For a night out at the opera, ballet and theatre, jazz concerts…..look no further than the Teatro delle Muse di Ancona, which has an enviable events calendar.   The neo-classical façade of the theatre remains intact and links to the history of Le Muse theatre, while the new project has completely redesigned the insides in the form of a large piazza, both in the materials and shapes. The theatre of the city of Ancona features a hall of over one thousand seats, a stage of almost 400 square metres, a fireproof curtain that is the only one of its kind in Europe (designed by the sculpture Valeriano Trubbiani), a smaller theatre of 186 seats, as well as ultra-modern facilities and spaces for the artists and the public.

Full details on www.teatrodellemuse.org

I believe that the coming year will bring major opportunities for many who live in this wonderful part of Italy and also for many others who do business in the Le Marche region.

Le Marche is a truly beautiful and unspoilt part of Italy and is rightly known by many Italians “As all of Italy in one region”

There are many many reasons why I feel very positive about the coming year and in this blog I will highlight what I feel are some of the most important reasons for this optimism in 2010.

Real estate in Le Marche will carry on being popular with foreign buyers and I am sure the market will pick up again as we approach the spring.

Estate agents in Le Marche have suffered over the past eighteen months as Italian as well as foreign buyers have been in short supply since the tail end of 2008.

But toward the second half of 2009 and also carrying over into the recent holiday period there has been a major increase of interest about property for sale in Le Marche in the southern and central areas.

Most of these enquiries have concerned country properties in need of restoration and surprisingly very few about village houses and apartments. This is a new and developing trend and it could possibly mean that confidence is returning to restoring property in Le Marche which has been the hardest hit over the past year.

Large country properties and farmhouses usually require large amounts of investment and the type of purchaser who has large amount of funds has been conspicuously absent from the market over the past eighteen months.

Then there are many exciting restoration projects and cultural events on the cards for 2010 throughout the Le Marche region and also in the UK.

One of the most exciting are the plans for a major property development in the village of Montalto delle Marche in southern Le Marche. The faded beauty of the imposing Palazzo Sacconi is located close to the centre of Montalto and it has stood empty for many years but now there are detailed and exciting plans to bring this wonderful building back to life. Cocoon Sacconi Limited purchased the property in 2008 and currently there is a project to convert the building into fifteen luxury and contemporary apartments.
Detailed and sympathetic plans have been submitted and are going through the lengthy and necessary planning process and hopefully initial preparation work should be ready to begin in the second half of this year.

Another major development are the plans by the Comune of Carassai in cooperation with the Comune of Fermo to finish the restoration of the magnificent Rocca di Montevarmine in southern Le Marche.
The plans include the use of the Rocca as a cultural and business centre and also a large golf course and tourist development but always sympathetically in keeping with the beautiful surroundings and location.
The Rocca has already had a large amount of restoration work carried out and this has been carried out to a very high standard by the local skilled craftsmen. But the next exciting phase will see the work on the Rocca and its surroundings finally finished and it will then prove to be an enormous asset for the community and business in that part of southern Le Marche.

I am also helping to organise a Le Marche festival in London in the spring, it will feature both the culture and produce of the Le Marche region and also include workshops on buying and restoring property in Le Marche.

The produce available will include wonderful Le Marche olive oils and jams, pasta, cheeses and salami and many of the small artisan producers hope to be at the show.

It is hoped that if this event proves popular then later in the year we will follow this up with shows in both Norwich and Oxford.

I am always grateful to my many wonderful Italian friends in Le Marche who are so passionate about their region and also promoting their wonderful food and area to a wider audience in the UK.

]]> http://www.marchetownhouses.com/my-italian-blog/le-marche-2010-an-exciting-year-beckons/feed/ 0 http://www.marchetownhouses.com/italian-news/if-le-marche-is-good-enough-for-dustan-hoffman/ http://www.marchetownhouses.com/italian-news/if-le-marche-is-good-enough-for-dustan-hoffman/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:53:49 +0000 dermott http://www.marchetownhouses.com/?p=359

The Le Marche hills are alive with the sound of ……… Hollywood’s two time Oscar winner, Dustin Hoffman!!   Two short films have been produced where the actor recites poetry from the region’s most celebrated Poet, Gacomo Leopardi’s [1798 – 1837]. infamous poem L’Infinito, against a backdrop of some of the region’s most idyllic countryside.   Hoffman’s love for the Le Marche region goes back 37 years when filming in Ascoli Piceno.

