Ancona: the gateway to Monte Conero

Founded by Greek colonists from Syracuse, Ancona preserves a perfectly intact Roman arch and the most direct access to the Conero Park, the mountain that plunges into the Adriatic.

The center, between the harbor and Guasco hill, is comfortably explored on foot, despite some uphill stretches.

The Arch of Trajan, erected in 115 AD in honor of the emperor who expanded the city's port, remains one of the best-preserved Roman arches in the Marche region.

Climbing towards the Guasco hill, you reach the Cathedral of San Ciriaco, built on an ancient temple dedicated to Venus, with a rare Greek cross plan for central Italy.

Descending towards the port, you walk along the Passetto, white cliffs where hand-carved caves still serve as boat sheds for local fishermen.

Towards evening, it's worth reaching the Conero Park, where the mountain drops directly into the sea, forming some of the most striking beaches of central Adriatic.

The Passetto caves, hand-carved by Anconans throughout the twentieth century, remain private to this day and are passed down family to family like small seaside hideaways.

Monte Conero, at nearly five hundred sixteen meters tall, represents a rare case along Italy's entire Adriatic coast of a mountain that plunges directly into the sea without an intervening coastal plain.