Its position, in addition to offering a pleasant beach holiday, allows easy daily connections with the nearby centers of Fano, Pesaro and Senigallia and with tourist and cultural locations such as Urbino, San Leo, Frasassi Caves, Mondavio, Pergola.
The beach is wide and sandy. Its waters with gradual depth are also ideal for children.
Services nearby
30 m – Bike path connecting neighboring cities
1 km In line of sight from the sea
10 m – Bus stop (outside the gate)
400 m - Access to the beach with underpass
1.3 Km - Petrol station
2.2 Km - Market
4 Km – Il Maestrale Shopping Center
7.5 Km - Hospital
8 Km – Fano Center Shopping Center
Points of interest
4.5 km - Fano historic center
17 km – Historic center of Pesaro
23 km – San Bartolo Natural Park
38 km – Medieval village of Gradara
54 km – City of art of Urbino
49 km – Gola Del Furlo Nature Reserve
73 km – San Marino
72 km – Sanctuary of Loreto
79 km – Frasassi Caves
91 km – San Leo
119 km - Ravenna
FANO
Fano, in the province of Pesaro - Urbino, is the third largest city in the Marche. Rich in history, culture and good food, it is a hospitable city, with a surprising historic center and a welcoming and lively seaside area, an ideal place for a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday ...
Fano has many titles. It is defined as the City of Vitruvius, the City of Carnival and the City of Girls and Children. In this article we will find out why, certain that if you choose it as a stopover or a base for your holidays it will surely be a city that will surprise you!
Ready to discover it with us? Here are the 10 things to do and see in Fano!
Discovering the Fano Romana
Fano, the ancient Fanum Fortunae, was an important center during the Roman Empire, the arrival point of the Via Flaminia to the Adriatic coast. The traces of its glorious past are still visible in the city.
The path in the city of Vitruvius inevitably starts from the Arch of Augustus, the gateway to the Roman city, commissioned by the Emperor Augustus in 9 AD.Here we are in the heart of Rome, and from the top of the Pincio gardens, carefully recovered, it is possible to admire the Arch of Augustus in all its splendor in all its beauty.
We then continue towards the Augustee Walls also built as part of the important monumental project of the city of the Augustan era and which today are preserved for about two thirds of the original route.
In the basement of the Montanari Mediateca, on the other hand, the remains of the Augusteum , a building dedicated to the imperial cult, are very suggestive. It is a structure dedicated to the cult of the emperor dating back to the end of the 1st century BC. C. which has been brought to light and is visible by entering the MEMO - Mediateca Montanari , a very lively place that organizes many events for all age groups, from the smallest to the oldest.
An important step to immerse yourself in the heart of Rome is a visit to the Museum of the Via Flaminia , housed in the former church of San Michele, adjacent to the Arch of Augustus, where see parts of the original walls.
Pesaro
Fano
Natural Park
San Bartolo
Natural Reserve
Gola Del Furlo
Sanctuary
of Loreto
Caves of
Frasassi
the surroundings of fano
URBINO
Ducal Palace
Defining the Doge's Palace as just a "palace" is absolutely reductive: it is a small fortified city commissioned by Federico da Montefeltro and built starting in 1444.
Cultured and refined, Federico wanted the Ducal Palace of Urbino to surpass all other princely residences in Italy in beauty. It was not just a way of self-celebrating one's own power: he wanted to transform Urbino into the “ideal city” of which the Palazzo was to be the highest expression.
In addition, he loved artists and wanted a place to host them and make them work. The construction involved several architects for more than 30 years. The interventions of Maso di Bartolomeo (Palazzetto della Jole, Melaranci apartment and part of the courtyard), Luciano Laurana (arcaded courtyard, the Grand Staircase, the Library, the Sala degli Angeli, the Sala delle Adienze, the Soprallogge , the sacred area with the study) and Francesco di Giorgio Martini who completed the pending work. The two most beautiful testimonies of this thirty-year-old work are the “Facciata dei torricini”, perhaps the most photographed point in Urbino, and “Lo studiolo” rightly defined as a “treasure chest of beauty, refinement, perspective…”. Today the Palazzo Ducale houses the National Gallery of the Marche with works by Raphael, Titian and Piero della Francesca (point 2).
