Le Marche
The region lies on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the high Apennine mountains and much of it remains unspoilt by the ravages of mass tourism. True, the Adriatic coast has been a mecca for "sun n' sand" holiday makers for decades; but few venture far from the beaches. Inland, perhaps more so than anywhere else in central Italy, you will find places where time really has stood still. Compared to its central Italian sisters, here culture comes in more easily digestible proportions but quality, as at Urbino, is often of the very best. Whether you want to admire masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture, trek across wild uncharted mountains or hunt out the best of the catch in a Mediterranean fishing port, Le Marche has enough to keep you busy for years. And you will rarely have to jostle with hordes of other foreign tourists. Many visitors who come to Le Marche are looking for a taste of the "real" Italy, unsullied by mass tourism, yet welcoming to foreigners - if that's what you want, you won't be disappointed. Source: www.le-marche.com
The region lies on the eastern side of central Italy, between the Adriatic Sea and the high Apennine mountains and much of it remains unspoilt by the ravages of mass tourism. True, the Adriatic coast has been a mecca for "sun n' sand" holiday makers for decades; but few venture far from the beaches. Inland, perhaps more so than anywhere else in central Italy, you will find places where time really has stood still. Compared to its central Italian sisters, here culture comes in more easily digestible proportions but quality, as at Urbino, is often of the very best. Whether you want to admire masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture, trek across wild uncharted mountains or hunt out the best of the catch in a Mediterranean fishing port, Le Marche has enough to keep you busy for years. And you will rarely have to jostle with hordes of other foreign tourists. Many visitors who come to Le Marche are looking for a taste of the "real" Italy, unsullied by mass tourism, yet welcoming to foreigners - if that's what you want, you won't be disappointed. Source: www.le-marche.com
Ancona
Capital of the Marches Region, lies on the promontory of Monte Conero directly facing the sea. Founded by the Greeks, the city experienced remarkable development when the Emperor Hadrian extended the then-small port, long of great strategic importance for the traffic across the Adriatic. Split into two parts - the historic center on Monte Guasco and the modern part on the coast - Ancona is a fascinating city. Among its principal monuments are the Cathedral of San Ciriaco, with its white and rose marble façade. The Cathedral dominates the city from the heights of Guasco Hill, where the city’s Acropolis was built (and the remains of which are evident today). Be sure to see the National Archaeological Museum of The Marches, preserving relics from the Iron Age and from the civilizations that peopled the Adriatic coast; as well as the 11th-Century Church of Santa Maria della Piazza, originally in the Romanesque; Trajan's Arch, built in the year 115 by Apollodoro da Damasco; and the Mole Vanvitelliana, a military construction designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th Century. The Roman Amphitheatre (1st Century A.D.) is a splendid Roman remnant, with thermal baths in its annex; the baths feature breathtaking mosaics with various epigraphs. Much of the Province of Ancona composes part of the Conero Regional Park, characterized by sprawling evergreen woods and Mediterranean maquis, by cliffs jutting out high above the sea, beaches accessible on via water, and a countryside still pristine but rich in the local fruits of the land - including lavendar, honey, olive oil and citrus. Certain spots within the Park should be mentioned, particularly Portonovo, evocative and highly-frequented attraction, for its forests in the vicinity of the beaches, and for its ancient monuments. source: www.italia.it
Capital of the Marches Region, lies on the promontory of Monte Conero directly facing the sea. Founded by the Greeks, the city experienced remarkable development when the Emperor Hadrian extended the then-small port, long of great strategic importance for the traffic across the Adriatic. Split into two parts - the historic center on Monte Guasco and the modern part on the coast - Ancona is a fascinating city. Among its principal monuments are the Cathedral of San Ciriaco, with its white and rose marble façade. The Cathedral dominates the city from the heights of Guasco Hill, where the city’s Acropolis was built (and the remains of which are evident today). Be sure to see the National Archaeological Museum of The Marches, preserving relics from the Iron Age and from the civilizations that peopled the Adriatic coast; as well as the 11th-Century Church of Santa Maria della Piazza, originally in the Romanesque; Trajan's Arch, built in the year 115 by Apollodoro da Damasco; and the Mole Vanvitelliana, a military construction designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in the 18th Century. The Roman Amphitheatre (1st Century A.D.) is a splendid Roman remnant, with thermal baths in its annex; the baths feature breathtaking mosaics with various epigraphs. Much of the Province of Ancona composes part of the Conero Regional Park, characterized by sprawling evergreen woods and Mediterranean maquis, by cliffs jutting out high above the sea, beaches accessible on via water, and a countryside still pristine but rich in the local fruits of the land - including lavendar, honey, olive oil and citrus. Certain spots within the Park should be mentioned, particularly Portonovo, evocative and highly-frequented attraction, for its forests in the vicinity of the beaches, and for its ancient monuments. source: www.italia.it
Senigallia
The second most populous centre in the province, Senigallia is situated on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Misa River. It is among the most renowned Adriatic seaside resorts thanks to its "velvet beach" which for over a decade now has been awarded a Blue Flag each year. Ancient and Medieval History
The town was founded in the 4th century BC by the Gauls of the Senones tribe, and became the Gauls' capital in Italy. In 295 BC it was conquered by the Romans who named it Sena Gallica. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, it came under the control of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the Five Towns of the Pentapolis - the others being Ancona, Fanum Fortunae (Fano), Pisaurum (Pesaro) and Ariminum (Rimini) under direct control of Ravenna, the Italian capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. During the 13th century, at the time of the feuds between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the town was destroyed by Manfred's army. In the following decades the nearby saline became an unhealthy marsh, and the population decreased greatly. A revival started under Pope Gregory XI, who gave Cardinal Egidio Albornoz the task of restoring the authority of the papacy also in the Marche region; the cardinal started works on the marsh and the fortress. A further improvement took place in the early 15th century under Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who reconstructed the city walls including in their perimeter the Albornoz fortress; he also promised tax exemptions to whoever would settle in the new city, welcomed a Jewish community and established the Maddalena Fair, a free marketplace where no customs duties were to be paid which attracted traders from all over the Mediterranean. Contrasts with Pope Sistus IV, however, brought about the fall of Sigismondo, and in 1474 the Pope gave the Dukedom of Senigallia to his own nephew, Giovanni della Rovere, who would later marry the daughter of the Montefeltro Duke; their son Francesco Maria della Rovere was adopted by Guidobaldo, the last member of the Montefeltro Dukes, joining the two families.
