Easter in Le Marche - Maritaly by Gazzella Viaggi - Inbound Tour Operator in the Marche region

Description:
In Le marche Easter represents one of the best periods to live this joyful and religious atmosphere. The butchers began taking orders for lamb days ago,  our neighbor Pia has made dozens of the traditional Easter bread slowly cooked in a wood burning oven and the villagers are ready for the festivals of Holy Week. Like all holidays in Italy, Easter, Pasqua has its share of rituals and traditions. In Le Marche Solemn religious processions are held in many towns on the Friday before Easter. Almost every village celebrates this day with living scenes of the stations of the cross & a candle-lite procession through town. The day of Good Friday Religious or not it is always a sight to see.
This 5 DayTour consists of a group of no more than 18 people.

THURTHDAY, MARCH 24 - Benvenuti nelle Marche! An intro to traditional regional Italian cuisine. (Welcome Dinner)
Meet at  Ancona airport or train station. Transfer to the lovely hotel sutiated on the hills of Marche. Welcome dinner, serving traditional food of the region accompanied with local wines.

FRIDAY, MARCH 25 - Fonte Avellana Monastery and Good Friday in Cantiano (B, L, D)
Morning - Spend this morning as you please.
Alternatively: Hands-on cooking lesson (at additional cost). You will prepare a four course lunch with recipes typical of the Easter eve. For lunch you will eat your creations accompanied by our wines.
Lunch in the villa.
Afternoon. Guided visit to the Fonte Avellna Monastery e Good Friday Procession.

Fonte Avellana Monastery - This early monastic retreat on the eastern flanks of Monte Catria stands in one of the most breathtaking settings imaginable. Founded in 980, visited by Dante in 1310, and once presided over by St Peter Damian, this is one of the few monasteries in the Marche which retains its medieval monastic form. Guided tours take you to the extraordinary scriptorium. This was once an important centre for the production of illuminated manuscripts and was built with an ingenious system to maximise the hall's natural lighting.

There is also the Dante Alighieri Library, with rows of rare Seicento books and, of course, the church, with a simple single aisle and a flight of wide steps up to a raised presbytery. Beneath it, visit the crypt, supported by fine Romanesque arches, which is built with such finely cut stone that it seems almost as if the walls have been carved straight out of the rock.
Good Friday Procession in Cantiano has been certified by Europassion, European Association founded with the purpose of studying the phenomenon, among the most prestigious Sacred Representations of Europe. This is a religious and theatrical event packed with special creative costumes and characters, made between the same stones where for centuries the history of the village has been narrated, blending dramatic reconstruction and city architecture.
Dinner in the local trattoria.
From 20:45 in Piazza Luceoli and in the Parco delle Rimembranze are held the representation of Jude’s conspiracy and betrayal, the last supper, the trial and sentencing of Jesus praying in the Garden of Olives, the capture of Christ. On 22.30 from Piazza Luceoli starts the parade of the characters representing of the ascent to Calvary (on Colle Sant’Ubaldo), in the light of torches and braziers. The last act is on 23 when finally the three empty crosses are erected, on the notes of the Te Deum, which leaves in the hearts of the people the hope for Resurrection.
Professional guide in the tour.

SATURDAY, MARCH 26 - Frasassi Caves and wine degustations (B, L, D)

Morning. Spend this morning as you please.
Alternatively: guided tour to the city of fortune Fano - Fano, city of Fortune, so -named after its famous temple (Fanum Fortunae), is also the city of Augustus Caesar, as can be seen from the monumental arch built in his honor (Arch of Augustus), and the city walls built to protect the “colony” founded by this first Roman emperor after he had commissioned the famous architect, Vitruvio, with the task of embellishing its Forum with an imposing Basilica (at additional cost).
Lunch has been scheduled at the stand  near the Grotte di Frasassi  with the opportunity to taste local products  like a delicious Crescia stuffed with ciaiuscolo (a variety of Italian salame, typical of the Marche region) and  pecorino cheese (at additional cost € 10/12). Nearby you can also buy some souvenirs for the memory of the visit.  
Afternoon. After the Lunch we’ll make a "journey to the centre of the Earth" through the Grotte di Frasassi, one of Italy's largest and most famous complex of caves.
After you will have a wine tour in a winery that produces Verdicchio dei castelli di jesi doc, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba DOC and some interesting sparkling wines. You will have a guided tour of the vineyard, cellars finishing up with a test of local specialties and the wines.

SUNDAY, MARCH 27 - Loreto and Santa Casa tour;  Ancona - the capital of the Marche region (B,L,D)

Morning. Today we’ll have suggestive and curious tour to discover an hidden side of Loreto. The city, well known for its most valuable relic, is famous as Basilica della Santa Casa di Nazareth (Shrine of the Holy House) a real jewel of Renaissance architecture. Lunch based on traditional dishes in a local restaurant.

Afternoon  Guided visit to Ancona - Ancona tour will take you for a stroll up Monte Guasco, where the buildings in the oldest part of town straddle a hill overlooking the sea. At the peak you'll find the grand Cattedrale di San Ciriaco. Its Byzantine, Gothic and Romanesque features create a striking tableau against the backdrop of sea and sky. On your way down, be sure to visit the Arco di Traiano, a remarkable first century BC Roman arch dedicated to the Emperor Trajan.
Farewell dinner in the hotel.

MONDAY, MARCH 28 - GOODBYE MARCHE  (B)
Departure to Ancona airport or train station after breakfast at the hotel.
*In the case of evening departure it is possible to organize a guided tour to the fascination city of Corinaldo - beautiful medieval village.