If you love Italian culture, Italian roads, Italian food and Italian wine, you’ll love our new Le Marche trip at inGamba. Join us for Italy’s most authentic experience.
Giorgio Valvassori has spent years exploring the roads in the Le Marche region in Italy, building the perfect cycling experience in a destination that still feels like you’re discovering a secret. The region, located between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, is home to winding roads, steep climbs, 360-degree views of vineyards and the sea, and cozy cafes and restaurants that truly make you feel like family.
If you’ve joined us at our Tuscan home in Borgolecchi and loved the atmosphere, Le Marche is a destination to add to your bucket list. For authentic Italian experiences, it’s impossible to beat—especially with Giorgio as your guide. Not only has he ridden every road in the area, he’s sailed along the coast hundreds of times, and if you ask, he might just take you out for a quick sail in the evening after a ride.
“Truly, this trip started years ago, even though we only started running it in the last year,” says Giorgio. “But I’ve been planning it for ages. I’ve been biking here for years, and I knew it was the perfect destination for inGamba riders.”
The trip starts near Ancona, Italy, where you’ll stay in a small, elegant resort overlooking the owner’s vineyards. A small airport serves Ancona and makes tranfers to the hotel, located at the base of the Appenines, simple. At the small seven-room villa, only inGamba riders are in residence during the trip.
It’s the scenic views that get Giorgio: “In the Le Marche region, there are so many roads where, as you ride, you can see forever in the distance. You can see the villages where you’re going to be have a coffee or look back and spot the villa where you started.”
“There’s a lot of art, a lot of history in this region,” Giorgio adds. You’ll ride past the Basilica della Santa Casa in Loreto, where it’s said that the house of the Virgin Mary, originally in Nazareth, was transported hundreds of years ago.
Our Le Marche trip is all about immersing yourself in truly authentic Italian experiences. Unlike other overcrowded tourist destinations, the spots Giorgio has earmarked in the region aren’t ones you’ll find on just any standard ‘best of’ list. You’ll enjoy simple, authentic activities, whether you’re sailing with Giorgio or visiting a lesser-known local winery.
“I wanted to create a trip where, if you come to visit me, I won’t bring you to the most typical places. I will try to bring you somewhere where that is not so obvious, that is not so well known, whether it’s a road you’re riding or a restaurant we’re stopping at.”
As he puts it, none of the restaurants you’ll stop at have photos or English translations on the menu. These are the places where the food has been made the same way for decades, and you’ll be at the family table whether you’re eating dinner or just stopping in for an espresso mid-ride.
“It’s a very unique place,” he says. “And what really amazed me after, especially after making these first two trips with inGamba to Le Marche, is the how people welcomed us, and that is something that I felt from the beginning of my time here. Compared to some of the more popular cycling destinations in Europe, this area is still relatively undiscovered, so you don’t have overcrowding or lots of tourists. It’s still a very authentic area.”
The riding is over very rolling terrain most days—Giorgio notes that the climbs are short, but occasionally punchy… and worth it for the views at the tip. “It’s always engaging,” he says. “And you’re often biking through a small village, though there are moments during the ride where you’ll feel like you’ve left civilization entirely.”
For the last two days of the trip, you’ll return to Ancona to stay at the Grand Hotel Palace Ancona, a boutique hotel located in the heart of Ancona and owned by the family that owns Umani Ronchi, a renowned winery in the Le Marche region. Umani Ronchi was named “Winery of the Year 2024” by prestigious Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso, so you can guarantee incredible wine during the stay. You’ll also be able to spend time post-ride wandering the streets of Ancona, if you’re not too busy sneaking in a sail with Giorgio or relaxing post-massage.
“Ancona is wonderful because you have the perfect blend of shops and gelatos and culture—a Roman amphitheater, a beautiful church on top of the hill—but not so much that it’s overwhelming,” he adds. “And if people are interested, I’m always happy to take them out for a sail if the weather is good!”
“I love seeing people who are normally very busy and focused on work get to feel like kids again, whether it’s on the bike or on the boat,” he adds. “All any of us really want are these simple, happy moments.”
