Hey all,
We'll be traveling from Umbria to the east coast of Italy in early June - and plan to stay for a few nights in La Marche. It looks like Sirolo could be a fun town? We're looking for a fairly quiet town/village, low tourism, with great beaches for swimming and snorkeling with kids.
Thoughts on Sirolo, or alternative towns? Things to do in the area?
thanks so much!
-Kristin
We loved Senigallia. It's a typical small Italian town (with a castle, daily markets and a charming downtown area) that just happens to be located on a beautiful long sandy beach. The beach is perfect for children, as it stays shallow a long way out (gets deep very gradually). It's not heavily touristed. We were there in September and did not see any other Americans.
Senigallia has wonderful food. Lots of great seafood and fresh pasta. There are restaurants (La Tartana was our favorite) where you can sit with your toes in the sand and linger over your meal while keeping an eye on the kids playing on the beach a few feet away. There are two pricey but amazing Michelin-starred restaurants.
We took a day trip to the Caverns of Frasassi, and to the charming hill town of Corinaldo. We really enjoyed our stay here.
Thank you so much, Charlene, that's so helpful. Can you tell me where you stayed in Senigallia? I will start looking into options now!
We stayed at Hotel Palace, just across the street from the beach, because we got a great deal there -- end of season rates (late September). It was very nice, but seemed more of a business hotel than a typical Italian tourist hotel. It even had elevators. Our room was great, with a balcony overlooking the sea.
With kids, though, I would probably look at one of the many hotels right along the beach. Many of them have private play areas right on the sand. Check Trip Advisor or Booking.com. If you can find a hotel that is fairly close to the train station (even if you have a car) you will ensure that you are in a pretty central, walkable location.
If you should have a cool or rainy day, I recommend that you go downtown and find a cafe called La Meridiana. We had the most amazing hot chocolate there, each cup served with a little plate of cookies and a bowl of whipped cream.
Sirolo is perfect for what you are looking for (beaches and snorkeling), right in the Mt Conero park. Very quaint little town.
Senigallia is more of a bigger resort town.
More suggestions in the official tourism website above.
This American expat couple run an agriturismo and cooking school in La Marche and have a fun podcast: http://www.latavolamarche.com/
In Lonely Planet magazine (Spring 2017) there's what looks like an aerial shot of Urbani beach at Sirolo. Unlike so many of the Adriatic coast beaches with their miles of lounge chairs and umbrellas, in this photo there is none of that - just folks dotted around. As usual, I think Roberto knows best!
Out of curiosity, I looked up Urbani Beach in Sirolo. It does look beautiful, but it's a pebbly shingle beach so you need to wear swim shoes. Also, the way down to the beach is long, steep and rocky.
In Senigallia, the beach is very wide, soft sand, and extends for miles. You can walk barefoot on the beach and into the water ... no underwater rocks. It's really a perfect place for kids. We were checking out spots on this trip to bring our grandchildren, and this was one of our favorites. We were there in late September and there were no beach chairs, but in June there probably are. Only you can decide what sort of a beach would suit you best.
