Come mai Marche?

Torre dell’Onglavina & Treia

When Michael first moved to Marche in 2016 he was repeatedly asked "Come mai Marche?” He couldn't figure out how to answer 'How never Marche?' - the literal translation of 'come mai' being 'how never' - eventually, someone explained that the spirit of the question was 'Why did you choose Marche of all the places in Italy?' 
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I choose Marche because it is authentic Italy without the crowds of tourists, tour buses, and cheap tchotchkes for sale. The land is green and lush; the Sibillini Mountains are stunning; the Adriatic sea welcoming. The Marchigiano people are wonderful! They are friendly, helpful, kind, and quite curious about the foreign woman renovating a townhouse in Treia. 

Many of the people in their teens and 20's speak some English due to learning it in school, but very few other people speak it. I am learning Italian and a translation app is my constant companion. Apparently, I've learned to say, "Mi dispiace, parlo un po d'italiano, ma non molto bene" quite well. Because, even though I am saying, "I'm sorry, I speak a little Italian, but not very good" the person I'm speaking to responds with an affirmation that, in fact, my Italian is quite good and then they proceed to talk to me in the fast paced partial dialect that they use with their friends and family. Porca miseria!!​