Find out Pesaro
Info
Pesaro is one of the liveliest and most varied cities in the Marche region. The city, lying on the north coast of the Marches, right on the border with Emilia Romagna, with long stretches of sandy coast flanked by two green promontories overlooking the sea, offers numerous activities to be carried out ranging from sports to music art and history. Pesaro was founded by the Romans and still today has the typical cross structure with Cardo and Decumanus, at the center of which develops the historic center full of Roman archaeological finds, medieval walls, splendid Renaissance palaces and numerous structures dedicated to the celebration of ancient history of the city.
Pesaro is the birthplace of the composer Gioacchino Rossini.
To be seen
Among the places of greatest interest to visit in Pesaro is the Palazzo Ducale, located in the center of Piazza Del Popolo, it was the place of residence of the lords at the head of the city. The palace can be accessed from the courtyard and inside it is possible to visit the large Metaurense hall, where the wedding of Camilla D'Aragona and Costanzo Sforza was held, the courtyard intended for hunting and the secret garden. In front of the Palace is the "Pupilla of Pesaro", a majestic fountain built in 1588 by Francesco Maria II Della Rovere, which has become a meeting place for locals and tourists. In the ancient Via del Duomo then stands the birthplace of Gioacchino Rossini, a five-story building dedicated to the famous composer from the Marche region. Then there is the Teatro di Pesaro named after Rossini, which took his name following the performance of "La Gazza Ladra" in 1818. Pesaro is also famous for its numerous churches: first of all the Cathedral dedicated to Maria Santissima Assunta and San Terenzio, patron saint of the city, is in neoclassical style, in white stone and characterized by a rose window placed in the center of the facade; inside you can admire wonderful mosaics and the Romanesque structure, unique in the area. We also find the churches of Sant'Agostino and San Giovanni Battista, both of great monumental value. Another symbol of the city is the Sfera Grande located on the seafront, created by Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1998, this symbolizes the union between city and man.
History
The name of the city derives from the ancient name of the Foglia river: Isaurus or Pisaurus. Its origins are very ancient: it is thought that the first to build here were the Sicilians. Then there are settlements of Umbri-Piceni, Etruscans and Galli Senoni until 184 BC, when Pesaro becomes the Roman colony Giulia Felice. When the Western Roman Empire fell (476 AD), it suffered the invasions of the Goths. After the fire of the city, in 544 it returned to the Eastern Roman Empire. During the Byzantine domination it participates in the maritime Pentapolis with Rimini, Fano, Senigallia and Ancona. Liutprando, king of the Lombards, conquered Pesaro and had it governed until 752 when he returned to the exarchate of Ravenna. Three years later it became the property of the king of the Franks, Pepin, who gave it to Pope Stephen III, a donation confirmed by Charlemagne in 774, thus initiating the centuries-old belonging of the city to papal domains. Having become a thriving municipality in the first half of the 12th century, it took part in the struggles between the Papacy and the Empire. It was under the Malatesta Lordship from 1286 to 1445 when it was sold to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan and his brother Alessandro. The latter was succeeded by his son Costanzo, then Giovanni Sforza, husband of Lucrezia Borgia. After the brief reign (1500-1503) of Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Sforza took over the city until 1512, when the Della Rovere took over with the duke of Urbino Francesco Maria I. His successor Francesco Maria abdicated in 1626 and ceded the duchy of Pesaro and Urbino. The dominion of the Church ends on 11 September 1860, when General Cialdini occupies it and annexes it to the kingdom of Sardinia under Vittorio Emanuele II. Since then Pesaro has participated in the affairs of the Italian state. Mostly destroyed in the Second World War, it is rebuilt and expands more and more until it takes on the appearance of the present day.
