Visiting Ancona: Cathedral, Mole, Passetto and Conero

Sights by group

Guasco hill and ancient port: the Romanesque Cathedral of San Ciriaco with its view over the port, the Roman amphitheatre, the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche in Palazzo Ferretti, Trajan's Arch and the Clementine Arch on the pier, the Lanterna and the redeveloped old port. Nineteenth-century centre: piazza del Plebiscito ("piazza del Papa") with the church of San Domenico, the Teatro delle Muse, the Podesti Civic Picture Gallery, the Loggia dei Mercanti and the church of Santa Maria della Piazza.

Mole Vanvitelliana: the eighteenth-century pentagonal lazaretto built on an artificial island in the port, now a venue for exhibitions, concerts and the Omero Tactile Museum. Passetto: the War Memorial on the sea, the staircase and lifts down to the rocky beach with the fishermen's caves dug into the cliff, and the Cardeto Park on the hill with the lighthouses and the Jewish cemetery.

The Conero and day trips

The Conero regional park begins inside the municipality: Portonovo, with the Romanesque church of Santa Maria, the bay, the small lakes and the beach clubs, is reached by the summer shuttle or by car (paid car parks, regulated access in high season); the Mezzavalle beach is free and reached on foot along a path; the Due Sorelle, the park's symbol, can only be reached by boat from Numana or by sea. Sirolo and Numana are the Conero villages, with beaches and restaurants.

Other trips: Loreto with its Sanctuary (30 minutes), Jesi and the Verdicchio wineries, Osimo with its caves, the Frasassi Caves at Genga (an hour), Recanati and Urbino for a full day.

Seasons and crowds

Ancona is not a mass-tourism art city: visitors concentrate from June to September, partly heading for the Greece and Croatia ferries that leave in the afternoon and evening, partly for the Conero Riviera. The Portonovo and Mezzavalle beaches are crowded on summer weekends. Spring and early autumn are ideal for the centre and the Conero trails; the Cathedral and museums are quiet all year.

Tourist tax and information

The Comune applies a tourist tax per night in accommodation; the IAT tourist information office is at the old port. The National Archaeological Museum and the other state museums are free on the first Sunday of the month.