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Introduction
Unlike similar lists in many other web sites, this is not a list of restaurants that have bought space on the site. It is a genuine attempt to point you towards some of the best that the region has to offer, although it is obviously personal, subjective and by no means exhaustive. Many of the places in the list are not classic luxury restaurants but all have some particular merit.
Prices in the Marche are generally lower than in Tuscany & Umbria and you can easily find a satisfying meal with wine for around 25 Euro a head. Even the top class places are often much
cheaper than the equivalent in Milan or Rome. But forget the old idea that Italy is cheap when it comes to eating out. All of the following restaurants are in the centre of town unless otherwise specified.
And a word of warning - Italian law requires that you always take your receipt out with you from restaurants, bars and shops. It is aimed at stopping sales tax fraud and plain-clothed tax
inspectors do stop people and fine them if they have no receipt.
The entries give a rough indication of the price range. In low price restaurants, you can generally spend less than 20 Euro, while the bill in a medium price restaurant will probably end up
between 20 and 40 Euro; the top price restaurants will charge over 40 Euro per head.
The List
In alphabetical order of town:
Ancona: La Moretta tel 071 202317
For our money, one of the best mid-priced restaurants that the city has to offer. It has the added bonus of
outdoor tables in a delightful square in summer. A good range of regional dishes and professional service.
Cagli: Ristorante Guazza 0721 787503
An unpretentious menu offers you home-made pasta and an excellent opportunity to sample the best of inland
marchigiano dishes - snails, hare and truffles, according to season. Low price. Only open for lunch, however.
Camerino: Osteria Dell'Arte 0737 633558
We were particularly struck by the welcoming atmosphere and the interesting range of dishes. Low prices.
Cartoceto: Symposium Quattro Stagioni 0721 898320
Possibily the finest restaurant in the Marches - perhaps even among the top ten in
Italy. When it comes to the food, words simply fail us. No less of a delight is the bill - if you stick to the set menu (which includes wine) it's just in the top-price range, though we strongly advise you to forget
about the prices and have the time of your life. (10km inland from Fano off the SS3).
Conero: Il Laghetto 071 801183
This seafood oasis, down by the sea at Portonovo offers the best frutti di mare. It's also good value - a
light lunch should just about keep you in the low-price range.
Fabriano: La Pergola 0732 4191
A tempting range of highly original dishes which go beyond simple regional cooking. We were particularly impressed
by the warmth and efficiency of the service.
Fano: Self-Service Al Pesce Azzurro 0721 803165
We think that this might just be Italy's best self-service restaurant. You'll find it just opposite
the port, run by a co-operative of fishermen's wives. The set three-course meal of the freshest fish (with wine) costs a mere L18,000. Open May to Sept only.
Frasassi: Le Grotte 0732 973035
Close to the Frasassi Caves, offering an unpretentious but wholesome range of inland regional dishes. Low priced.
Very busy, however, during the peak tourist season.
Jesi: Hostaria Santa Lucia 0731 64409
The emphasis of the mid-price menu is upon a limited range of excellent dishes using the highest quality
home-produced olive oil. Just outside the city walls.
Macerata: Da Secondo 0733 260912
This restaurant has become so well-loved that it is now part of the fabric of the city. The pictures on the wall
bear testimony to its glorious past. But thankfully the quality of its food, based very much on maceratese dishes, hasn't faded in the slightest. Middle price range.
Matelica: Il Giardino degli Ulivi 0737 642121
10km south of Matelica, near Castelraimondo. This trattoria in a delightful country borgo offers
real farmhouse cooking, based upon home produce. Medium priced.
Pennabili: Il Piastrino 0541 928569
In a delightful country setting, outside the town, this
mid-priced restaurant offers a choice of the best that the northern Marche has to offer.
Pesaro: La Baita 0721 25672
This unpretentious-looking shack, on the far side of the port, has outside tables on the quay and offers, in our view,
some of the best mid-priced seafood in town.
Porto San Giorgio: Damiani & Rossi 0734 674401
Between the coast and the old town, this low-price restaurant offers an alternative to the
usual coastal seafood menu - local specialities such as ciauscolo (soft salami), stuffed olives, and vincisgrassi (the Marche version of lasagna), as well as some delicious puddings.
San Benedetto del Tronto: Da Vittorio 0735 583344
This is only one of San Benedetto's excellent middle-price fish restaurants, which you'll find
down towards the port. There is a particularly good choice of antipasti, delicious oven-baked fish and the classic brodetto or fish stew.
San Lorenzo in Campo: Giardino 0721 776803
Here you'll find some of the most imaginative food that the Marche has to offer, as well as an extremely impressive wine list. The
restaurant is run by Massimo Biagiali and his Canadian wife Patrizia to a truly professional standard. If you take our advice, just put the menu to one side and allow them to choose for you. About 10 km east of Pergola.
Senigallia: Uliassi 071 65463
Very stylish higher-price fish restaurant right on the beach. Imaginative menu with excellent antipasti and yummy desserts.
Urbania: Del Cucco 0722 317412
This is one of the last of the old osterie left in the Marche. Behind the bar there are tables and benches with space for only 25 (book in advance, if possible). The set menu leaves nothing to be desired.
Urbino: Taverna degli Artisti 0722 2676
Interesting low to mid-price menu, including good pizzas, in one of the city's backstreet palazzi. Homely
but lively atmosphere with efficient service.
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Eating in the Marche 
Marche Voyager is backed by the