Ancona

The city was founded in 387 BC by the Greeks of Syracuse, who called it Ankón (= elbow). And in fact the conformation of the promontory on which the first settlement would have risen is very reminiscent of a bent elbow. This peculiarity, combined with the fact of being a few nautical miles from the Dalmatian coasts, has played a decisive role in the history of Ancona, which since ancient times has been a leading commercial outpost.

Its strategic location on the Adriatic aroused the interest of the Romans. In particular, the emperor Trajan bet on Ancona, who not only had a triumphal arch erected, but pushed for the port of Ancona to be enlarged. With the expansion of the airport, commercial relations with the Near East also intensified and consolidated. During the Roman period (about 1st century AD) the city was equipped with an amphitheater, which is still partly visible today.

Rich in parks and large green areas, Ancona is also known for the Passetto, a rocky beach. In the homonymous district there is also one of the most important monuments of the city: we refer to the Monument to the Fallen of the Great War, in Piazza IV Novembre. Another significant building is the old lighthouse, on the Colle dei Cappuccini.

Ancona is also a cultural center of considerable importance. Seat of the Polytechnic University of the Marches, a national archaeological museum and a theater (the Teatro delle Muse), the city has inspired painters, sculptors, writers and directors ("Ossessione" by Luchino Visconti, who gave the neorealist in Italy, was filmed in part in the capital of the Marche region).

If this were not enough, annual events are organized in Ancona that attract the attention of locals and tourists: among the most important are certainly the Carnival and the San Ciriaco Fair (also known as the May Fair ).