The Marche region is bordered byEmilia-Romagna and the republic ofSan Marino to the north,Tuscany andUmbria to the west,Lazio to the southwest,Abruzzo to the south, and theAdriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. A railway fromBologna toBrindisi, built in the 19th century, runs along the coast of the entire territory. Inland, the mountainous nature of the region, even today, allows relatively little travel north and south, except by twisting roads over the passes.
The name of the region derives from the plural of the medieval wordmarca, amarch or mark, that is, a border zone, originally referring to a borderland territory of theHoly Roman Empire, such as theMarch of Ancona and others pertaining to the ancient region.[15]
Most of the region is mountainous or hilly: theApennine range runs longitudinally along the region's eastern border and descends through a hilly landscape towards theAdriatic sea. With the sole exception ofMonte Vettore, 2,476 metres (8,123 ft) high, the mountains do not exceed 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The hilly area covers two-thirds of the region and is intersected by wide gullies with numerous short rivers and by alluvial plains perpendicular to the Appennini range. The main mountain range has a few deep river gorges: the best known are those of theFurlo, the Rossa and theFrasassi.
The coastline is 173 kilometres (107 mi) long and is relatively flat and straight except for the hilly area betweenGabicce andPesaro in the north, and the eastern slopes ofMonte Conero nearAncona.
Climate is temperate. Inland, in the mountainous areas, is more continental with cold and often snowy winters; by the sea is more mediterranean. Precipitation varies from 1,000 to 1,500 millimetres (40 to 60 inches) per year inland and 600 to 800 mm (25 to 30 in) per year on the Adriatic coast.
As of 2023, according to the report on land consumption of the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Marche andLiguria hold the Italian record for coastal overbuilding.[17][18]
During theRenaissance, the region was fought over by rival aristocratic families, such as theMalatesta of Rimini,Pesaro,Fano and the house ofMontefeltro ofUrbino. The last independent entity, theDuchy of Urbino, was dissolved in 1631, and from then on, Marche was firmly part of thePapal States except during the Napoleonic period. This saw the short-livedRepublic of Ancona, in 1797–98; the merging of the region with theRoman Republic in 1798–99, and with theKingdom of Italy from 1808 to 1813; and the short occupation byJoachim Murat in 1815. After Napoleon's defeat, Marche returned to Papal rule until 4 November 1860, when it was annexed to theunified Kingdom of Italy by aplebiscite.
Prior to the 1980s, Marche was considered a rather poor region, although economically stable in some sectors, thanks particularly to its agricultural output and to the contribution of traditional crafts.[27]
Today the contribution of agriculture to the economy of the region is less significant and the gross value generated by this sector remains slightly above the national average. Marche has never suffered from the extremes of fragmented land ownership or 'latifondo'. Greatly diffused in the past, the sharecropping never produced an extreme land fragmentation. The main products are cereals, vegetables, animal products and grapes. Truffle hunting is popular; although it has often led to 'truffle wars' between hunters due to the imposition of quotas. Olives are also produced and managed by various harvesters. In spite of the marine impoverishment, the sea has always furnished a plentiful supply of fish, the main fishing centres beingAncona,San Benedetto del Tronto,Fano andCivitanova Marche.[27]
Since the 1980s, the economy of the region has been radically transformed without, however, repudiating its rural past. Many of the small craft workshops scattered throughout the rural settlements have modernised and become small businesses, some of which have become major brands known all over the world (Indesit,Tod's, Guzzini, Teuco). This evolution led to the emergence of 'specialized' industrial areas, which are still profitable:
footwear and leather goods in a large area straddling the provinces ofMacerata andFermo;
household appliances and textile industry in the province ofAncona, in which the main engineering companies are also to be found (including ship building, petrochemicals and paper, as well as consumer durables).
The city ofCastelfidardo remains an important centre for the production of musical instruments, theaccordion in particular.
TheGross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 43.3 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 2.5% of Italy's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 28,200 euros or 94% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 96% of the EU average.[28]
The unemployment rate stood at7.4% in 2020.[29] Marche is well known for itsshoemaking tradition, with fine and luxurious Italian footwear manufacturing facilities in the region.[citation needed]
The region continues to draw tourists, whose increasing numbers have been attracted by the rich and broadly distributed heritage of history and monuments, as well as by the traditional seaside resorts.[27] Marche has many small and picturesque villages, 31 of them have been selected byI Borghi più belli d'Italia (English:The most beautiful Villages of Italy),[30] a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest,[31] that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities.[32]
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (418/sq mi), compared to the national figure of 198.8/km2 (515/sq mi). It is highest in the province of Ancona (244.6/km2 or 634/sq mi inhabitants per km2), and lowest in the province of Macerata (116.1/km2 or 301/sq mi). Between 1952 and 1967 the population of the region decreased by 1.7% as a result of a negative migration balance, well above the national average, with a rate varying between 4.9 and 10.0 per 1,000 inhabitants. The Average fund of this region is worth about a few million or maybe higher. In the same period the natural balance of the population was positive, but lower than the national average and insufficient to counterbalance the net emigration. The population continued to decline until 1971, but in 1968 began growing again.[33] In 2008, theItalian national institute of statistics (ISTAT) estimated that 115,299 foreign-born immigrants live in Marche, 7.4% of the total regional population.
