Renting a house in Italy - Agriturismo Le Torricelle - Houses/Apartments for rent in Italy's Marches

Renting a house in Italy - The Marches - Delightful holiday houses and apartments for rent, on either a short-medium stay or bed and breakfast basis. This peaceful country complex has a mosaic swimming pool and offers excellent cuisine and a range of crafts for you to try.

Le Torricelle is a hamlet going back centuries. Before the war it was a village of 6 or 7 families, some 50 people, who lived and worked together, cultivated the land and baked their bread in the communal oven. Gradually depopulating over the generations, the village dwindled to just one elderly couple a few years ago ... until the present owners bought and revitalised the place.

It's a spellbinding area of Italy. The Marches (or Le Marche in Italian), lies on the north-eastern, Adriatic coast of Italy, with the Apennine Mountains at its back. It lies to the east of Umbria and Tuscany, and just below Emilia-Romagna and San Marino. A region of contrasts, you could spend weeks simply exploring.

This small settlement of ancient stone-built farmhouses is situated on the slopes of the Montefeltro in the north of the Marches. Here you enjoy a panoramic view over the Apennines; all around are fields, woods and prairies.

In this marvellously relaxing part of the world you can choose to simply do nothing, laze by the swimming pool, or to try some local handicrafts, such as ceramics, work in wood, mosaics, papier-mâché, flower decorations, or searching for herbs. There is mountain biking, hiking and fishing.

Nearby are many mediaeval castles, such as San Leo or Gradara to name just two. There are Renaissance towns such as Urbino and Arezzo.

In the latter half of the 15th century, Urbino was one of Europe's major courts, ruled by the mercenary, intellectual and remarkably enlightened Federico da Montefeltro. Federico commissioned some of the greatest architectural and artistic talents of the day to build his palace, the Baldassarre Categlione. A lively and enjoyable town to visit, Urbino has good restaurants, cafes and bar.

A short drive into Tuscany takes you to Arezzo, a major Etruscan and Roman centre and with a beautiful and unspoiled old town. Famed for its Piero della Francesca frescoes and for its vibrant antiques trade, you should make time to visit the town's cathedral, the Basilica di San Francesco.

And in an hour you can reach the Adriatic with popular resorts such as Rimini and Riccione, or the natural park at San Bartolo, situated between Cattolica and Pesaro.

[ local map | map of The Marches ]