 Introduction
The city is located 210 km northeast of Rome and 200 km southeast of Bologna. The town is finely situated on and between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno, occupied by the citadel, and Monte Guasco, on which the Duomo stands (150 m). The latter, dedicated to St Judas Cyriacus, is said to occupy the site of a temple of Venus, who is mentioned by Catullus and Juvenal as the tutelary deity of the place.
Arrival By Plane
Ancona's Airport-Flaconara “Raffaello Sanzio“.
By Train
Stazione ferroviaria di Ancona
Trenitalia's Intercity Trains reach the most number of destinations throughout Italy. The service offers 120 trains a day, reaching over 212 stations throughout the country.
By Car
The A 14 motorway, the main SS 16 and SS 77 roads. (Bologna - Taranto) Ancona Nord and Ancona Sud exits.
By Bus
Intracity bus service-Autolinee Reni Srl
Intercity bus service-Conerobus Spa
Conero Bus operates several trips daily to destinations around the province and the region. Schedules and timetables are posted at the ticket offices. Most buses arrive and depart from Piazza Cavour.
By Sea
Shipping lines to Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Ciprus, Albania and Crete.
History and Culture
When it became a Roman colony is doubtful. It was occupied as a naval station in the Illyrian War of 178 BC. Julius Caesar took possession of it immediately after crossing the Rubicon. Its harbor was of considerable importance in imperial times, as the nearest to Dalmatia, and was enlarged by Trajan, who constructed the north quay, his architect being Apollodorus of Damascus. At the beginning of it stands the marble triumphal arch with a single archway, and without bas-reliefs, erected in his honor in 115 by the senate and people.
After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ancona was successively attacked by the Goths, Lombards and Saracens, but recovered its strength and importance. It was one of the cities of the Pentapolis under the exarchate of Ravenna.
With the Carolingian conquest of northern Italy, it became the capital of the Marca di Ancona, hence the name of the modern region. After 1000 Ancona became increasingly independent, eventually turning into an important maritime republic (together with Gaeta, Trani and Ragusa, it is one of those not appearing on the Italian naval flag), often clashing against the nearby power of Venice. An oligarchic republic, Ancona was ruled by six Elders, elected by the three terzieri into which the city was divided: S. Pietro, Porto and Capodimonte. It had a coin of its own, the agontano, and a series of laws known as Statuti del mare e del Terzenale and Statuti della Dogana. Ancona was usually allied with Ragusa and the Byzantine Empire.
In 1137, 1167 and 1174 it was strong enough to push back imperial forces. Anconitan ships took part to the Crusades, and his navigators include Cyriac of Ancona. In the struggle between the Popes and the Emperors that troubled Italy from the 12th century onwards, Ancona sided for Guelphs.
Differently from other cities of northern Italy, Ancona never became a seignory. The sole exception was the rule of the Malatesta, who took the city in 1348 taking advantage of the Black Death and of a fire that had destroyed much of the edifices. The Malatesta were ousted in 1383. In 1532 it lost definitively its freedom and became part of the Papal States, under Pope Clement VII. Symbol of the papal authority was the massive Citadel. Together with Rome and Avignon, Ancona was the sole city in the Papal States in which the Jews were allowed to stay after 1569, living into the ghetto built after 1555.
Pope Clement XII prolonged the quay, and an inferior imitation of Trajan's arch was set up; he also erected a Lazaretto at the south end of the harbor, Luigi Vanvitelli being the architect-in-chief. The southern quay was built in 1880, and the harbor was protected by forts on the heights.
From 1797 onwards, when the French took it, it frequently appears in history as an important fortress, until Christophe Leon Louis Juchault de Lamoriciere capitulated here on September 29, 1860, eleven days after his defeat at Castelfidardo.
Churches and Museums
The beautiful Cathedral, entitled to St. Ciriaco, was consecrated in 1128 and completed in 1189. Some writers suppose that the original church was in the form of a Latin cross and belonged to the 8th century. An early restoration was completed in 1234. It is a fine Romanesque building in grey stone, built in the form of a Greek cross, with a dodecagonal dome over the center slightly altered by Margaritone d'Arezzo in 1270. The façade has a Gothic portal, ascribed to Giorgio da Como (1228), which was intended to have a lateral arch on each side.
The interior, which has a crypt under each transept, in the main, preserves its original character. It has ten columns which are attributed to the temple of Venus, and there are good screens of the 12th century, and other sculptures. The church was carefully restored in the 1980s.
Church of Santa Maria della Piazza
This church has an elaborate arcaded facade (1210).
The archaeological museum
The museum contains interesting pre-Roman (Picene) objects from tombs in the district, and two Roman beds with fine decorations in ivory.
Historical buildings and monuments
It is 18 m high, was erected in 114/115 as an entrance to the causeway atop the harbor wall in honor of the emperor who had made the harbor, is one of the finest Roman monuments in the Marche. Most of its original bronze enrichments have disappeared. It stands on a high podium approached by a wide flight of steps. The archway, only 3 m wide, is flanked by pairs of fluted Corinthian columns on pedestals. An attic bears inscriptions. The format is that of the Arch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan, his wife Plotina and sister Marciana, would figure as a landmark for ships approaching Rome's greatest Adriatic port.
The Lazzaretto (Laemocomium or "Mole Vanvitelliana")
Planned by architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1732 is a pentagonal building covering more than 20,000 msq, built to protect the military defensive authorities from the risk of contagious diseases eventually reaching the town with the ships. Later it was used also as a military hospital or as barracks; it is currently used for cultural exhibits.
The Episcopal Palace
The Palace was the place where Pope Pius II died in 1464.
The Palazzo del Commune
The Palazzo del Commune, with its lofty arched substructures at the back, was the work of Margaritone d'Arezzo, but has been since twice restored.
Places of Interests
The Parco Naturale de Monte Conero covers 5,800 hectares (14,330 acres) of the province of Ancona, incorporating the towns of Portonovo, Sirolo, Numana and Camerano, all located on the coast of the Adriatic. The park's mountains and coastline combine to provide a myriad of outdoor activities, such as sailing, rock climbing and caving.
Events
Outdoor markets have skyrocketed in popularity in Italy over the past few years, a revival of the bargain-hunting ways of centuries past. Just about anything a shopper can think of is displayed for sale, plus a little more. Villagers barter with talent, wearing down dealers until they retrieve their prize for the perfect price.
Ancona Jazz Summer Festival - July 14 to 21
Every summer Ancona cuts through the heat with the cool sounds of jazz at its annual Jazz Festival, featuring world-renowned crooners and musicians. The 2006 festival had headliners such as trumpeter Marco Tamburini and the smooth sounds of the Carme Canela quartet on the roster, pleasing audiences easily. Performances take place at several venues in and around Ancona.
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Ancona Travel Guide
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