All that can be said to add to his testament, is come see for yourself the beauty of the region which truly has everything to offer, beautiful coastline, medieval hill top villages perched high, a wonderful national park, dramatic mountains capped with snow in winter and perfect for skiing.  What else you might ask……….this combined with a country that is  synonomous with incredible culture, architecture, land and seascapes, wine and mouth watering diishes and most of all, the incredible friendliness of the people….I would say you have it all in one package.

Wishing you all a Buon Viaggio to Le Marche, see you there !!

Firstly, I would just like to wish everyone a HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!   At the start   of a new year, I like to reflect and review the prior year in terms of the property market not only in the Le Marche region but the whole of Italy in the past twelve months and if any particular trends seem to be emerging for the year 2010.

Initially after the panic and fallout of the banking crisis in late 2008 and early 2009 I had thought that this year would be a time of falling house prices and also that there would be a scarcity of enquiries and client visits, but this has not proved to be the case, at least not in the Le Marche region of Italy!
 
This autumn as also proved to an extremely busy time for client visits, the best in fact for several years and this shows no sign of slowing down well into the New Year.

The beginning of the year was in fact quite buoyant and it was not until early spring that enquiries started to taper off and confirmed visits became more scarce. I then thought that because of the credit crunch in the UK and indeed also in much of the world that the market might then stay quiet throughout the rest of the year, but again I was happy to be proved wrong.

Enquiries and visits held up during the late spring and early summer, but were less than in earlier years, but since August the market has been as busy, indeed in some cases much more busy than in the previous two years. I do believe some of this demand is due to clients tiring of waiting to see the economy improving and deciding that whatever happens, it is still a good time to buy a property in Italy.
 
Prices of properties in regions of Italy such as Tuscany and Umbria have fallen as vendors have adjusted their prices to reflect the changed economic situation in the world and also the strength of the Euro against Sterling in the past eighteen months.
In Le Marche many vendors are still holding out for unrealistic prices on their properties and I believe that this has stopped many would be sales to eager and willing foreign buyers who are still in the market.
I believe that the main reason for this is that the property market in Le Marche is still quite undeveloped compared to other parts of Italy, especially areas such as Tuscany and Umbria and vendors in Le Marche still have not realised the influence that outside events will have both on both the number of sales and on house prices in the region. Many Italian estate agents in Le Marche do not normally give advice to their clients regarding the correct asking price for a property and often leave it up to a vendor to decide the market price, and in most cases this tends to be on the high side.
In fact the foreign property market in Le Marche really only took off once Ryanair started flying into Ancona and then Pescara just ten years ago. Before then most foreign buyers came from northern Europe, especially Germany and Holland and the market was quite limited in size.
 
The market for UK buyers in Le Marche only really started becoming busy about six or seven years ago and prices started to rise rapidly about four or five years ago. A ruined farmhouse with some land which would have cost 30-40,000 euros in 2000 would be on the market 2008 at over 120,000 euros and properties with great views would have increased even more. You can check the prices here at ou estate agent in Le Marche’s property development page

Because of this many agencies have sprung up over the past four or five years to take advantage of the increase in demand and prices, but now that the market has cooled some of these agencies have disappeared or others have had to cut back drastically on their staffing and offices. This is also true of agencies that catered solely for the Italian market in coastal apartments, many large developments on the coast remain unsold or have had their asking prices reduced drastically.
But unfortunately I feel that the world financial problems are far from over, and so I am still very cautious about the outlook for next year. I am not as optimistic as many other observers of the market, but even so I do still feel that the relatively low property prices in Le Marche do allow buyers to still secure bargains and very beautiful properties at that. However if the economies of the UK and Europe do improve, then I feel that the property market in Italy should slowly pickup again and Le Marche will once again prove very popular with foreign buyers.

The beguiling town of Ascoli Piceno is the southern Marche’s major centre and, as its tourist brochure says, it is a place you can see in a day yet never forget. Along with its breathtaking main square, it has other outstanding sights that manage to leave their mark on even the most blasé of tourists.

Although it is a fairly large town with a population of some 60,000 people, the historic centre can easily be seen on foot.

Start at the Piazza del Popolo, the traffic-free, travertine-paved main square. This beautifully proportioned outdoor meeting place must be one of the most elegant provincial squares in all Italy. To one side of the square stands the Palazzo del Popolo, a splendid 13thC building guarded over by a monumental statue of Pope Paul III. Look inside to see the arcaded Renaissance courtyard.

Closing off one end of the piazza is the great Gothic church of San Francesco, a sober but pleasing building both inside and out.

