Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

region of

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

, capital of the

province of Pesaro and Urbino The province of Pesaro and Urbino (, ) is a province in the Marche region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pesaro. It also borders the state of San Marino. The province is surrounded by San Marino and Emilia Romagna in the north, Umbria and ...

, on the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, after

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

. Pesaro was dubbed the "Cycling City" () by the Italian environmentalist association

Legambiente Legambiente is an Italian environmentalist association with roots in the anti-nuclear movement that developed in Italy and throughout the Western world in the second half of the 1970s. Founded in 1980 as part of the ARCI, it later became a stand- ...

in recognition of its extensive network of bicycle paths and promotion of cycling. It is also known as "City of Music" (), for it is the birthplace of the composer

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...

. In 2015 the Italian Government applied for Pesaro to be declared a "Creative City" in

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

s. In 2017 Pesaro received the European City of Sport award together with

Aosta Aosta ( , , ; ; , or ; or ) is the principal city of the Aosta Valley, a bilingual Regions of Italy, region in the Italy, Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the G ...

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

and

Vicenza Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...

. Local industries include fishing, furniture making and tourism. In 2020 it absorbed the former of

Monteciccardo Monteciccardo is a ''frazione'' of Pesaro, and former ''comune'', in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italy, Italian region Marche, located about northwest of Ancona and about southwest of Pesaro. It was a separate ''comune ''until 2020. ...

, now a of Pesaro. Its of Fiorenzuola di Focara is one of ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").

History

The city was established as ''Pisaurum'' by the Romans in 184 BC as a colony in the territory of the

Picentes The Picentes or Piceni or Picentini were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived from the 9th to the 3rd century BC in the area between the Foglia and Aterno rivers, bordered to the west by the Apennines and to the east by the Adriatic ...

, the people who lived along the northeast coast during the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. In 1737, fourteen ancient votive stones were unearthed in a local farm field, each bearing the inscription of a

Roman god Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the Latin literature, literature and Roman art, visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these ...

; these were written in a pre- Etruscan script, indicating a much earlier occupation of the area than the 184 BC Picentes colony. A settlement of the Picentes tribe has been found at Novilara. The northern Picentes were invaded in the 4th century BC by the Gallic

Senones The Senones or Senonii (Gaulish: "the ancient ones") were an ancient Gallic tribe dwelling in the Seine basin, around present-day Sens, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Part of the Senones settled in the Italian peninsula, where the ...

, earlier by the Etruscans, and when the Romans reached the area the population was an ethnic mixture. The Roman separated and expelled the

Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...

from the country. Under the Roman administration Pesaro, a hub across the

Via Flaminia The Via Flaminia () was an ancient Roman roads, Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to ''Ariminum'' (Rimini) on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had f ...

, became an important centre of trading and craftmanship. After the fall of the

Western Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, Pesaro was occupied by the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...

, and destroyed by Vitigis (539) in the course of the Gothic War. Hastily rebuilt five years later after the Byzantine reconquest, it formed the so-called

Pentapolis A pentapolis (from Ancient Greek, Greek ''penta-'', 'five' and ''polis'', 'city') is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities. Cities in the ancient world probably formed such groups for political, commercial and military rea ...

, part of the

Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...

. After the Lombard and Frankish conquests of that city, Pesaro became part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

. During the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

it was ruled successively by the houses of

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in northern Italy. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The mountainous region includes San Marino ...

(1285–1445),

Sforza The House of Sforza () was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Sforza rule began with the family's acquisition of the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti of Milan, Visconti family in the mid-15th century and ...

(1445–1512) and Della Rovere (1513–1631). Under the last family, who selected it as capital of their duchy, Pesaro saw its most flourishing age, with the construction of numerous public and private palaces, and the erection of a new line of walls (the Mura Roveresche). In 1475, a legendary wedding took place in Pesaro, when Costanzo Sforza and

Camilla d'Aragona Camilla may refer to: People * Camilla (given name), including a list of people with the name * Queen Camilla (b. 1947), wife of Charles III, king of the Commonwealth realms Characters * Camilla (mythology), daughter of King Metabus and Casmilla ...

married. On 11 September 1860

Piedmontese Piedmontese ( ; autonym: or ; ) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, a region of Northwest Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regarded as an Italian ...

troops entered the city, and after their win over the Papal States at the Battle of Castelfidardo 8 days later, Pesaro was subsequently

annexed Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held to ...

to the new

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

along with the entire Marche (and Umbria) regions. Pesaro was significantly damaged in the 1916 Rimini earthquakes. Its historic centre was abandoned after the 16 August earthquake, leaving 14,000 displaced people crowded into 2,000 tents. Many villages in its hinterland also suffered collapsed buildings.

