Riviera del Conero, Ancona. Foto © Sauro Strappato
Many tourists on holiday in the Conero Riviera superficially visit Ancona, just to say they have been there but the reality is that there is so much to see. The city is really worth a more detailed visit, maybe in spring or autumn, walking on foot and enjoying every single corner of it. It might sound bizarre but the inhabitants of the Marche region do not like Ancona so much because it is the largest city of the region and they use to live in smaller towns and villages, where there are no traffic problems and tranquillity prevails. That is why they reluctantly visit Ancona discovering it only at old age and sometimes even by chance. We do not always appreciate the things we have near, as it often happens. However, tourists, having no prejudices of this kind, can let themselves be enchanted by this open-air museum. Well, first, Ancona witnesses both the sunrise and the sunset in the waters of the Adriatic, a unique phenomenon in Italy, due to the elbow shape of its promontory. The name Ancona comes from the ancient Greek word “ankòn”, which means “elbow”. Thanks to its strategic location on the sea and its natural gulf, the city and its port have been very important since the time of the Picenes, the Greeks, founders of the city, and the Romans. Ancient remains of those periods can be seen in every corner and there are many wonderful scenic points on its rocky beaches. Shopping for all tastes can be done in Corso Garibaldi and its adjacent alleys, from famous brands to handicraft productions. Its port is one of the main Italian ports for passenger and vehicle traffic and has a key function in the Adriatic-Ionian Macro-Region as terminal of the international ferry route to Greece, Croatia and Albania.
