Marche: €11 million for villages, 15 projects to boost tourism and

Marche: €11 million for villages, 15 projects to boost tourism and culture

The Marche Region has launched a plan allocating €11 million to revitalize inner villages: €8 million from regional funds and €3 million as municipal co‑financing. Fifteen projects were selected for their design quality and readiness for construction, with the aim of supporting tourism, culture and local employment.

The strategy focuses on quickly deployable interventions able to stimulate local economies and create opportunities for younger generations. Selection favored proposals that demonstrate networking capacity and territorial excellence.

Notable projects include:

• Urbino — upgrade of the Fortezza Albornoz into a Welcome Hub and cycle‑tourism gateway;
• Mondavio — reinstallation of the Rocca;
• Frontino — a dispersed museum dedicated to Franco Assetto;
• Sant'Angelo in Vado — Truffle Museum;
• Fabriano, Cingoli, Sarnano — restoration of historic theatres and cinema‑theatres;
• Apiro — conversion of a former monastery into a tourist hub for local products;
• Belforte all’Isauro — APILAB, a biodiversity museum.

In addition to heritage recovery, projects create new social spaces, multimedia hubs and reception infrastructure. Organizers describe the works as "knowledge infrastructures" that pair architectural quality with sustainable tourism development.

Officials note that previous regional investments produced a multiplier effect on local economies and aim to reproduce that outcome by prioritizing projects that are ready to start and can deliver measurable impacts in the short to medium term.

The plan reaffirms commitment to enhancing the Marche villages' heritage, strengthening local identities, tourism appeal and job prospects for inland communities.