Emotions between wines and villages

Beyond the coast's spell, the soft hills of the interior open their arms. Among them, Camerano, with its caves carved into sandstone. A labyrinthine, mysterious world beneath the city streets, where Templar symbols, Masonic legends, pagan temples and partisan stories are all woven together. A parallel dimension of extraordinary power.

A long tradition. A family tradition, handed down from generation to generation since 1837. Love for the land and the territory has made the Moroder family a quiet point of reference for those who want to experience the true soul of the Conero.

The sea breeze rules here. It caresses the chalky soil. The coast shifts from sandy to rocky, rising until it becomes a mountain: Monte Conero, with its esoteric charge. It is on the sinuous surrounding hills, at altitudes between 180 and 230 metres, facing south and south-east, that the vineyards frame Ancona's guardian.

The ruby, par excellence. Close your eyes: wild cherry, plum, blackberry, forest fruits, slowly giving way to liquorice, leather and tobacco. A pioneer. The first Marche wine, in 1988, to receive three glasses from Gambero Rosso.

Named by UNESCO as a Creative City for Crafts and Folk Arts, Fabriano is known for its paper-making tradition and the watermarking of sheets, an invention introduced by its master papermakers in the second half of the 13th century. Don't miss Piazza del Comune, with the Palazzo del Podestà and the Loggiato di San Francesco, where the air still carries the quiet mood of a Marche village.

Founded in 1971, it is the largest producer of Verdicchio di Matelica DOC. All its vineyards are within ten minutes of the winery. Each label has its own reference vineyard.

The cool night winds of the Alta Valle Esina, combined with excellent sun exposure during the day, create unique temperature shifts that build a deep reserve of aromas, fine acidity, and perfectly ripened clusters.

Close your eyes: flowers, a whisper of vanilla. Its savouriness stays in perfect balance. There is the quiet force of the hinterland here, and its softness only reveals itself to those willing to wait.

One of the most lively towns on the coast. A rich past that begins with the Gauls, who made it their capital on the peninsula. It reached its height under the Malatesta and Della Rovere families, to whom we owe the Rocca, still in remarkable condition. The Foro Annonario, with its circular neoclassical arcade, is the beating heart of the daily market: fruit, vegetables, fish, voices.

Ambassadors of Marche wine around the world, where passion meets vision, the Santa Barbara winery is housed inside an ancient monastery at the heart of the medieval village of Barbara.

On the hills of Barbara toward Serra de’ Conti, Montecarotto, Arcevia and up to Morro d'Alba and Cupramontana, the clayey, water-rich soils host vineyards on a strip of land held between the Adriatic to the east and the Apennines to the west. With vines between 25 and 40 years old, the rows yield wines of great depth from both native and international grape varieties.

A warm wine. Close your eyes: blackberry, liquorice, vanilla, coffee and chocolate. The smell of a fire lit in an autumn house, raising a glass to the silent leaves falling lightly outside.

Birthplace of the great Emperor Frederick II, Jesi is a real gem, defined by its 15th-century city walls by the celebrated military architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, who also designed the Palazzo della Signoria. Renowned for its many palaces where Renaissance and Rococo coexist side by side, the town is also celebrated for its cultural life, centred on the Teatro Pergolesi and the Pinacoteca Civica di Palazzo Pianetti, with its breathtaking stucco gallery and works by Lorenzo Lotto.

Founded in 1959 in Cupramontana, the Verdicchio capital since 1939, it now counts over a hundred member winegrowers who have spent decades tending their vines with care and rigour. It produces all the main regional DOC wines.

The historic vineyards lie on the right bank of the Esino river, across the gently sloping, well-exposed hillsides of Cupramontana, Apiro, Staffolo and San Paolo di Jesi. At an average altitude of 450 metres above sea level, the grapes arrive at harvest in perfect condition.

Close your eyes: bread crust, with echoes of bay leaf and almond blossom. The lightness of silk.