Pesaro has been called “the city of harmonies,” but it can be thought of as a place of admirable counterpoints. Lying on the Adriatic coast, on the right bank of the mouth of the Foglia River, it already geographically expresses itself in a “song and counter-song” between Marche and Romagna, lands whose border it marks. Even its urban dimension is a play of balances that rest securely on the square score woven by the Romans. The Piazza del Popolo represents the historical and political center of city life. There faces the City Hall, the 17th-century church of St. Ubaldo and the unfinished Palazzo della Paggeria. Above all, the capital’s most important building stands there: the Ducal Palace, now the seat of the Prefecture, commissioned by Alessandro Sforza in the second half of the 15th century. Not far away is the imposing Rocca Costanza, with its moat and four imposing towers that night lighting succeeds in softening. A land of craftsmen and artists, Pesaro’s cultural venues recount its genius. The Civic Museums bring together an important picture gallery, in which Bellini’s Coronation of the Virgin stands out, as well as a collection of precious Marche ceramics. Gioacchino Rossini is credited with the city’s temples of music: the Conservatory and the Theater. The latter is home to the festival that celebrates the Pesaro maestro every year: the Rossini Opera Festival. The city’s dualism is also measured in its gastronomic culture, which flanks seafood dishes, such as brodetto, with peasant recipes in a variety that makes the choice embarrassing.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.turismo.marche.it
