Pesaro 2024

Early Romanesque church dedicated to St Lawrence, erected in 1258 by the Hermits of St Augustine. Between the late 1300s and early 1400s, the church was heavily remodelled in Gothic style on commission of the Malatesta family. The bell tower with a beautiful terracotta foliate frame, the precious Gothic-Venetian portal on the façade, of white Istrian stone and red Verona marble, decorated with lions and statues in niches and tabernacles, date to this period. In the 18th century, the church was transformed in late Baroque style and was re-consecrated in 1776. In 1919, the church was elevated to the status of parish church and has been dedicated to St Augustine since then. In the 1916 earthquake, the right side aisle was lost. In 1949 extensive restoration work was carried out, especially on the vault, due to bombs that had fallen nearby during World War II. Photo credit: Regione Marche

Overlooking the sea and crossed by the River Foglia, Pesaro is a seaside resort located between two coastal hills: Monte Ardizio to the east-southeast and Monte San Bartolo to the west-northwest, which gives its name to the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park. In 2017, it was recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City for Music, for the promotion and revival of Rossini's music, having been the birthplace of the famous composer Gioachino Rossini, who was born in Pesaro in 1792 and died in Passy, Paris in 1868. Seaside tourism offer There are seven kilometres of sandy beaches between the wide-open coastline, served by more than 100 tourist accommodation facilities, some open all year round, including hotels by the sea, in the centre and in the hills, agritourism activities, campsites and flats, with a total of almost 11,000 beds. The sea is linked to a centuries-old tradition of seaside hospitality that pays special attention to families and children. Pesaro dedicates an event to children, the Mezzanotte bianca dei bambini, the flagship event of the summer tourist programme, and also dedicated to children are a number of read-aloud workshops on the city's beaches, organised by the Baia Flaminia Library. There are many cycle paths: the Bicipolitana is a route reserved for bikers that connects different parts of the city. Signposts indicate the routes. Different coloured lines are provided, each leading in different directions. What to visit Buildings of religious architecture include: the Cathedral, erected on the remains of a late Roman building, which boasts an interesting mosaic heritage; the Church of Sant'Agostino, which preserves a remarkable Gothic-Venetian portal on the façade and important paintings inside; the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie, built in the 13th century by the Malatesta family and rebuilt in Baroque style. Noteworthy monuments and museums include: the 15th-century Rocca Costanza, a work with a square plan, reinforced by cylindrical towers and surrounded by a large moat, formerly used as a prison; the Ducal Palace, the Oliverian Archaeological Museum and the Civic Museums, with the Picture Gallery and the Ceramics Museum; which is located inside Palazzo Mosca, the Sonosphere, a space designed for the immersive enjoyment of three-dimensional sound and audio-visual content; Casa Rossini, which preserves documentary material, including prints and memorabilia related to the life and work of the great composer; the Museo Nazionale Rossini, which recounts the life, the man and the greatness of the artist, but also the topicality of Gioachino Rossini's work; the Teatro Rossini, where the Rof (Rossini Opera Festival), an opera music festival held annually in August since 1980, takes place every year. ROF is also the name of the Foundation established in 1994 to support the Rossini Foundation in the theatrical, musicological and editorial recovery of Rossini's production. A striking contemporary sculpture is Arnaldo Pomodoro's Palla, a bronze sphere created in 1998 by the well-known sculptor. Villino Ruggeri is a beautiful Art Nouveau building, and not far from Pesaro, on San Bartolo Hill, rises Villa Imperiale, built from 1530 onwards. In the San Bartolo Park, in the Pesaro area, Casteldimezzo, Fiorenzuola di Focara and Santa Marina Alta are picturesque hamlets overlooking the blue Adriatic Sea. Among the most significant events taking place in Pesaro throughout the year is the Rof, the Mostra internazionale del Nuovo Cinema, (Pesaro Film Festival), one of Italy's most important film festivals, taking place in June. A gastronomic “gem” is the Pizza Rossini, for its special combination of pizza and mayonnaise. The base is a simple margherita, to which hard-boiled eggs and carefully handmade mayonnaise are added.