The other main square, Piazza Arringo, is almost as impressive as its big sister and is flanked by the Duomo, or cathedral, and the town hall, or palazzo Comunale. Inside here you will find the Pinacoteca Civica, Ascoli’s art gallery, a carpet-bag collection of minor works by major artists and major works by minor artists. Best of all is the 13thC cope (piviale) of Pope Nicholas IV, a dazzling piece of embroidery work made in England.

Inside the Duomo look out for the colourful polyptch with the Madonna and Saints by Carlo Crivelli.

Wander round the old quarter of the town that stretches from the banks of the Tronto river to the city’s main street, Corso Mazzini – best streets are via Soderini and via di Solestà.

La Quintana , Ascoli’s jousting tournament, is one of the most authentic and exciting of these Medieval shows in the Marche and takes place in the main square on the first Sunday of August. The high point of the games is when riders from the city’s six districts tilt with lances for the target.

The day also includes a massive procession with around 1,400 town’s people dressed in 15thC costume and plenty of side-shows and open-air eating places. Maybe not quite as famous as the Palio at Siena but certainly worth seeing.

Casa Altidona is a beautifully restored  t ownhouse in the historic centre of the coastal village of Altidona in southern Le Marche. The property is 140sqm and was completely restored in 2008 using a mixture of the original and reclaimed materials by the current owner, and was finished to a very high standard. Most of the floors are laid with light cotto tiles, the colour typically used in the Le Marche region of Italy. But the floors in the bathroom and shower room are laid with light travertine flooring which matches the finishes on the walls.

In the main part of the house there are two bedrooms, bathroom, shower room, living room and modern kitchen. In the rear part of the house further finishing work still needs to be completed, but basically just the installation of some windows and plastering. These two large rooms could be laid out as another two bedrooms and an ensuite shower room or bathroom.

To the rear of the property there are several small communal piazza also recently restored and from these there are panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and the Adriatic sea in the distance, which is only 3km from the village. Altidona is one of the most attractive southern Le Marche villages and it is possible to reach the main regional airport at Ancona in only 45 minutes and the exit of the A14 Autostrad is only 10 minutes away. Casa Altidona is for sale at 260,000 euros negotiable.

Property Details:

PRICE:   260,000 EUROS NEGOTIABLE

GBP – £232,180 (live prices provided by Yahoo! Finance, rate correct as of 1/8/2010 – 7:46am) USD – $371,592 (live prices provided by Yahoo! Finance, rate correct as of 1/8/2010 – 7:46am)

For further information and to view larger images, please click on http://www.livinginlemarche.com/index.php?q=node/318

Raphael

(ANSA) – Rome, December 31 – The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy’s art exhibitions:

BRESCIA – Museo di Santa Giulia: Inca, Origins and Mysteries of the Civilisation of Gold; 250 artefacts, until June 27.

CASTELFRANCO VENETO – Casa del Giorgione: home-town show marking 500th anniversary of Giorgione’s death; 130 works by Veneto painter and other Renaissance masters including Bellini, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian; until April 11.

CATANIA – Palazzo Valle: Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana; until March 14.

FERRARA – Palazzo dei Diamanti: Boldini In The Paris Of The Impressionists; show on Ferrara-born artist’s ‘beau monde’ portraiture years from 1871 to 1886; until January 10.

MILAN – Pinacoteca di Brera: Carlo Crivelli, San Domenico Triptych, works from Marche and loans from major world museums; until March 28.

- Palazzo Reale: Edward Hopper, 160 works; until January 24.

- same venue: Japan. Power and Splendour: 1569-1868, showcases 100 masterpieces on rare loan from Japan; until March 8.

- Triennale: Frank Gehry, projects since Guggenheim in Bilbao (1997); until January 10.

- same venue: Sandro Chia; until January 15.

- Castello Sforzesco: La Monaca di Monza; Hayez and other painters capture Manzoni’s famed ‘Promessi Sposi’ character and the woman she was based on, Spanish aristocrat Marianna de Leyda; until March 21.

MONTECATINI TERME – Polo Espositivo Terme Tamerici: 19th century masters including Fattori, Lega, Signorini and Banti; until January 19.

NAPLES – six city museums: The Return of the Baroque, 350 works and 27 tours; until April 11.

PADUA – Museo degli Eremitani: Caravaggio, Lotto, Ribera, 50 works from the collection of art historian Roberto Longhi; until March 28.

- Palazzo Zabarella: Telemaco Signorini, show comparing ‘Macchiaioli’ master with contemporaries like Degas, Van Gogh and Courbet; until January 31.

