From the white cliffs of Conero to the long sandy beaches of the Riviera delle Palme, passing through historic seaside towns and promenades lined with beach resorts - Marche's coastline stretches for about 180 kilometers along the Adriatic coast, offering a variety of landscapes and tourist destinations that attract hundreds of thousands of Italian and foreign visitors every summer.
The journey along the Marche coast begins in the north, at the border with Emilia-Romagna, where the coastline meets the promontory of Monte San Bartolo and the beaches of Pesaro and Gabicce Mare.
Heading south, you encounter one of the region’s most famous resorts, Senigallia, known as the “velvet beach” for the fineness of its sand. Further south, the landscape changes: the long sandy stretches give way to the cliffs and bays of Monte Conero, between Ancona, Sirolo, and Numana—one of the Adriatic's most spectacular stretches of nature. Here the Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle, accessible only by sea, with its twin white sea stacks rising from the water, stands out. The journey continues along the Macerata coast, through Porto Recanati and Civitanova Marche, along the beaches of Fermo, before reaching the Piceno area with the Riviera delle Palme and the San Benedetto del Tronto boardwalk.
The Marche coast offers beach resorts, marinas, and maritime traditions, as well as landmarks that have become part of Italy's collective consciousness. Among these is the Rotonda a Mare in Senigallia, made famous in the 1960s by the song “Una Rotonda sul Mare” performed by Fred Bongusto, a track that helped spread the name of the Marche Riviera throughout Italy. The region has been awarded 20 Blue Flags, the prestigious international recognition granted by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), for the quality of its waters and its tourist services. The flags were awarded to Gabicce Mare, Pesaro, Fano, Marotta di Mondolfo, Senigallia, Ancona (Portonovo), Sirolo, Numana, Porto Recanati, Potenza Picena, Civitanova Marche, Porto Sant’Elpidio, Fermo (Lido di Fermo-Casabianca-Lido San Tommaso), Altidona, Porto San Giorgio, Pedaso, Campofilone, Cupra Marittima, Grottammare, and San Benedetto del Tronto.
Along the regional coast, ports and tourist marinas represent an increasingly important component of what is on offer linked to the maritime economy. From the northern area with Pesaro and Fano, to the ports along the central coast such as Senigallia, Numana, and Civitanova Marche, all the way to the southern ports like Porto San Giorgio and San Benedetto del Tronto, Marche’s port system has a network of infrastructure that supports both fishing and recreational boating. In recent months, the Region has launched a program of interventions for the maintenance and redevelopment of its regional ports. The plan allocates a total of 1.6 million euros to structural improvements at ports under regional jurisdiction. The funds will be distributed to various ports. The largest share goes to the port of Civitanova Marche (37% of the funds), followed by Senigallia, Fano, San Benedetto del Tronto, Porto San Giorgio, and Numana. These are joined by the Marina Dorica marina in Ancona.
Specifically, the planned interventions involve the reclamation and dredging of internal waterways and port entrances, the maintenance of breakwaters and outer jetties, and the restoration of quays and piers. The plan includes the redevelopment of urban port areas and the upgrading of technological systems serving maritime infrastructure. The goal is to ensure safe navigation, port functionality, and the enhancement of port areas, which are increasingly integrated with the waterfronts and tourist activities of coastal cities. These projects are a strategic investment for the region in order to manage infrastructure and develop the maritime economy, which includes fishing, boating, tourism services, and hospitality along the regional coast.
The port of Ancona is a strategic hub in the Adriatic for cargo and passenger traffic: ferries to Greece, Albania, and Croatia carry nearly one million passengers a year. Cruise traffic is also on the rise: in 2025, over 78,000 cruise passengers were recorded, and 45 cruise ship calls are expected this year through December 6, from companies including MSC, Viking, Marella Cruises, Ponant, Club Med, and Polar Cruises.
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