Depending on how you are travelling, a visit to the local winery is highly recommended. Le Marche wine has improved dramatically in the past fifteen years or so and can be had for a very reasonable price. Most winerys operate as co-operative societies and support the local economy. Since you are going to take some trouble to transport the finished product home, we recommend you buy the best available - in most outlets this can be a little as 7-8 euros for an absolute cracker!

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Italians are stylish people with great natural taste for fashion, colour and design. It's a great place to shop and due to the somewhat stagnant economy, you usually get great service from shop assistants. Additionally, Italy still manufactures a large number of products from shoes and clothes to a wide variety of foods. It is essential to discover the local products and buy them at very reasonable prices.

Shops tend to fall into two categories:

• town or city centre
• retail park/shopping malls ('zona commerciale or 'ZC')

The former tend to be far smaller and more personal. While quality is usually excellent, price may not be as competitive as you will find in the retail parks. Additionally, you will receive personal service and advice - this is often worth far more than the small saving you might make at a retail park.

The commercial zones offer out-of-town prices, usually with easy parking. They are difficult to acess without a car although some centres provide a shuttle bus from the town centre. There tends to be an anchor tenant, normally a large chain retail supermarket. You will also find a range of other shops under the same roof, including specialization shops (frequently jewellery and fashion outlets).