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: from 8:30 am to 7:15 pm with the ticket office closing at 6:15 pm. Closed: Monday, December 25th, January 1st
Ticket cost:
€ 8.00 Full
€ 2.00 Reduced
€ 1.00 Reservation
12 € ticket which also includes the Rocca di Gradara .
How to get there: in the center of Urbino, you can't go wrong
National Gallery of the Marche in Urbino
About 80 rooms of the Doge's Palace have been used as a museum and house the works of the National Gallery of the Marche. The collection gathers works from 1300 to 1600, mainly paintings but also furniture, sculptures, tapestries and drawings. The main works are located on the first floor, divided between the apartments where the Duke and his family lived. In the Duke's Apartment there are two masterpieces by Piero della Francesca: the Flagellation of Christ and the Madonna of Senigallia.
This is followed by the Studiolo del Duca and various reception rooms where the “Ideal City”, the Communion of the Apostles of Giusto of Ghent and the Profanation of the Host by Paolo Uccello are exhibited. Could not miss at least one work by Raphael (Portrait of a Lady) next to the Resurrection and the Last Supper by Titian. On the second floor are exhibited the works of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries by Barocci, Gentileschi, Guerrieri.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: from 8:30 am to 7:15 pm with the ticket office closing at 6:15 pm. Closed: Monday, December 25th, January 1st
Ticket cost:
€ 8.00 Full
€ 2.00 Reduced
€ 1.00 Reservation
12 € ticket which also includes the Rocca di Gradara .
How to get there: in the center of Urbino, you can't go wrong.
Raphael's house in Urbino
Raphael's birthplace houses only a few original works by the great painter from Urbino, almost all of them from his youth, but it is worth a visit because the history of art has passed through here. Located in the artisan district, in this house Raffaello Sanzio was born on March 28, 1483 and spent his childhood training in the workshop of his father, an artist at the court of Federico da Montefeltro.
After ups and downs, in 1873 the house was acquired by the Raffaello Academy and since then it has hosted works related to the life of Raphael and his time. On the ground floor is the workshop of his father Giovanni Santi, now used for temporary exhibitions. On the first floor there are copies of Raphael's paintings and tributes by other artists to the great painter from Urbino. In the "Raphael's Bedroom" there is a fresco depicting the "Madonna with Child" considered a youthful work made together with his father. On the first floor there is also a small courtyard with the well and the sink where the colors used for the works were ground.
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday: 10:00 - 13:00 / 15:00 - 18:00. Sundays and holidays: 10:00 - 13:00 / 15:00 - 18:00.
Closing days: December 25th and January 1st.
Ticket price: € 4.00 over 16 years; free up to 15 years
How to get there: in the center of Urbino, in Via Raffaello 57
Oratories of San Giovanni and San Giuseppe in Urbino
Do not be fooled by the banal Gothic facade of the early 1900s. The masterpiece of the Oratory of San Giovanni is well hidden beyond the entrance door and is painted on the walls: it is the cycle of frescoes by the brothers Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni from San Severino (1400 circa), the most important interpreters of the late Gothic of the Marches.
One is immediately struck by the "Crucifixion" that covers the entire wall of the apse: the eyes go to the three crosses, as the classical iconography dictates. Jesus in the center and the two thieves on the side: but slowly as you get closer and go into details, you realize how much humanity revolves around the Passion of Christ. Despair and indifference animate the scene, transporting it from religious to earthly reality. The oratory takes its name from the frescoes on the right wall which in the two orders, lower and upper, illustrate the life of St. John the Baptist. A Madonna of Humility is painted on the left wall. In the same street where the San Giovanni Oratory is located there is also the San Giuseppe Oratory. Worth a visit especially for the stucco nativity scene from 1560 made with human-sized sculptures, considered the oldest nativity scene in the world. The church of the Oratory has a single nave and a rectangular shape. The walls, the apse and the vault are frescoed with paintings by Carlo Roncelli.
Opening hours: every day from 10.00 to 13.00 and from 15.00 to 18.00
Closing days: December 25th and January 1st.
