Quiet thoughts in the Marche, Italy

Some people don’t know where this is, when I tell them I’ll be staying in the Marche. Even some Italians ... maybe I don’t pronounce it right.
Arrived here in the dark -- drove through hilly sunset land, rose light fading behind the ridges, topped with bell towers, campanile, and distant monasteries and churches whose white walls are illuminated in this summer season.

Reached the house in the the dark, sat outside on the terrace and sipped wine, ate cheese and olives, gazing into the blackness of the valley, while the crickets chirped in drunken ecstasy.