Demographics

Government

Main sights

Buildings and museums

* Ducal Palace (15th century): commissioned by

Alessandro Sforza Alessandro Sforza (21 October 1409 – 3 April 1473) was an Italian condottiero and lord of Pesaro, the first of the Pesaro line of the Sforza family. Biography He was born in Cotignola in 1409, an illegitimate son of the famous condottier ...

, the façade has a portico with six arcades supported by six heavy pilasters and an upper floor with five windows crowned by coats of arms,

festoon A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depicti ...

s and

putto A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...

es. * Rocca Costanza (15th century): massive castle built by

Costanzo I Sforza Costanzo I of Sforza (5 July 1447 – 19 July 1483) was an Italian condottiero, lord of Pesaro and Gradara. He was the son of Alessandro Sforza, under whom he fought in his early years and from whom he inherited the lordship of Pesaro. He ...

; it has a square plan with four cylindrical corner towers and a wide dry moat. Later used as prison. * Villa Imperiale of Pesaro (): suburban palace with gardens designed by Girolamo Genga for Duke Francesco Maria Della Rovere and his duchess Eleanora and built from onwards, stands atop the San Bartolo hill. Its sunken court is the direct precedent for the more famous one at the Roman Villa Giulia. Rooms are frescoed by prominent

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

painters

Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italians, Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or r ...

, Francesco Menzocchi, Girolamo Genga, and Raffaellino del Colle. * Mura Roveresche (17th century): "Della Rovere Walls", demolished in the early 20th century), only two gates, ''Porta del Ponte'' and ''Porta Rimini'', and a short section remain. * Birthplace of

: now a museum dedicated to the composer, located at 34 Via Rossini. It has a museum with manifestos, prints, portraits and his

spinet A spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ. Harpsichords When the term ''spinet'' is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the ''bentside spinet'', described in this ...

. Also some of his papers are on display at the Biblioteca della Fondazione Rossini housed in the Palazzo Montani Antaldi. * Conservatorio Statale di Musica Gioachino Rossini: located in the 18th century Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli on the Piazza Oliveri. * Musei Civici di Palazzo Mosca: civic museum which contains mainly paintings and ceramics. Among the art is the ''Pesaro Altarpiece'' by

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 29 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father, ...

. *

Oliveriano Archeologic Museum The Biblioteca Oliveriana is a public library located in the Palazzo Almerici, Pesaro, Palazzo Almerici on via Mazza in the town of Pesaro, region of Marche, Italy. It shares the building with the Museo Oliveriano, an archaeology museum with whic ...

and Oliveriana Library: archaeological Collection and Manuscript Library; founded in 1756 by Annibale degli Abati Olivieri. * Villino Ruggeri: notable early 20th century art nouveau home, designed by Giuseppe Brega.

Churches and other religious buildings

* Pesaro Cathedral (5th-14th centuries): Romanesque-Gothic Basilica built over remains of a late Roman edifice and dedicated to St Terence during the Middle Ages. The façade, in Romanesque-Gothic style, is unfinished: it has a simple

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics. Etymology The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...

portal surmounted by a band of small arches. A recent restoration has brought to light floor

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

s. *The Baroque Sanctuary of Beata Vergine del Carmelo (18th century). * Church of the Maternità * Santissima Annunziata * Oratory of the Nome di Dio * San Giacomo * San Giovanni Battista * Sant'Agostino * Santa Lucia * Municipal Chapel of Sant'Ubaldo * Church and Convent of the Girolimini * Madonna del Porto * Santa Maria delle Grazie * Pieve di Ginestreto * Pieve di Santo Stefano * Santa Veneranda *

Sacred Grove Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...

of Lucus Pisaurensis, pre-Roman era sacerdotal ''

lucus In Religion in ancient Rome, ancient Roman religion, a ''lucus'' (, plural ''lucī'') is a sacred grove. was one of four Latin words meaning in general "forest, woodland, grove" (along with , , and ), but unlike the others it was primarily us ...