Ticket price: combined ticket Oratorio di San Giovanni + Oratorio di San Giuseppe: full € 5.00. Only San Giovanni 3 €
How to get there: in the center of Urbino, in Via Raffaello 57
The Cathedral of Urbino
The Duomo of Urbino is the most important church in the city but certainly not the most beautiful. Unfortunately at the moment it is closed for a restoration that was supposed to be finished in 2018 but it seems endless. History has not been generous with the churches that have followed one another in this place: the first construction dates back to 1021, replaced by a new church built by Francesco di Giorgi Martini, Federico da Montefeltro's trusted architect who worked for many years also to the nearby Palazzo Ducale. After the earthquake of 12 January 1789, the Roman Giuseppe Valadier was entrusted with the task of building the current Cathedral in the neoclassical style. Inside there are two beautiful paintings by Federico Barocci: the Martyrdom of San Sebastiano and the Last Supper. The most interesting part of the Cathedral are the Caves which over the centuries have hosted a Confraternity. During the Second World War, to protect them from bombs and from the Germans, the caves housed the works of the Treasury of the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. In the caves there are several chapels and the Corridor of Forgiveness: according to an ancient tradition of Urbino, forgiveness from sins was ensured by walking along this corridor several times during Easter Monday.
Opening hours: every day from 7.30 to 13.00 and from 14.00 to 20.00;
Cost of the ticket: gratis. Museum admission + Cathedral caves € 3.50
How to get there: next to the Doge's Palace
Church of San Bernardino in Urbino
Two kilometers from the historic center, in the countryside, the austere brick shape of the Church of San Bernardino appears. The church, also called Mausoleum of the Dukes, was built by Federico da Montefeltro to house his remains after his death. Historians believe that the construction is the result of the collaboration between Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Federico da Montefeltro's trusted architect and Bramante, whose style is perceived above all in the simplicity of the interior. Today the church does not house any relevant works but for many centuries the altar was embellished with the extraordinary "Votive altarpiece of Federico" painted by Piero della Francesca between 1472 and 1474. Today the altarpiece is known as the "Pala di Brera" because it has been preserved. since 1811 in the Milanese Pinacoteca , where it was brought following the Napoleonic looting.
Opening hours: every day from 10.00 to 18.00
Ticket price: gratis
How to get there: 2 km from the center, by car in the direction of “Cesane sul colle” of San Donato.
Helical ramps and Raffaello Theater in Urbino
Urbino is a vertical, steep city with narrow streets. In 1400 it was therefore the ideal place for those who wanted to organize an ambush for the powerful on duty. The danger was clear to Federico da Montefeltro who had a bastion built right at the foot of the Torricini di Palazzo Ducale, and inside this some helical ramps. Thanks to this magnificent work of engineering, the Duke was able to arrive at the ducal stables directly from the Palace. In order not to miss anything, guns were added to the bastion which allowed to control the underlying Mercatale area. In 1800 the Raffaello Sanzio Theater was superimposed on the bastion, a choice that aroused controversy because it was considered an element foreign to the city's architecture. Recovered in the 70s, today the Ramps are a slow and panoramic but very tiring way to access the historic center. Unfortunately, the theater cannot be visited because it is almost always closed. A curiosity: right in front of the entrance to the theater there is a curved wall: if you arrange yourself at both ends of the wall and try to speak very softly, the person on the other side will hear you. It was not done on purpose but it is an acoustic effect discovered by chance by some women from Urbino who were gossiping about each other!
The surroundings of Urbino: Gradara
To many who did not appreciate the Divine Comedy at school, the name of Gradara will not say much. The story of Paolo and Francesca as told by Dante takes place in the castle of this medieval village. "Love, who forgives no one loved to love, took me from this pleasure so strong, that, as you see, it still does not abandon me". This was Paolo Malatesta and she was Francesca da Polenta. Become lovers, they died at the hands of Gianciotto Malatesta, his brother. Dante necessarily places them in the circle of the lustful, but the pity and understanding for her shines through as she tells the unfortunate story. Beyond the legend of the two lovers, perhaps true perhaps not, Gradara is worth a visit because it is a perfectly preserved village, almost unreal in its perfection and tranquility, even if today it is a bit too crowded with tourists, especially in spring and summer. But it is all Gradara that is worth a visit, with the fortified walls, the relaxed atmosphere, the flowered balconies and the perfectly preserved medieval structure. Centuries of history that Gradara has gone through as a protagonist: the position halfway between Marche and Emilia and the sea have made it a crossroads of commercial traffic and disputed by the Malatesta, Sforza, Della Rovere and Mosca families, who have left the signs of their passage.
