Pesaro downtown and beach (10 minutes driving)
Overlooking the sea, Pesaro is a seaside resort located between two coastal hills: Monte Ardizio to the east-southeast and Monte San Bartolo to the west-northwest, which gives its name to the Monte San Bartolo Natural Park. In 2017, it was recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City for Music for the promotion and revival of Rossini's music, having been the birthplace of the famous composer Gioachino Rossini.
Enjoy seven kilometers of sandy beaches between the wide-open coastline. The sea is linked to a centuries-old tradition of seaside hospitality.
In Pesaro, there are many cycle paths: the Bicipolitana is a route reserved for bikers that connects different parts of the city. Signposts indicate the routes. Different colored lines are provided, each leading in different directions.
Noteworthy monuments and museums include the 15th-century Rocca Costanza, work with a square plan reinforced by cylindrical towers and surrounded by a large moat, formerly used as a prison; the Ducal Palace, the Oliverian Archaeological Museum and the Civic Museums, with the Picture Gallery and the Ceramics Museum; the Sonosphere, a space designed for the immersive enjoyment of three-dimensional sound and audio-visual content; Casa Rossini, which preserves documentary material related to the life and work of the great composer; the Museo Nazionale Rossini, which recounts the life, the man and the greatness of the artist, but also the topicality of Gioachino Rossini's work; the Teatro Rossini, where the Rof (Rossini Opera Festival), an opera music festival, takes place every year in August.
A striking contemporary sculpture is Arnaldo Pomodoro's Palla, a bronze sphere created by a well-known sculptor. Villino Ruggeri is a beautiful Art Nouveau building, and not far from Pesaro, on San Bartolo Hill, rises Villa Imperiale, built from 1530 onwards.
In the San Bartolo Park, the Pesaro area, Casteldimezzo, Fiorenzuola di Focara, and Santa Marina Alta are picturesque hamlets overlooking the blue Adriatic Sea.
A gastronomic “gem” is the Pizza Rossini, for its special combination of pizza and mayonnaise. The base is a simple Margherita, to which hard-boiled eggs and carefully handmade mayonnaise are added.
Last but not least, you can visit one of the numerous wineries in the surrounding area, where you will taste the best wines of our region, Marche.
Urbino, (35 minutes driving)
In the hills of the Marche region facing the Adriatic Sea lies the city of Urbino, one of the most important centers of the Italian Renaissance, whose artistic charm and architectural heritage are still preserved today.
Embellished with sandstone buildings and surrounded by a long wall of brickwork, Urbino is a city of vast historical and artistic wealth. From a simple village, it became the “cradle of the Renaissance,” and even today, walking through its historical center you can breathe in the 15th-century air.
In 1998, Urbino was honorably included in the UNESCO World Heritage List for being a point of attraction for the most illustrious Renaissance scholars and artists from all over Italy and the world and for having influenced cultural progress in the rest of Europe while managing to keep its exceptional urban complex almost intact.
Gradara, (20 minutes driving)
Gradara is best known for its beautiful Fortress and the love story of Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini.
Gradara deserves the prestigious Orange Flag and Most Beautiful Village in Italy awards. It has two city walls: the outer one is punctuated by square crenelated towers and turrets, offers an amazing sight to visitors, and can still be walked today.
Around the castle, visitors can stroll along the Lovers' Walk or the paths of Bosco di Paolo e Francesca that encircle the hill, which present a beautiful view of the rural landscape of the Pesaro area, where cultivated fields and typical Mediterranean scrub join a spectacular view of the sea. Some important events in Gradara throughout the year are Gradara d'amare (February) and Assedio al Castello (July).
San Marino is 50 minutes drive.
San Marino is one of the world's smallest countries. Surrounded by Italy, it is an echo from an era when city-states proliferated across Europe. Mount Titano, part of the Appennine range, dominates San Marino's landscape. Three defensive fortresses perch on Titano's slopes, looking out to the Adriatic coast. San Marino is said to be the world's oldest surviving republic. Tourism dominates the economy of the microstate, which plays host to more than three million visitors every year.
Postage stamps and coins - keenly sought by collectors - are important sources of revenue. It is not in the EU but does use the euro despite not officially being in the Eurozone.
