Ancona.

Situated north of Monte Conero and the only natural port in the central Adriatic, for centuries Ancona was a centre of  a busy trade route between Greece and the Dalmatian coast. Then, in the nineteenth century, it became a hub of the railway system with intense civil and military building. Numerous traces are still to be found of its illustrious history , in spite of first the war and then the natural disasters that have left their mark on the historical part of the city. Intensive restoration has been carried out as well as urban development.  Of great interest are: the Lazzaretto, designed by Vanvitelli as a military base and hospital for the port. Its pentagonal shape surrounds an internal courtyard pivoted on the temple of St. Rocco. Then there is the majestic Porta Pia which, until the end of the eighteenth century, was the gateway to the city. Piazza dell Repubblica, at the other end of the port, has a wonderful sea view with the Vittorio Emanuele landing place. Then we  have the Teatro delle Muse, which  dominates the square with its recently restored neoclassic façade, the Loggia dei Mercanti, one of the most important civil monuments of the city and symbol of its  trading vitality, St. Ciriaco's cathedral, a beautiful example of Italian Romanesque architecture, which dominates the port, Palazzo Ferretti which houses the archeological museum of the Marche, the Chiesa del Gesù which looks onto the sea, a masterpiece by the young Vanvitelli, Viale della Vittoria and the War MemorialMonument. The former, an important axis during the urbanization between the two wars and studded  with Liberty style villas, leads to the third sea bank of the city, the Passetto, with its luminous and refined temple of Doric proportions. 

The Conero Promontory.

The Riviera del Conero, south of Ancona, is known for its natural  beauty and the richness of its historic centres among which Portonuovo, the jewel of the nature reserve of Monte Conero, with its Clementina tower, il Poggio one of the small historic towns along the coast, Sirolo and Numana, among the most characteristic places on the Adriatic.

The province of Ancona
The smallest of the four provinces in the Marche, bordered in the north-west by the river Cesano  and in the south by the river Musone, wedged in the south west as far as the Gola della Rossa.  The north of the province is characterized by vine covered hills, famous for their Verdicchio wine, which drop down towards splendid beaches and lead up to magnificent old walled towns like Corinaldo, Ostra, over the Misa valley, Arcevia, with its perfectly preserved medieval plan, and Serra dei Conti.  The main towns are Jesi and Senigallia.  The former is an important industrial centre in the region with interesting monuments such as the  Pergolesi Theatre, the old city walls, the sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Palazzo della Signoria.  Senigallia is a resort town with well equipped beaches and a splendid historic centre rich in old palaces such as the Palazzo Mastai Ferretti, the town hall, built by the Della Rovere family, the Diocesan Museum, the recently restored Annonario Forum and the cathedral.  The southern part of the province includes important towns such as Osimo and Loreto.
In Osimo the Romanesque cathedral, the baptistery and the town hall are all worthy of note. Loreto is  famous for the sanctuary of the Santa Casa where pilgrims come from all over the world.