Pesaro

Pesaro is situated on the Adriatic coast in the alluvial plain to the mouth of the river Foglia. Heading for the sea, the city extends between the necks of San Bartolo on northwest and Ardizio on southeast, including the ancient historical centre, protected on the east by the imposing Fortress Costanza, and the modern city park with its long tree-lined avenues that border the sea. The industrial zone is developed along the curve of the Foglia river. The tourist expansion continues along orderly and regular lines toward Gabicce and Fano, in correspondence with the growth of the tourist activities.

With its important commercial centre and agricultural market (fruit and vegetable products, cereals, grapes, forages; livestock for meat and for milk and cheeses), Pesaro is the site of several industries: mechanical (motorcycles, machine tools and agricultural machines), groceries, furniture (particularly important in recent years), ribbons, carpets; tiles; vary famous also is the manufacturing of the majolica and ceramics; straw manufacturing; shipyards (small crafts and fishing boats). Commercial activity is facilitated from the presence of the harbor-canal that was dug in 1614 along the terminal zone of the Foglia river, and subsequently partly buried, it was properly settled in 1857 with the deviation of the last line of the Foglia river. In recent years it has also had a great increase in beach tourism, with good hotels opening.

The home of Gioacchino Rossini, the city has many artistic and musical traditions: the Rossini theatre, the Rossiniano Museum, the Academy of Music, the Institute of Art, etc. Taking place annually is a festival of Rossiniane music and a film festival. Pesaro was also the home of the explorer A. Cecchi. There have been many archaeological finds from to the Roman city. The first artistic documents of interest are a notable group of Romanesque-Gothic churches with several original features still remaining: the face of the cathedral (end of the XIII sec.), the beautiful portals of Sant'Agostino (1413), of St. Francesco (1356-1373) and of St. Domenico (1395), this last on the side of the building of the Mail, a neoclassical building obtained from the body of the church by L. Poletti (1848).

Up to the advent of the Renaissance, the artistic environment of Pesaro has several links with Venetian art, confirmed by some Venetian paintings in the civic Museum (Jacobello del Fiore). The Renaissance is represented in the harmonic Palazzo Ducale, built under the orders of Alessandro Sforza in the second half of the XV sec., and reconstructed after a fire by Bartholomeo and Girolamo Genga. The Laurana, present in the city in 1476, contributed to the construction of the Costanza fortress, a remarkable example of military architecture, started in 1474.

Near to the city on the hill of St. Bartolo, is the Imperial Villa which owes its name to the emperor Federico III of Hapsburg  who witnessed the foundation as guest of the Sforza in 1452. It was mainly reconstructed under the Della Rovere starting from 1530 by Girolamo Genga, author also of a large part of the interesting decoration, for which Menzocchi, Dossi, Bronzino and Perin del Vaga also participated. In the civic museum, situated in the Palazzo Mosca (G. A. Lazzarini, XVIII sec.), is highlighted the altar piece of the Incoronazione della Vergine by Giovanni Bellini and a precious collection of majolicas. The Oliveriana Library, with its many manuscripts and incunabulum is annexed to an archaeological Museum, especially noted for iron age finds coming from the necropolis of Novilara.