- Palazzo della Ragione: installation by Zaha Hadid; until March 1.

PASSARIANO – Villa Manin: The Age of Courbet and Monet; 134 works, until March 7.

PAVIA – Castello Visconteo: From Velasquez to Murillo, 50 masterpieces from the Hermitage; until January 17.

PERUGIA – Palazza Penna: ‘Umbria Veloce’ (Fast Umbria), show marking 100th anniversary of Futurism with paintings, self-portraits, posters, documents; until February 7.

PIACENZA – Fondazione Ricci Oddi: 19th-Century Tuscan Painting, Macchiaioli and beyond, 40 works; until May 2.

PISA – Palazzo Blu: Chagall And The Mediterranean; some 170 works; until January 17.

RIMINI – Castel Sismondo: From Rembrandt to Gauguin and Picasso; 65 masterpieces from Boston Museum of Fine Arts; until March 14.

ROME – Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo: The Secret of Marble, Painted Marble From Ascoli Satriano; 11 Ancient Greek works from the ancient city of Ausculum in Apulia including griffins returned by Getty Museum in 2007; until April 18.

- Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna: Sandro Chia, 61 works by Transavanguardia artists; until February 28.

- Vittoriano: Africa, A New History; 80 works by 30 contemporary artists from 20 countries; until January 17.

- same venue: Dada and Surrealism: 500 works from world museums including Man Ray, Duchamp, Picabia, Wood, Moreau, Munch, Miro’, Arp, De Chirico and Picasso; until February 7.

- Chiostro del Diamante: Boldini, De Nittis, Zandomenighi, other Italian painters in Paris; until March 14.

- Palazzo Incontro: Galileo show marking 400th anniversary of his first observations of the night sky; until January 6.

- Palazzo delle Esposizioni: Alexander Calder; until February 14.

- Galleria Borghese: Caravaggio-Bacon: ten works by Italian master compared to 20 by British painter; marks 400 years since Caravaggio’s death; until January 24.

- Scuderie del Quirinale: Painting in Ancient Rome, The Colours of Empire; landscapes, still lifes, stage decor, street painting, portraits and mythological subjects from 1st century AD to late antiquity; until January 17.

- Capitoline Museums: Michelangelo’s architectural works in Rome, 140 sketches, models and contemporary documents; until February 21.

TREVISO – Casa dei Carraresi: The Secrets of the Forbidden City, Matteo Ricci at the Ming Court; until May 9.

VERONA – Palazzo della Gran Guardia: Corot and Modern Art, Souvenirs and Impressions; 100 works in collaboration with Louvre; until March 7.

VIGEVANO – Castello Visconteo: Leonardo da Vinci’s output during his time in Lombardy; ‘virtual codex’ on flying, botany, mathematics, weaponry, astronomy, engineering and architecture; until April 5.

photo: scroll by Utogawa Toyokuni (1769-1825), Courtesan admiring Cherry Blossoms

We are passionate about the extra virgin olive oils produced in the Le Marche region and will also be focusing on oils made from just one olive variety. These monovarietal olive oils are quite rare even in Italy but we already have 4 or 5 of these wonderful olive oils available to import and sell in the UK.  Unfortunately at the moment we are mainly confined to London and the home counties so far, but we hope to increase our availability to more of the UK and also the US in 2010.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 The new Olivaverde website is currently under construction and should be online in late January 2010. We hope that the website will prove popular with our clients and a more general audience of  people who love good food and organic Italian produce. At the moment there is only one holding page while the website is still being designed and under construction, but I hope this will give some idea as to the style and contant the new website will feature at  www.olivaverde.co.uk

So in order to satisfy all our clients needs we now will be offering a French speaking service from the Autumn 2009. Along with our bilingual associates based in Senigallia and Fermo in the south, we feel that we can now offer an even better level of service.
Please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be only too happy to assist you with your search for a property in Le Marche.

Au fil des ans, nous avons été dans les affaires et nos services se sont développés. Nous constatons que beaucoup de nos clients viennent d’autres pays d’Europe et du monde mais aussi du Royaume-Uni.
Afin de répondre aux besoins de nos clients, nous vous proposons un service de langue française à partir de l’automne 2009. En collaboration avec nos associés bilingues basés à Senigallia Fermo et dans le sud du pays, nous pourrons désormais vous offrir un meilleur service.

N’hésitez pas à nous contacter et nous serons très heureux de vous aider dans votre recherche d’une propriété dans Le Marche.