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Italy

Ancona

Ancona: Adriatic Gateway with Roman Monuments and Conero Coast

Ancona takes its name from the Greek word for elbow, the bend of coast that shelters its harbor, and that shape makes it the only city in Italy where you can watch the sun both rise and set over the sea. Its old town climbs steep hills from the quays to the cathedral, so wear shoes made for stairs.

Good to know

What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Ancona

Cruise ships berth in Ancona's historic port, the old harbor below the city where the Arch of Trajan stands on the quay. Your cruise line confirms the berth and whether a shuttle bus runs from the ship to the port gate.

  • The old town rises up the hills around the harbor, with the cathedral at the top of the Guasco hill.
  • Ancona is the capital of the Marche region and one of the main passenger ports on the Adriatic, with ferries to Croatia, Greece and Albania.
  • The central railway station is about 2 km from the port.

Ancona on Your Own

The Roman arch stands in the same historic port where cruise ships berth, so a day on your own can begin on the quays and then climb into the old town. A taxi or city bus out to the Passetto adds the rocky shore below the cliffs.

  • Arches on the quay: Two arches stand in the historic port: Trajan's marble arch of 115 and the Arco Clementino, Luigi Vanvitelli's tribute to Pope Clement XII.
  • Up into the old town: A free public lift beside Palazzo degli Anziani, running since 2014, saves part of the climb. At the top of the Guasco hill, the cathedral of San Ciriaco faces out over the port from the site of the Greek acropolis, and the city art gallery is in Palazzo Bosdari on Via Pizzecolli.
  • The Passetto: At the war memorial, the Monumento ai Caduti, a long white staircase runs down to the rocks and the caves that fishermen cut into the cliff, and a paid lift also goes down to the shore.
  • Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own, so leave time for the walk back down to the harbor.

Getting Around Ancona

The old town is compact enough to explore on foot, but its streets climb, so expect hills. Conerobus runs the city buses, and taxis serve the station and the center.

  • Ancona's central station has direct trains to Rimini, Bari and Rome.
  • Conerobus runs the city and provincial buses around Ancona.
  • If you take a taxi, make sure the meter is running.
  • In summer, buses run from Ancona to the bay of Portonovo below Monte Conero.

What to Eat in Ancona

Ancona's cooking leans on the sea. Stockfish cooked the Ancona way is often called the city's signature dish, and brodetto is a thick soup made with many kinds of local fish.

  • Stoccafisso all'anconetana: Stockfish is Norwegian cod dried in the open air without salt, and Ancona's ships once brought large loads of it home from the north.
  • Brodetto: By local tradition the soup takes 13 kinds of fish, and it is served over slices of bread.
  • Moscioli: These wild mussels are gathered along the Conero coast and are a Slow Food presidium.
  • Vincisgrassi: A baked pasta dish of the Marche, close to lasagne. Its name is said to honor the Austrian general Windisch-Graetz.
  • Crema fritta: Squares of fried custard, often served alongside fried olives, vegetables and meat.
  • Local wine: Rosso Conero is a red made from Montepulciano grapes on the slopes around Monte Conero, and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is a white made in the provinces of Ancona and Macerata.

Tipping in Italy

Tipping is not customary in Italy, and waiters do not expect a tip, though they will not refuse one. Many restaurant bills carry a cover charge, the coperto, which is not a tip.

  • Restaurants: A large tip is never expected; a euro or two is plenty if you want to leave something.
  • Taxis: Leaving the change is common.
  • Currency: Italy uses the euro.

Monuments and Museums

Ancona's monuments run from its Greek acropolis to the papal port of the 1700s. Most of them sit in the old town between the harbor and the Guasco hill.

  • Cathedral of San Ciriaco: Built of white stone from Monte Conero, it mixes Romanesque, Byzantine and Gothic elements, and its 13th-century portal rests on lions of red Verona marble. Excavations found a Greek temple beneath the site.
  • Mole Vanvitelliana: Vanvitelli's pentagonal quarantine station, built from 1733 on an artificial island in the harbor, held travelers and goods for forty days before they could enter the city.
  • Museo Tattile Statale Omero: Inside the Mole, this state museum is built for touching, with sculptures and models that visitors explore by hand. Entry to the main collection is free; check opening times before you go.
  • Roman amphitheater: Built in the time of Augustus between the Guasco and Cappuccini hills, it held between 8,000 and 10,000 spectators. Visits are guided only and run from April to late September.
  • Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti: The city gallery in Palazzo Bosdari holds two paintings by Titian, an altarpiece by Lorenzo Lotto and a small Madonna by Carlo Crivelli.

