Although in the collective imagination the Marche region may usually be associated with hills and a rural landscape, it should not be forgotten that 30% of the region’s surface area is made up of mountainous terrain, offering visitors an environment that is still unspoilt and one of extraordinary natural beauty. Experiencing the mountains in the Marche not only means immersing oneself in unspoilt nature full of great summits, savage gorges, spectacular caves, wooded slopes and snow-capped peaks, but also encountering the testimonies left by monks and hermits, discovering ancient Picene, Roman, Longobard or Byzantine settlements and reliving the experience of a journey into the memory and the roots of this land, where the work of humankind integrates perfectly with nature.

In the Marche over 90,000 hectares, almost 10% of the regional surface area, is protected; this is almost totally made up of mountainous areas: two national parks (the Monti Sibillini National Park and the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park), four regional parks (Mount Conero, Sasso Simone e Simoncello, Monte San Bartolo and the Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi) six nature reserves (Abbadia di Fiastra, Montagna di Torricchio, Ripa Bianca, Sentina, Gola del Furlo and Monte San Vicino e Monte Canfaito), over 100 floristic areas, 103 locations listed in the Natura 2000 European Network of which 76 are Sites of Community Interest (SCI), 27 are Special Protection Areas (SPA) and 44 are Environmental Education Centres.