Marche Breaks

Marche has real seasons with guaranteed sunshine in summer and snow on the mountains in winter with the possibility to ski in various places.

Spring arrives in April with clear skies, warm days and the meadows are full of wild flowers.

Spring weather is quite unpredictable, especially April with days of warm sunshine, often with temperatures in the 20's (C°) and days quite cool with rain or drizzle. Night temperatures can be still be quite cold and heating is still required in your home or lodging after sunset.. From a gardeners point of view, spring arrives about a month earlier than in Great Britain. Tender plants such as tomatoes, sweet peppers and half hardy bedding plants can be planted out in early May.

Vacationers from northern Europe will require light skin protection in the form of sun cream or oil in April, May and September as u.v. levels can be quite high. This protection should be increased in June, July and August. Don't let an occasional dull day deceive you at this time of the year, you can still be badly burned especially near the sea.

The hottest months are July and August.

Summers are hot and dry, after a few light showers in May there is very little rain until late September. Some years after very hot weather from mid July to mid August, thunderstorms may occur. These are often quite spectacular with lightening all over the sky. They can be accompanied with a heavy downpour but often occur without rain. A sirocco in summer can lift tons of fine sand from the Sahara high into the atmosphere. When these moist winds reach the Apennines in Italy they are forced upwards, cool rapidly and can precipitate a light rain. As this dries, you can find a fine covering of sand which shows up especially on your car.

Late summer often brings big purple storms that clear as dramatically as they arrive.

Autumn is quite beautiful, still plenty of good weather about. Autumn is time, with long shadows, crisp air and the fields are bustling with the grape, chestnut and olive harvests, the woods colour up well with bright yellows , orange, red and russet brown. Le Marche sunsets can also be quite spectacular at this time of the year

In winter you can enjoy the quiet of the villages, the soft colours of the countryside and roast some chestnuts on an open fire.

The first snow falls on the highest peaks of the Sibillini Mountains between mid-October and the end of the month. At least some snow will be visible on the mountains from this time until the end of May and some years well into June.

A sirocco in November and December can cause a layer of cloud due to the mixing of warm and cold air. This layer can occur at very low levels sometimes enveloping  villages in a dense mist known as 'nebbia'. It is not unusual to see hilltop villages in the sunshine, apparently on islands in a sea of clouds, skies are white and the hill-towns float above the clouds like planets all of their own.

Low cloud and shifting fog are spectacular winter weather phenomena of Marche that worth a photo.

Italy - the Prevailing Winds.

BORA - A bitterly cold, squally wind blowing from the mountains of central Europe towards the Mediterranean. Most common in winter bringing cold weather and often snow down the length of the Adriatic coast.

MISTRAL - Blowing from the north or north-west, a cold dry wind originating in the Massif Central of France.

SIROCCO - In Italian Scirocco. A hot wind, sometimes dry but often very humid which blows from the Sahara desert across N. Africa and Italy. Can be quite strong especially in late winter.

More local wind are :-

TRAMONTANA - A dry, cold North wind blowing down over Italy from the Alps.

GREGALE - Grecale. Normally in winter. A strong, blustery N.E. wind, sometimes accompanied by showers.

LEVANTER - Levante. A strong easterly wind originating in the Mediterranean.

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