Cultural events and attractions

Carnevale Pesaro 01.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 02.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 03.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 04.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 05.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 06.jpg Carnevale Pesaro 07.jpg The Pesaro film festival ( Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema) has taken place in Pesaro since 1965. The

Rossini Opera Festival The Rossini Opera Festival (ROF) is an international music festival held in August of each year in Pesaro, Italy, the birthplace of the opera composer Gioachino Rossini. Its aim, in addition to studying the musical heritage of the composer, is to re ...

has taken place every summer since 1980 in Pesaro, home as well as the Conservatorio Statale di Musica "Gioachino Rossini" founded with a legacy from the composer.

Sport

Pesaro hosts the home games of Victoria Libertas

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

; they play at the Adriatic Arena, the third biggest Italian indoor arena behind

Mediolanum Forum Unipol Forum (formerly the FilaForum, DatchForum and Mediolanum Forum; known as the Forum di Milano in events where commercial naming rights are prohibited) is an indoor sports arena that is located in Assago, a small town 3 km outside Milan, ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and

PalaLottomatica Palazzo dello Sport or PalaEUR, formerly known as PalaLottomatica, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in Rome, Italy. It is located in the heart of the well known modern EUR complex. The arena hosted the 1960 Olympic basketball ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. The city's other professional sports clubs are

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

club Pesaro Calcio a 5, volleyball club Volley Pesaro and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club Vis Pesaro dal 1898. The city hosted the 2017 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.

Notable people

* Anna Maria Alberghetti (born 1936), singer and actress *

Massimo Ambrosini Massimo Ambrosini (; born 29 May 1977) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who mainly played as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder. At club level, he is mostly known for his successful time at ...

(born 1977), footballer * Pasquale Bini (1716–1770), violinist * Antonello Bonci, neuroscientist * Francesco Braschi (born 2004), racing driver * Roberto Burioni (born 1962), physician and professor of microbiology and virology * Bartolomeo Campi (died 1573), artist and military engineer * Stefano Gabellini (born 1965), racing driver * Camilla Guerrieri (1628–after 1693), court painter * Giovanni Francesco Guerrieri (1589–1655), painter * Matilde Leonardi, neurologist and paediatrician * Filippo Magnini (born 1982), swimmer * Gianni Morbidelli (born 1968),

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

driver * Cristiano Mozzati, drummer for

Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded ten studio albums, two extended plays, two l ...

* Luca Nardi (born 2003), professional tennis player * Riz Ortolani (1926–2014), film composer * Angelo Romani (1934–2003), Olympic swimmer * Graziano Rossi (born 1954), motorcycle racer, father of Valentino Rossi * Gioachino Antonio Rossini (1792–1868), composer * Dorino Serafini (1909–2000), motorcycle racer and racing driver * Giovanni Sforza (1466–1510), ''

condottiero Condottieri (; singular: ''condottiero'' or ''condottiere'') were Italian military leaders active during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The term originally referred specifically to commanders of mercenary companies, derived from the ...

'' and first husband of

Lucrezia Borgia Lucrezia Borgia (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto. Her family arranged ...

* Renata Tebaldi (1922–2004), operatic soprano * Giuseppe Vaccai (1836–1912), painter * Gaius Suetonius Paulinus (~40 AD), Roman General and Governor of Britain

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Pesaro is Sister city, twinned with: * Nanterre, France * Ljubljana, Slovenia * Watford, United Kingdom * Qinhuangdao, China * Rafah, Palestine * Keita, Niger, Keita, Niger * Reșița, Romania * Kakegawa, Shizuoka, Kakegawa, Japan

Partnership

* Rovinj, Croatia

Climate

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Pesaro, Coastal towns in the Marche Duchy of the Pentapolis Roman sites of the Marche 184 BC 180s BC establishments Populated places established in the 2nd century BC Castles in Italy Borghi più belli d'Italia