Along the coast, two areas are worth special trips, both rocky, cliff-edged uplands that are strange, but beautiful anomalies on an otherwise flat coast of resorts, dunes and beaches.

In the north, between busy Pesaro and Cattolica, is Monte San Bartolo, a protected reserve with plenty of walking trails and unspoilt beaches. A scenic road shadows the coast, linking superb villages such as Casteldimezzo and Fiorenzuola di Focara, with a fine place to stay locally in the shape of the Castello di Granarola (doubles from £110).

Immediately south of Ancona, by contrast, is Monte Conero, another upland redoubt right by the sea, again protected by a natural reserve and again with hiking options galore and some of the best beaches (see below) in the region. It’s also known for its excellent food and red wines; see below.

Hiking is popular in the mountains and elsewhere, but so too, increasingly, is cycling. Serious bikers who want to tackle the favourite climb of the great Marco Pantani can ride “his” mountain, Monte Carpegna, nine miles south of San Leo.

The resorts and beaches

Italians like the Marche for its string of small, no-nonsense resorts, the sorts of places parents went to as children and take their children in turn: nothing fancy, modern hotels, good, inexpensive food, safe bathing and lots of sand.

Chief among these larger resorts are Gabicce Mare, Senigallia – known for its “velvet” sand – and San Benedetto del Tronto.

Equally, though, the region has lots of empty or less developed beaches, as well as two glorious stretches of protected coastline: the Conero and Monte San Bartolo (see above).