From Greek Colony to Rome's Adriatic Gateway

Greek settlers founded Ancona, the Romans made it their port toward Dalmatia, and in the Middle Ages it governed itself as a maritime republic. Popes ruled it from 1532 until it joined Italy in 1860.

  • Around 387 BC: Greek settlers from Syracuse founded the town and named it Ankon, the Greek word for elbow, after the bend of coast that sheltered the harbor.
  • 115: The Senate and people of Rome raised the Arch of Trajan to honor the emperor, who had enlarged the port at his own expense.
  • 9th century: Saracen raiders sacked the city and carried off the arch's bronze statues.
  • 12th century: As a self-governing maritime republic with its own coin, the agontano, Ancona held off the armies of the Holy Roman Empire more than once.
  • 1532: Ancona lost its independence to the Papal States, and the Citadel was built as a sign of the new rule.
  • 1733: Building began on Luigi Vanvitelli's pentagonal Lazzaretto in the harbor, after Pope Clement XII had made Ancona a free port.
  • 1860: The papal forces surrendered on September 29 after a short siege, and Ancona became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
  • 1944: Polish troops of the 2nd Corps took the city from German forces on July 18.
  • 1972: An earthquake struck the city. Clearing after the wartime bombing and the earthquake brought the Roman amphitheater back into view.
  • To learn more ashore: The Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche, in Palazzo Ferretti on Via Ferretti, covers the region from prehistory to the Classical age.

Ancona with Children and Families

Ancona works well with children who are happy to walk, because its parks, lighthouses and sea caves are all close to the center. Plan for hills and build in a sit-down.

  • Younger children: At the Museo Omero inside the Mole, touching the exhibits is the whole idea, and entry to the main collection is free. The park of the Cittadella, up on the Astagno hill, gives them room to run.
  • School age: The Parco del Cardeto has the old and the new lighthouse, an old powder magazine and wide views over the city and the sea.
  • Teenagers: The staircase from the war memorial down to the Passetto ends at rocks and fishermen's caves, and in summer locals swim and dive from the rocks.

Accessibility in Ancona

Ancona is built on hills, and the old town's sights are linked by steep streets and stairs. Two lifts help: the free public lift beside Palazzo degli Anziani, and the paid lift down to the Passetto shore.

  • The Museo Omero is a tactile museum created by two blind founders, and its collection is meant to be explored by hand.
  • The cathedral of San Ciriaco is reached by a wide flight of steps in front of the façade.
  • The Arch of Trajan stands on a high podium with a flight of steps, but you can see it from the quay.
  • At the Passetto, both a staircase from the war memorial and a paid lift lead down to the shore.

Shopping in Ancona

Corso Garibaldi is a pedestrian shopping street in the center. For food, head for the covered Mercato delle Erbe.

  • Mercato delle Erbe: Scrap metal from old ships went into this iron market hall of the mid-1920s, where produce and Marche specialities are still sold.
  • Roman mosaics: Mosaics from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD were found under Corso Mazzini, between the market and Piazza Roma, when the market was built in 1926.

The Conero Riviera

Ancona's shore is rock and pebble rather than sand. The Passetto is the city's own stretch of coast, and Portonovo, a bay below Monte Conero, is a summer bus ride away.

  • Passetto: Below the cliffs, the shore has a small beach of white pebbles, a large rock known as the Seggiola del Papa and many caves cut by fishermen. A staircase and a paid lift lead down from the park above.
  • Portonovo: A pebble and gravel bay at the foot of Monte Conero, with free and equipped stretches of beach and fish restaurants by the water. It has flown the Blue Flag since 2010.
  • Monte Conero: The headland rises to 572 m and has been a protected regional park since 1987.
  • On foot or by bike: A path for walkers and cyclists runs 11 km through the park from Vallemiano in the city to the car park above Portonovo, with gradients of up to 10%.
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