while also worth a visit are the main piazza with its imposing Civic Tower and the ancient church of S. Francesco, as well as the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Rosa, a destination for pilgrims.

Continuing on to Chiaravalle, the visitor can admire the Abbey of S. Maria in Castagnola, one of the oldest structures in Italy founded by the Cistercian monks of Clairvaux, and then on to Marina di Montemarciano with its beautiful coastline and remains of a fifteenth century fort.