The State Road 452, better known as the Strada della Contessa has reopened between the Umbria and Marche regions.
Historically an important link between Umbria and the Marche
Tourism in the area suffered significant losses, with a drop in turnover of more than 10% in the province of Pesaro and Urbino alone, equivalent to around €2 million during the eight-month closure for extraordinary maintenance on the road. Historically it has been a crucial link between Gubbio, in north-east Umbria, and the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region.
“The focus is now on boosting the economy”
The two regions launched the “Contessa, a Gateway between Land and Sea” project which led to the reopening, and it was recently presented in the Rome headquarters of ENIT, the Italian tourism board. “The focus is now on boosting the economy by highlighting the local food and wines,- said Amerigo Varotti, director of Confcommercio Marche Nord. -As well as routes dedicated to the discovery of restaurants and typical products in Umbria and Marche, the project includes historical and cultural itineraries through places linked to the Montefeltro and Della Rovere families. And, on the archaeological front, there are sites of great interest such as the Roman Theatre in Gubbio and the Mallio Bridge in Cagli, as well as the museum and archaeological park in Fossombrone, and the Arch of Augustus in Fano.”
“The project highlights the area’s tourism potential”
Barbara Marsili, president of Confcommercio, emphasized the importance of highlighting the excellence shared by the two regions, countering the tendency to bypass central Italy, and stressing that “thanks to the support of the municipality of Gubbio, the Chamber of Commerce of Perugia, and the Umbria region, this project aims at highlighting the tourism potential of the area while promoting inter-regional collaboration that transcends administrative borders.”
