Ancona, capital of the Marche region and the province of the same name, is picturesquely situated between foothills and the bay on the Italian Adriatic coast.
Importance
At present Ancona is an important traffic junction (railway; airport 13km/8mi west at Falconara) and a developing port: ferry services to Yugoslavia and Greece and the growing fishing industry mean a considerable economic upswing in recent years. The making of musical instruments contributes to this.
History
Ancona was founded by refugees from Syracuse about 390 B.C. under the name of Dorica Ancon (from the Greek word ankón = bend or curve, after the shape of the promontory on which the town was built). In the third century B.C. it became a Roman colony, and in the reigns of Caesar and Trajan it was fortified and developed into a naval base. Although the town was presented to the Pope by Charlemagne in 774 and at the end of the 16th century was formally incorporated in the Papal States, it contrived in practice to maintain its independence throughout the Middle Ages. Ancona has been the seat of a bishop since 462.
The Ancona Cathedral is located high up on Mount Guasco. The Cathedral is a good example of Byzantine-Romanesque architecture, with an impressive Gothic doorway and façade reliefs.
In the Piazza San Francesco, is the church of San Francesco alle Scale with a Gothic doorway by Giorgio Orsini (1454). Note the "Assunta" by Lorenzo Lotto.
From the exchange a street on the right leads to the church of Santa Maria della Piazza (tenth century) which was erected in the 13th century on foundations of two fifth/sixth century churches. It has an over- decorated façade (1210). Inside, the remains of the sixth century floor have been let into the wall.
Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 8am-7pm; Sun:9am-8pm; Sat:8am-8pm
October 1 to March 31: 8am-5pm; Sun:9am-7pm; Sat:8am-7pm
To the west of the Palazzo de Governo in Ancona is the Loggia dei Mercanti (exchange), a late Gothic building with a facade by Giorgio Orsini (1451-59). Adjoining stands the beautiful Palazzo Benincasa (15th century).
The Palazzo Ferretti (16th century) in Ancona houses the Museo Nazionale delle Marche (state-run museum of the Marche region) with prehistoric and Roman material of the Marche region, particularly finds of tombs, such as vases, etc.
Address: Museo Nazionale delle Marche, Palazzo Ferretti Via Ferretti 6, I-60100 Ancona, Italy
Hours:
June 1 to September 30: 9am-7pm; Closed: Mon
October 1 to May 31: 8:30am-1pm; Closed: Mon, Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Epiphany (3 Kings' Day ) - Christian (January 6), Liberation Day - Italy (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8), Easter - Christian, 15th of Shaaban - 12th Iman's Birthday - Muslim, Easter Monday - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
A drive southwards on the coast road leads to the church of Santa Maria di Portonovo (11th century) and to Monte Conero (572m/1,888ft) from which there are extensive views. From there the road continues to the picturesque village of Sirolo and the little seaside resort of Numana.
From the Piazza della Repubblica in Ancona a street on the right leads past the theater (1826) into the elongated Piazza del Plebiscito. In this square stands the Palazzo de Governo (15th century) with the prefecture and, approached by a flight of steps, is the Baroque church of Santa Domenico (18th century); inside can be seen a painting of the crucification of Christ by Titian (1558).
The hub of Ancona's traffic is the Piazza della Repubblica. On its west side is the harbor, an oval basin 800-900m/875-985yd in diameter, the northern part of which is of Roman origin. At the north end of the breakwater is the Roman triumphal arch Arco di Traiano with an inscription recording that it was erected in A.D. 115 in honor of the Emperor Trajan and his wife and sister; to the west is the Arco Clementino (18th century).
From the Piazza San Francesco the Via Pizzecolli runs north to the church of del Gesù (18th century) and the Palazzo Bosdari (1550), which houses the Pinacoteca Comunale (municipal picture collection). It contains work by Titian, Lotto, Crivelli and other masterpieces. In the modern art section are works by present-day Italian painters.
Address: Pinacoteca Comunale, Via Pizzecolli 17, I-60100 Ancona, Italy
Hours:
9am-7pm, 4:30pm-6:15pm; Mon:9am-1pm, 4:30pm-6:15pm; Closed: Sun
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Epiphany (3 Kings' Day ) - Christian (January 6), Liberation Day - Italy (April 25), May Day / Labor Day (May 1), Assumption Day - Christian (August 15), All Saints' Day - Christian (November 1), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26), Easter Monday - Christian, Easter - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
At the south end of the harbor stands the former hospital, built on a pentagonal bastion; adjoining is the Porta Pia (1789). The modern port installations are situated to the northwest.
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Cathedral, Ancona
Cathedral, Ancona