The walls of Gradara
Already from a distance the Castle of Gradara announces itself to the visitor with its grandeur. It is the protagonist of the landscape but as you get closer we begin to see the walls that defend the fortified village. About 800 meters long, they have resisted since the Middle Ages and can be traveled for about 400 meters with a splendid view of the village and the surrounding area. But these walls are not the only ones: once you enter the village there is another internal wall after which you begin the climb towards the Rocca di Gradara. The tour around the village is extremely pleasant: almost no cars, shops, artisans, well-kept houses with flowered balconies. The inhabitants love this village very much and it can be seen from the love with which they preserve it.
The historical center
The castle
Gradara Castle is one of the best preserved fortifications in Italy. The history of the village has passed from this castle, built in 1182 was in the possession of the Malatesta but in the mid-1400s it passed to the Sforza who ruled Gradara between 1445 and 1512. In 1641 Gradara passed to the Papal State and began a decline that will be interrupted only in 1920, when the Zanvettore family bought the Rocca di Gradara, the castle and the city walls, bringing them back to their ancient splendor.
The environments of the Castle of Gradara
You enter the Castle through the drawbridge and arrive in the courtyard. Here begins the visit through extraordinary environments, perfectly preserved, which allow a journey into almost a thousand years of Italian history, although largely rebuilt in the 1920s. Between the ground floor and the first floor there are the Torture Room, that of the Keep, of the Passion, the Camerino of Lucrezia Borgia, the Chapel and others. The most visited room on this floor is the Camera di Francesca, rebuilt during the reconstruction of the 1920s. In the room there are all the details told by Dante and Boccaccio: the “convict” book, the chairs where the two lovers sat, the trapdoor from which Paolo tried to escape.
The Sala di Paolo and Francesca
According to the legend, the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, told by Dante in the Divine Comedy, took place in this room. Francesca da Polenta was the wife of Giovanni Malatesta, known as "Gianciotto lo ciancato" and was given to him as a "reward" for his support in the Polenta war for dominion over Ravenna. Giovanni was ugly (the nickname says it all) but he had a handsome and charming brother, named Paolo, mayor of Florence. One day, while Paolo and Francesca were reading the love story of Lancelot and Guinevere, they exchanged a kiss. A servant who was watching them reported everything to Gianciotto who ambushed him: Paolo tried to escape from a trap door in the floor but they were both killed. This story inspired not only Dante and Boccaccio but also D'Annunzio, William Blake, August Rodin and many other artists. The room was rebuilt taking inspiration from D'Annunzio's novella Francesca da Rimini.
Information for visiting the Gradara Castle
Opening hours: TUESDAY TO SUNDAY 8.30-19.15 (ticket office closes at 18:30)
MONDAY 8.30-14.00 (ticket office closes at 1.15pm)
EVERY THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY IN JULY AND AUGUST
From 20.00 to 23.00 extraordinary opening only for groups with reservations required at Gradara Innova.
EVERY FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH Free admission
25 DECEMBER / 1 JANUARY Closed
Cost of the ticket
Full: € 6
Reduced: € 3
The caves of Gradara
The subsoil of Gradara is a labyrinth of caves and tunnels whose origin is still mysterious. According to scholars they were probably used as places for the Byzantine cult coming from Ravenna. 16 caves have been discovered but only 1 can be visited and houses the Historical Museum of the Gradara Caves. Among torture instruments, cribs and artisan tools, the reconstruction is a bit touristic but the rooms are worth the visit.
Information for the visit
Opening hours: From March 15th to September 30th open every day h. 10: 30/13: 00 - 14: 30/18: 00
From 15 June to 15 September also open in the evening
h 20: 30/23: 00
From 1 October to 14 March open only on holidays and the day before holidays
h 10: 30/13: 00 - 14: 30/18: 00
The municipal theater
The Municipal Theater is worth a visit, which with its 70 seats is one of the smallest in Italy. It is located in Palazzo Rubini Vesin a few meters from the Rocca. Built in 1800, it has only a mezzanine with a proscenium, armchairs and an entrance hall.
The Church of Giovanni Battista
This small church is worth a visit for a visit the Crucifix sculpted by Friar Innocenzo in 1936 which shows three different faces (silence, suffering and relief) depending on the point of view from which it is observed.
San Marino