The Renaissance
In the 16th century the town came under the control of Cesare Borgia, nicknamed Duke Valentinois, a natural son of Pope Alexander VI, and the model for Machiavelli ideal Prince. Valentinois invited his enemies to peace talks in the castle of Senigallia, and during the dinner he had them arrested and killed. After the Pope's death, the new Pope Julius II returned the rule of the town back to his own Della Rovere relations who ruled on Urbino and Senigallia until 1626, when the last descendant died, and the Dukedom returned to the Papacy.
From the 18th to the 20th century
In the 18th century the Maddalena Fair had grown to such extent that it became necessary to open the city walls along the river Misa to allow the town to expand. During the 19th century the trading importance of the Mediterranean gave way to the new Atlantic routes, and the Fair became less and less important, until its abolition in 1869. But the decadence soon gave way to a new, ever-growing tourist development, and in Senigallia the first tourist promotion agency in Italy was established, whose symbols became the Stabilimento Bagni (present-day Hotel Marche), the Rotonda a Mare, a platform on the sea supported by piles, and the La Fenice Theatre. On 30 October 1930 Senigallia was hit by a devastating earthquake, and a large part of the town needed to be reconstructed. Source: www.italyworldclub.com
The second most populous centre in the province, Senigallia is situated on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Misa River. It is among the most renowned Adriatic seaside resorts thanks to its "velvet beach" which for over a decade now has been awarded a Blue Flag each year. Ancient and Medieval History
The town was founded in the 4th century BC by the Gauls of the Senones tribe, and became the Gauls' capital in Italy. In 295 BC it was conquered by the Romans who named it Sena Gallica. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, it came under the control of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the Five Towns of the Pentapolis - the others being Ancona, Fanum Fortunae (Fano), Pisaurum (Pesaro) and Ariminum (Rimini) under direct control of Ravenna, the Italian capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. During the 13th century, at the time of the feuds between Guelphs and Ghibellines, the town was destroyed by Manfred's army. In the following decades the nearby saline became an unhealthy marsh, and the population decreased greatly. A revival started under Pope Gregory XI, who gave Cardinal Egidio Albornoz the task of restoring the authority of the papacy also in the Marche region; the cardinal started works on the marsh and the fortress. A further improvement took place in the early 15th century under Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who reconstructed the city walls including in their perimeter the Albornoz fortress; he also promised tax exemptions to whoever would settle in the new city, welcomed a Jewish community and established the Maddalena Fair, a free marketplace where no customs duties were to be paid which attracted traders from all over the Mediterranean. Contrasts with Pope Sistus IV, however, brought about the fall of Sigismondo, and in 1474 the Pope gave the Dukedom of Senigallia to his own nephew, Giovanni della Rovere, who would later marry the daughter of the Montefeltro Duke; their son Francesco Maria della Rovere was adopted by Guidobaldo, the last member of the Montefeltro Dukes, joining the two families.
The Renaissance
In the 16th century the town came under the control of Cesare Borgia, nicknamed Duke Valentinois, a natural son of Pope Alexander VI, and the model for Machiavelli ideal Prince. Valentinois invited his enemies to peace talks in the castle of Senigallia, and during the dinner he had them arrested and killed. After the Pope's death, the new Pope Julius II returned the rule of the town back to his own Della Rovere relations who ruled on Urbino and Senigallia until 1626, when the last descendant died, and the Dukedom returned to the Papacy.
From the 18th to the 20th century
In the 18th century the Maddalena Fair had grown to such extent that it became necessary to open the city walls along the river Misa to allow the town to expand. During the 19th century the trading importance of the Mediterranean gave way to the new Atlantic routes, and the Fair became less and less important, until its abolition in 1869. But the decadence soon gave way to a new, ever-growing tourist development, and in Senigallia the first tourist promotion agency in Italy was established, whose symbols became the Stabilimento Bagni (present-day Hotel Marche), the Rotonda a Mare, a platform on the sea supported by piles, and the La Fenice Theatre. On 30 October 1930 Senigallia was hit by a devastating earthquake, and a large part of the town needed to be reconstructed. Source: www.italyworldclub.com
The Solemn Entrance of 1479
The historical re-enactment takes place in memory of the arrival of Giovanni Della Rovere in Senigallia with his bride Giovanna da Montefeltro in 1479. Thus Senigallia becomes a strong and autonomous Lordship, worthy capital of the Italian Renaissance.
The historical re-enactment takes place in memory of the arrival of Giovanni Della Rovere in Senigallia with his bride Giovanna da Montefeltro in 1479. Thus Senigallia becomes a strong and autonomous Lordship, worthy capital of the Italian Renaissance.
Walking around the Historical Downtown