Gabbice Mare

The last town in Le Marche where the region meets Emilia Romagna, this seaside town takes it out with a bang. It is located at the foot of the promontory of San Bartolo, where the hills tumble into the Adriatic Sea at the Baia degli Angeli (bay of the angels). You have a choice of swimming coves or wide sandy beaches. Gabicce Mare is consistently on the Bandiera Blu list for clean beaches.

The towns roots are from the Roman period, when there was a fortress on the hill, called Gabicce Monte. In the Middle Ages it was a territory of Urbino and then passed to the Papal States. But it didn't really develop until the post World War I period, when the port was built and it fostered a fishing fleet and some tourism, as beach destinations started to come into fashion. It was after WWII that Gabicce Mare really took off as a destination, linked to Rimini's spike in tourism and people seeking a quieter, cleaner resort. It is a "user friendly" town; the weekly market is held in Piazza Aldo Moro.

Gabicce abutts Cattolica in Emilia Romagna, the regions separated by the Fiume Tavollo River that runs between the two towns. Just a few miles inland is the spectacular town of Gradara with its impressive castle, reachable by a "trenino" trolley-type car that takes visitors there easily. There are boat trips you can enjoy. In the hills are trails in the Nature Park of San Bartolo, where you can enjoy hiking, mountain biking or horse riding.

There are some nice beaches in this area, before the plains of Emilia Romagna, especially nice for families who don't like crowds.