Villino Ruggeri, built between 1902 and 1907 from a design by the owner, pharmaceutical industrialist Oreste Ruggeri, is a splendid example of Art Nouveau in Italy. The building, located at street no. 1 in Piazzale della Libertà in Pesaro, was subjected to restrictions for buildings of monumental interest in 1962. The main feature of the villa is the rich presence of marine and plant-inspired decorations in the four outer walls. Originally the cottage had many colours, not just the green and white of present day, with gleaming bronze doors depicting the owner's family members in bas-relief. The execution of the small building was entrusted to the architect Giuseppe Brega from Urbino, who specifically designed the furnishings, decorations and external vestments. Photo credit: Regione Marche

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was built on the remains of an earlier basilica from the 5th century within the perimeter of the Roman city. In 1503, the bell tower was destroyed by Cesare Borgia, leading to the rebuilding and enlargement of the presbytery and apse. Another radical renovation began in 1865, which did not change the Romanesque façade built in the 13th century. During this work, the extensive floor mosaic was discovered (approx. 900 square metres) spanning the entire church and dating back to the mid-6th century AD. A basilica was also found more than a metre below the surface, identified as the early Christian cathedral. The 14th-century white stone portal is flanked by two lions from the 12th and 13th centuries, probably emblems of the Malatesta family. The interior of the church is in the shape of a Latin cross with three naves, seven altars and three chapels. In the right nave, one can admire the chapel of St Terence, where the relics of the saint and other patron saints of the city are kept, and a 14th-century fresco of Our Lady of the People. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament with marble remains of the ancient baptistery is in the left nave. The two chapels date back to 19th-20th century renovations. Photo credit: Regione Marche

The Civic Museums have been housed since 1936 in the city-owned Palazzo Mosca, former residence of one of Pesaro's most important noble families. The Mosca family, wealthy merchants from Bergamo, arrived in Pesaro in the mid-1500s and soon became part of the city's nobility. Their rapid economic and social rise allowed them to build the suburban Villa Caprile and the palace in the centre still bearing their name today. Today, the Palazzo is characterised by a façade with an elegant, rusticated portal in the centre and the Mosca family coat of arms mounted above. Beyond the threshold, three large courts appear. The testamentary bequest of the Marchioness (1885), a great collector of art and ceramics, constitutes a large part of the collection of the Civic Museums. The Mosca collection is in addition to the collection of Renaissance majolica of knight Domenico Mazza acquired by the city in 1857 and the Hercolani Rossini collection acquired in 1883. The museums are most famous for the grand Pala di Pesaro by Giovanni Bellini, one of the key works in the development of the Venetian Renaissance. The museum exhibits works from the region and by masters from Marche, Veneto, Tuscany, Emilia and beyond, including Vitale da Bologna, Tintoretto, Ludovico Carracci, Guido Reni, Mattia Preti, and Palma il Giovane (Giudizio Universale), part of the Rossini collection. Other rooms are dedicated to the ceramics collections, in which 16th-century majolica of local production, especially from Urbino, Pesaro and Urbania (Casteldurante) stand out. In the entrance courtyard is the Medusa, a late-Art Nouveau work by ceramist Ferruccio Mengaroni. Photo credit: Regione Marche

Rossini National Museum Inaugurated on 11 June 2019, the Museo Nazionale Rossini documents the extraordinary life of a protagonist of European music and culture: Gioachino Rossini, born in Pesaro on 29 February 1792. It is located on the main floor of Palazzo Montani Antaldi. The exhibition is a 360-degree journey into Rossini's world told like an opera, a musical metaphor for his life. The ten rooms follow the composer's biographical stages and boundless operatic production, set in the historical context with places and characters between private affections and protagonists of the time (relatives, masters, entrepreneurs, singers, musicians, politicians, rulers). The Overture is represented by the Hall of Mirrors, where the Playel piano that belonged to Rossini is on display, restored for the occasion and ready to be played during meetings, conferences and concerts. The sections divided into two Acts and an Intermezzo include a video area with projections of masterpieces such as the Barber of Seville, Cinderella and La Gazza Ladra. The first part is devoted to Rossini's birth and beginnings, his rise to success and his travels in Italy; the second sheds light on his maturity, his travels in Europe and his move to Paris until his death in 1868. In a striking neoclassical setting, the story unfolds room by room, each with a different colour and against the backdrop of magnificent, frescoed ceilings with mythological themes. The itinerary offers paintings, busts, memorabilia, original scores, librettos and stage sets, accompanied by state-of-the-art multimedia and interactive media, designed for easy and captivating enjoyment. Alongside the permanent collections, the museum hosts events and exhibitions dedicated to the music of all times, its history and sound in general. Photo Credits: PH Luigi Angelucci

