Casa Rosamaria boasts a very central location. To the east there is the Adriatic sea and to the west The Apennine mountains. Le Marche offers some of the most varied scenery in the country.

The house is on the edge of the Monti Sibillini National Park surrounded by fields and open landscape, through with lots of activities within easy reach.

The beaches tend to be good for families. Many have enclosed areas suitable for children to swim.

Last summer at Pedaso, the water was very warm and shallow. A great place for children. Pedaso offers a small enclosed bay. There is also San Benedetto del Tronto. This offers miles of swimming, shops and sunshades for hire.

Grottamare is another beach which is recommended.

The mountain area offers another perspective on Le Marche. Lake Fiastra along the way is worth a visit or perhaps a picnic trip. It is beautiful throughout the year. The mountains surrounding the lake are used for skiing, with ski lifts and safe slopes. Sasso Tetto is a 50 minute drive from the house. The roads around are kept in good order even when it is snowing.

Skiing is available during the winter and daily ski passes and ski rental are available at low cost.

There are many more things to do in the area - hopefully this points you in the right direction.

Immediately surrounding the house there are many hilltop villages which are lovely to wander around in the evening and perhaps buy an ice-cream or a meal. Most of them also have a weekly market. It is not commercialised and in most of these villages there is a rich historical backdrop.

In the summer there are many festivals. The local one in Servigliano was amazing last year - and could not be called small by any means. There were medieval costumes being worn by everyone, and a pageant which acted out the history of the town. The costumes were amazing and against the panacea of this unusual town with its bars, restaurants and pizza places, it made for a fantastic evening.

We attended another similar event in Grottazzolina (nearby) a couple of years ago. Again, fantastic costumes and for a small amount of money (which had to be converted into Medieval currency) we were able to enjoy a typical meal of the area. Medieval type games were set up for youngsters and everyone seemed to be out and about until 1 am at the earliest.

We are lucky enough to be just a 5 minute drive from Santa Vittoria - a lovely village with a couple of good restaurants. It makes for a nice evening - to go to Santa Vittoria for a meal and a little walk - and then back to the house for a glass of wine or an evening swim.

Another town, 30 minutes away, is Amandola. Again, there are shops, restaurants and bars. There was an article in 'Italy' magazine (Feb. 08) about the southern part of Le Marche, entitled 'An Infinite Landscape'. It is, and it seems to have some of everything, that makes up Italy.

Fermo (about 20 mins from the house) is another example of a beautiful medieval town. In the summer on a Thursday evening they have an antiques market and more which is buzzing from 8pm through to about midnight. Fermo is easily recognisable from a distance owing to its high position and white cathedral which dominates the town. The cobbled streets and squares all lead to the central Piazza del Popolo. Between the buildings, you can glimpse the sea in the distance.

Cities nearby are Ascoli Piceno (the city of a hundred towers) which is a 50 minute drive and Macerata (University city), a 40 minute drive away.

Ascoli has many beautiful and ancient treasures. You cannot visit without having a coffee or hot chocolate in the famous Caffe Meletti on the Palazzo Comunale.

Macerata boasts a short summer opera season in a beautiful setting (Sferisterio), shops and bars and much more.