Pesaro
Pesaro is a town and
comune in the
Italian region of
the Marche, capital of the
Pesaro e Urbino province, on the
Adriatic. According to the
2003 census, its population was 91,400.
Fishery,
furniture industry and
tourism are main points in local economy. The town is
twinned with
Watford in
England.
The city was founded as
Pisaurum by the
Romans in
184 BC as conoly in the territory of the
Piceni, the people who lived in the Marche during the
Iron Age. A settlement of the latter tribe, one of their most ancient, has been found at Novilara. The northern Piceni were invaded in the 4th century BC by the
Senones Gauls, and when the Romans reached the are the population was a mix of the two races.
Under the Roman administration Pesaro, a hub across the
Via Flaminia, became an important center of trading and craftmanship. After the fall of the
Western Empire, Pesaro was occupied by the Ostrogoths, and destroyed by
Vitigis (539) in the course of the
Gothic War. Hastily rebuilt five years later after the Byzantine reconquets, it formed the so-called Pentapolis, part of the
Exarchate of Ravenna. After the Lombard and Frank conquests of that city, Pesaro became part of the
Papal States.
During
Renaissance it was ruled by the
Malatesta (1285-1445),
Sforza (1445-1512) and
Della Rovere (1513-1631). Under the latter family, who elected it as capital of their duchy, Pesato lived its most flourishing age, with the construction of numerous public and privata palaces, while a new line of walls (the Mura Roveresche) was erected.
On
December 11,
1860 the
Piedmontese troops entered the city, and Pesaro was subsequently annexed to the new
Kingdom of Italy.
*The
Ducal Palace, constructed by
Alessandro Sforza in the second half of the 15th century. The façade has a portico with six arcades supported by six heavy pilasters and a upper floor with five windows crowned by coats of arms, festoons and puttoes.
*The Romanesque
Cathedral Basilica, built in the 5th century 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 portal surmounted by a band of small archs. A recent restoration has brought to light a precious set of floor mosaics.
*The Baroque
Sanctuary of Beata Vergine del Carmelo (18th century).
*
St. Augustine, with a splendid Gothic portal.
*The massive
Rocca Costanza (Castle), built in the 15th century, once used as prison. It has a square plan with four cylindrical towers and a wide ditch.
*The native
house of Gioacchino Rossini. It has a museum dedicated to the composer, with manifestoes, prints, portraits and his
spinetta.
*The
Imperial Villa, on the San Bartolo hill, built in the 15th century and enlarged in the following century. Its room are decorated by renowned artists, including
Bronzino,
Francesco Menzocchi and
Raffaellino del Colle.
*Of the 17th century Mura Roveresche ("Della Rovere Walls", demolished in the early 20th century), only two gate,
Porta del Ponte,
Porta Rimini and a short section remain.
*The
Town Museum houses the splendid
Pesaro Altarpiece by
Giambellino. The
Oliveriani Museum is home to several interesting archaeological findings.
The
Pesaro Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale del Nuovo Cinema) takes place in Pesaro since
1965.
Opera composer
Gioacchino Rossini was born in Pesaro in
1792. Pesaro is home of the
Rossini Opera Festival, that takes place every summer since
1980.
Pesaro hosts the home games of
Victoria Libertas basketball team, better known across Europe as
Scavolini Pesaro.
*
Official Site*
Encyclopedia Britannica 1911
