Jesi & Marzocca
April 3rd 2026
Today we left Tuscany and headed east over the Apennine Mountains. The drive as beautiful. The whole mountain range was snow capped. I am still amazed that I did not realize there were mountains in Italy!
Jesi
Jesi is a fortified medieval city known for its perfectly preserved walls. Our exchange student from Italy lives in the town surrounding the fortress. He lives with his parents, Monica and Palo. He is currently finishing med school. He is the reason we did this trip. He has been asking us to come visit for a while.
The drive over the mountain took awhile, so we arrived around 1:00pm. His parents have been very gracious and made us a typical Italian lunch of pasta. We were able to watch Antonio’s brother (Giovani) make the traditional Easter cheese bread called Crescia di Pasqua. It is made with a ton of Pecorino and Parmesan cheese. Giovani learned to make this when he was only 12. His grandmother was getting too old to make it, so he had her show him how. He makes it from memory (no recipe). He is the only one in the family that makes it, so it is his yearly job.
They only make it at Easter time. Can’t wait to try it when we meet the rest of his family Easter Sunday!
Giovani making Crescia di Pasqua and Monica.
Marzocca
Marzocca is a charming seaside hamlet in the Marche region of Italy, known for its beaches, coastal views, and proximity to cultural attractions in Senigallia.
His parents recently bought a house on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the town of Marzocca. It was a fixer upper, and the totally renovated it. They are both retired and like to spend most of their time here. Antonio and his other brother Stefano still live in the condo they have in Lesi. The house faces the Adriatic Sea. The beach is just across the road that takes you to their place. Looking forward to catching some amazing sunrises. We will be staying there for the next 5 days while we visit.
Monicas and Palos seaside house.
Sandy, Monica, Antonio and me.
View of Ancona from the beach.
Peaceful Seaview.
For dinner his parents got some takeout pizza. It is sold by the square and you can choose any flavor of each square. Many of the selections had fish on them like tuna. I guess this is a fishing community. We had quite the selection. There was more pizza than we could possible eat.
They also picked up some gelato. It had some interesting flavors. Tiramisu, ricotta with pear, yogurt and chocolate. I was surprised at how much I liked the ricotta with pear!