San Bartolo Regional Natural Park, established in 1994, covers an area of approximately 1,600 hectares of land and includes the municipalities of Pesaro and Gabicce Mare. It has very striking natural features: the overhanging cliffs form a distinctive seascape with the presence of fossilised fish and rare chalk crystals. At the foot of the cliffs runs a thin beach of gravel and pebbles, formed by the collapse of the walls above and rich in fossils, once used to pave the streets of Pesaro. A scenic road leads to the ancient villages of Gabicce Monte, Casteldimezzo, Fiorenzuola di Focara, Santa Marina Alta and the cosy little port of Baia Vallugola. The vegetation of Monte San Bartolo is characterised by mixed forests of oak and black hornbeam and rare species such as maritime flax, bulrush, cliff carrot and the shining fragrant broom. Famous for the presence and migration of numerous bird species, including the peregrine falcon, migratory birds of prey including the honey buzzard and marsh harrier as well as a very rare species: the pallid harrier, which comes from Africa and then nests in Eastern Europe. Five paths lead to small natural oases and spectacular views. The cultural heritage is no less impressive: the Villa Imperiale, a meeting place for intellectuals and artists including Torquato Tasso and Pietro Bembo; other examples of aristocratic residences are Villa Caprile, where Casanova and Stendhal stayed, built in the 17th century by the Mosca family and famous for its splendid Italian-style garden with its amusing water features, Villa Vittoria, home of Caroline of Brunswick, and Villa Almerici. There is no shortage of archaeological excavations either: in the locality of Colombarone there are the remains of a noble villa built at the end of the 3rd century AD, rich in mosaics and site of finds such as bracelets and coins, glass and amphorae. The Park Authority organises activities ranging from nature excursions to motorboat trips, festivals and cultural visits. Park Institutional Headquarters Viale Varsavia 61121 Pesaro (PU) comunicazione@parcosanbartolo.it www.parcosanbartolo.it +39 0721 268426 Photo credit: Regione Marche

Teatro Rossini was inaugurated as the Teatro del Sole in 1637, during the pontificate of Urban VIII, who granted the old ducal stables by Federico Ubaldo Della Rovere as a venue for public performances. The building underwent several transformations over time; real reconstruction was carried out by the architect Pietro Ghinelli between 1816 and 1818, when it was inaugurated as the Teatro Nuovo with an exceptional performance of La Gazza Ladra directed by Gioacchino Rossini himself, already famous even if only 27. Of the old building, only the rusticated portal by Filippo Terzi remained, still today, the main entrance. In 1855, the theatre was named after Rossini. In 1934, the façade was rebuilt, the foyer modified and a large hall (today's Sala della Repubblica) built at the third tier of boxes. The reopening of the Rossini in 1980 decreed the beginning of an intense life together with the founding of the Rossini Opera Festival. Throughout the year, the theatre hosts opera productions and concerts of the Rossini Opera Festival, the Theatre Season, the Concert Season and the National Drama Festival. Photo credit: Regione Marche

Palazzo Ducale is a Renaissance building in Pesaro, and is today the seat of the prefecture. It was built by Alessandro Sforza in the mid-15th century on an original core that was owned by the Malatesta family and later completed by the Dukes of Urbino. The façade consists of a portico of six arches supported by massive pilasters and an upper floor with five windows crowned with coats of arms, festoons and putti. The right flank has the terminal arch of the portico in Gothic style and, on the upper floor, two large windows, similar to the front ones but without crowning. Inside the building, the fireplace in the waiting room was made by Federico Brandani and depicts a chariot race around the Roveresche walls; the other halls are decorated with arabesques, while the bathroom dressing room is decorated with polychrome stuccoes. Photo credit: Regione Marche

Oliverian Archaeological Museum The Museo Archeologico Oliveriano is named after Pesaro-born Annibale degli Abbati Olivieri Giordani (1708-1789), a scholar and careful collector of antiquities, who donated a considerable amount of archaeological and numismatic material and part of his income to the city. Particularly significant for the genesis of the museum is also the work of Giovan Battista Passeri (1694-1780), a friend of Olivieri who received a large part of his collection. The current arrangement of the Oliveriani Museums, on the ground floor of 17th century Palazzo Almerici, dates back in part to the 1950s. The numerous 1892-93 excavation materials in the Early Iron Age necropolis at Novilara and even more famous figured stelae are of great importance. The inscribed cippus and materials found by Olivieri and Passeri in the lucus sacro near Santa Veneranda are related to the problem of the early Romanisation of the Pesaro area. There is also a well-known bilingual Etruscan-Latin inscription and other important and numerous finds from the Roman period (oil lamps, small bronzes, ceramics, sarcophagi, sculptures and inscriptions). Photo Credits: PH Paolo Semprucci