Entries about seaside

I did two day trips more when I was in Gabicce Mare. I visited Pesaro and Urbino.

I had already been to these towns some years ago.

Pesaro is a beautiful town situated in the Marche region. It overlooks the Adriatic Sea.

It was the birtplace of Gioacchino Rossini (1792 - 1868); a famous Italian composer.

Piazza del Popolo is the main square in Pesaro. Here you see the Palazzo Ducale (the ducal palace) and a fountain; built in 1593 and restored between 1684 and 1685.

The first structure of the ducal palace was probably commissioned by the Malatesta family (the lords of Pesaro!) between 1285 and 1429.

The present palace was built on the orders; in the 15th century by Alessandro Sforza. It was restored in 1523 .

It is opened to visitors, but I haven' t visited yet.

Every morning inside the two cloisters of the ex monastery of saint Domenico a food and vegetable market is held.

A vist to this market is probably a good opportunity to find some typical Italian food.

The house where Giacomo Rossini was born and spent the first years of his life is not far from piazza del Popolo.

Today its interior is a museum dedicated to the composer.

The cathedral of saint Maria Assunta was originally built joining two churches; one dated to the IV century and the other to the IV century.

This church was remodelled more times trought the centuries.

On the floor of the church there are several Roman mosaics.

This nice buliding is Casetta Vaccari. It dates to the 1400. Today there is a cafe on its ground floor

Not far from Casetta Vaccari there is a palace that houses some museums of art; the Musei Civici.

I think this palace has a section with archaeological artifacts.

It is a pleasure to get lost in the Pesaro backstreets.

This is a shop inside an old building.

Villino Ruggeri is a small palace built in the Art Nouveau style.

It was built from 1902 to 1907.

You can see it on the street that takes to the beaches.

In piazzale della Libertà; a large square not far from the sea, you will surely notice a large sculpture. The Sfera Grande.

It was created by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1998. It is a copy. The original Sfera Grande is on display somewhere.

We can say that Pesaro is a beach resort. It has a long beach.

Orti Giuli is a place I like very much. It is a small park.

It was created between 1827 and 1830.

I spotted these boats from Orti Giuli.

Urbino is a large walled town with a well preserved Medieval and Reinassance center.

It is located at the top of a hill.

Palazzo Ducale is the main sight in Urbino. It was built in various phases. It was finished in the second half of the XV century.

Inside the palace the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche is housed.

This palace was commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro (the leader of Urbino) from 1444.

One of the things I was going to see in Urbino was the botanical gardens. Its name is Orto Botanico.

As in other botanical gardens here there are some conservatories.

These gardens was created in 1809. It is not a large gardens, but there is a large variety of plants and flowers.

Some streets in Urbino are very steep!

Other sights in Urbino are the oratory of saint John the Baptist and the oratory of saint Joseph.

I wrote about these churches in my previous post about Urbino.

If you like to enjoy a great view over a large part of Urbino you could head to the park outside the Albornoz fortress.

This fortress dates to the second half of the XIV century.

Senigallia is a beautiful seaside restort situated in the Marche region; between Pesaro and Ancona.

It has a fourteen kilometers long beach.

I visited Senigallia as a day trip from Cesena. I got there by train. The journey between these towns took around one hour.

If you come to Senigallia by train, the first thing you could see is the Rocca Roveresca. This huge fortress was started in the 4th century. What we see today dates to 1476 and 1482.

It was used as a prison and also as an orphanage. Today is a venue for music and art festivals.

Part of the fortress faces piazza del Duca. Here stands the Palazzo del Duca; built in the XVI century. This palace is used for expositions of various kind.

In piazza del Duca there is a nice fountain. It is called the fontana dei leoni ( lions' fountain) or fontana delle anatre (ducks' fountain). It was completed in 1602

At a short distance from piazza del Duca there is piazza Roma. It is bordered by some palace and by the palazzo del Governo (the town hall).

Joined to this palace we see the Neptune' s fountain. The statue that stands on the fountain was probably a Roman find.

There are lots of old palace in the old core of Senigallia.

Foro Annonario is a square surrounded by a round structure with twenty four columns. It was built in 1834. Here, every day you can find a fruit and vegetables market.

Under the structure there is a good choice of restaurants, cafes and some small shops.

The book "100 things to know and to do in Senigallia" is really useful to get to know the town. I don' t know if there is an English edition about this.

Portici Ercolani is a row of covered porticoes built along one of the banks of the river Misa. These were designed in the XVIII century on commission of pope Benedetto XIV. These porticoes were meant to host the stalls of the Magdalene' s fair.

Under these porticoes there are several shops and cafes. I had the worst cream coffee in my life under the porticoes!

Rotonda a Mare is perhaps the most popular landmark of Senigallia. It is a round shaped pavillion erected in the 1930' s.

It was used as a ballroom, restaurant, conference hall and wedding location.

I hope to re visit Senigallia quite soon. Unfortunately it is quite far from where I live.