Due to its peculiar geographical position – the city lays on a promontory shaped like an elbow (ankon in Greek) over the Adriatic sea - Ancona is the only Italian city where you can watch the sun rise and set over the sea. As a strategic port situated along the trading routes between East and West, Ancona has been given the name of "Oriental Gate" and grew a variety of historical evidences from different times and cultures.
The best way to discover Ancona is to follow the walkway "from sea to sea", a sort of urban coast-to-coast from the port to the western area called Passetto.
Inside the harbour we find the ruins of the ancient roman Trajanean port and the very well preserved Arch of Trajan dated circa 100-116 AD.
Right outside the port we meet the Teatro delle Muse, the city main theatre whose interiors have been completely restored while keeping the original neoclassical design on the outside. Leaving the theatre on your right, after a few steps you will find Santa Maria della Piazza, a Romanesque church. Walking up the hill of Colle Guasco you will reach the local Cathedral or Duomo of Saint Ciriaco, built between the 11th and the 12th century on the rests of a temple dedicated to Venus. Beside the Cathedral there is the Diocesan Museum. The breathtaking view of the bay and the northern coastline is not to be missed, and it is worth a second visit after dinner for a "by night" sight.
Going down the other side of the hill you will come across the rests of the roman forum and amphitheater where in summer time some classic plays take place. From this spot, through a stepped pathway you can quickly reach the Archeological National Museum of the Marche Region.
A few hundred meters from here there is the oldest and possibly the most beautiful square of Ancona, Piazza del Plebiscito, renamed Piazza del Papa (Pope Square) by locals after the statue of Pope Clemente XII sitting on top of the steps overlooking the square. Just beside the statue there is the entrance of Ancona City Museum.
From Piazza del Papa a lovely narrow street full of small shops will lead you to Corso Mazzini, which together with the parallel Corso Garibaldi form the shopping heart of Ancona. Here you will find many stores, a fashion market open daily till 12 a.m. and a traditional covered food market.
Walking up the pedestrian Corso Mazzini, just before Piazza Roma lays the Calamo Fountain better known as Fontana delle 13 cannelle - "Thirteen Spouts Fountain".
At the end of the pedestrian area we come across the widest square in town, Piazza Cavour. Leaving the Town House on the left, we reach Viale della Vittoria, a thousand meter long boulevard ending with a majestic WWI memorial built between 1923 and 1930 and showing typical fascist symbols of the time. From the sea the building represents the head of an eagle whose wings and tail are shaped by the steps going down the hill towards the sea. Thanks to a panoramic lift, visitors with reduced mobility can easily reach the beach beneath the promontory.
For those willing to take a small hike without going outside town there is a hilly park (Cardeto park) right down town, behind the University where you will find one of the entrances. Walking up the hill with the coastline on the right you can reach the lighthouse, another lovely spot to admire panoramic views of Ancona.
More info
Tourist Information Office IAT Ancona
Via Gramsci, 2A
Tel: (+39) 320 0196321
Website Discover Ancona