12. Barchi 13. Serra Sant’Abbondio, Fonte Avellana 14. Fossombrone 12
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his is a voyage in space and time along part of the ancient Via Flaminia, the consular road that connected Rome to the Adriatic. Worth seeing: Fano, which still has significant traces of its distant Roman origins, including the monumental Arco d’Augusto (Arch of Augustus), the sixteenth-century Fontana della Fortuna (Fountain of Fortune), the Teatro della Fortuna (Fortune Theatre), the Corte Malatestiana (which houses the Civic Museum and the Art Gallery), the Malatesta Keep, the Cathedral, the Chiesa di San Paterniano (Church of St. Paterniano’s) and the Chiesa di S. Maria Nuova (Church of St. Mary the New), known for two precious paintings by Perugino. Worth visiting: Fossombrone, with its historical churches, the monumental Library, the museums, the Palazzo Ducale (Duke’s Palace) or Corte Rossa (Red Court), the renaissance Corte Alta (High Court) built on the orders of Federico da Montefeltro, the Cittadella with the remains of the Rocca Malatestiana and, in the locality San Martino del Piano, the ancient Roman town of Forum Sempronii, recognised as a Regional Archaeological Park. Worth admiring: the remains of the ancient town walls of Cartoceto, Sant’Ippolito, Barchi, Mondolfo and 18
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15. Fano 16. Cagli 17. Mondavio 18. Pergola
Mondavio, famous for the scenic Rocca designed by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, and Monte Porzio. Not to be missed: Orciano di Pesaro with the renaissance Chiesa di S. Maria Nuova (Church of St. Mary the New); Fratte Rosa, a tranquil village perched on the top of a hill surrounded by walls where much terracotta is still produced; San Lorenzo in Campo with the splendid Abbazia di San Lorenzo (Abbey of St. Lawrence), the Palazzo dei Principi Ruspoli (the Ruspoli Princes’ Palace), the Palazzo Pretorio, the Teatro Tiberini (Tiberini Theatre) of 1816 and the Municipal Museum; Pergola, which kept its mediaeval structure and look, with ancient palaces, the Gothic Chiesa di S. Francesco (Church of St. Francis) , the Chiesa di San Giacomo (Church of St. James) , the Cathedral and the famous Gilded bronzes from Cartoceto di Pergola of the JulianClaudian age, testifying to its glorious past. Worth making a detour to see: Frontone with the old village huddled around the evocative Castle, the splendid Eremo di Santa Croce di Fonte Avellana (Fonte Avellana Hermitage of the Holy Cross) located in a solitary wooded valley near Serra Sant’Abbondio; the enchanting town of Cagli gathered around its grandiose Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), famous for the majestic ellipsoidal Tower by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and the Ponte Mallio (Mallio Bridge) from Roman times. Worth discovering: the evocative Burano Gorge and Cantiano, a village characterised by an interesting mediaeval structure which features a fine 17th-century Collegiate Church and a beautiful Roman Bridge.