La Risacca Family Collection

La Risacca Family Collection's local town is Porto Sant'Elpidio, a seaside resort with a pine forest and a long narrow beach where swimming and snorkelling are top picks in its waters. And if Italian holiday = shopping (sì), Porto Sant'Elpidio is also a top pick for picking up handmade Italian leather shoes: this area is central to the Marche's shoe industry and home to many a shoe shop. (Thus: shoe shopping while on hol here = pretty much a must.) An energetic bike ride takes you to Fermo, the town on a green hilltop with spectacular views over the countryside and Adriatic Sea. Recover with a strong coffee or two in one of the many cafés or restaurants, then wander around town to see the twelfth century cathedral, the Roman theatre and the ancient Palazzo dei Priori. Nearby Porto San Giorgio is a good mix for those who like Italian history, Italian food and Italian beaches all in one place (sì): it's famed for its sands, has the thirteenth century Rocca Tiepolo fortress, and is crammed with restaurants dishing up local seafood; the Marche's traditional fish stew highly recommended. Pedaso is also a must for seafood fans, to see the vast cultivation of mussels on its 'mussels beach'; if you're around in summer, one of Italy's thousands of food festivals or sagre is held here, the Sagra delle Cozze.