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Province of Pesaro and Urbino

A province of the Marche: 2893 sq. km • 67 comuni • 2003 population: 355,000.

A tiny brick chapel with a tile roof and an open campanile, capable of holding maybe 10 people, sitting by itself in the middle of a field. It is the oratory of S. Emidio, on the outskirts of Cagli, in the Marche (central Italy).

The oratory of S. Emidio, in the fields along the Via Flaminia just north of downtown Cagli, towards Molaccione.

Of the four provinces of the Marche, this is the one I know best, because I've crossed it on foot, following the Via Flaminia, so this site will eventually be rather large. For now — this page was started in May 2001 — this is a simple preview of some of the towns in the province.

If you are planning a trip to the area, when you see links in the pages below to parts of my diary, don't pass them by: there'll be a good deal more information there, including photos; several dozen places in this province.

	[ 8/13/03: 2 pages, 5 photos, links ] The administrative capital is Pesaro, the birthplace of Gioacchino Rossini. It's a large town with a very handsome main square and several good Renaissance and classical buildings, and its share of churches. (The traditional co-capital of the province is Urbino, a gem of Italian history and art: a place I haven't been yet, although see the useful Encyclopedia Britannica article.)
	[ 5/4/05: 5 pages, 12 photos, further resources ] Tucked away in the Apennines, Apecchio, one of the province's remoter and quieter towns, is best known for its splendid 14th‑century bridge. There are also several old churches; I wish I'd spent more time, and, of course, hope to go back.
	[ 5/19/01: 2 pages, 11 photos, further resources ] Cagli, on the other hand, is one of the larger towns in the province, but is very pleasantly sited on its river amidst wooded hills, and doesn't feel like it. Among its attractions are one and a half Roman bridges, several interesting medieval churches, the garishly painted Renaissance church of S. Bartolomeo that typically I liked a lot, and the Torrione, the rather striking oval tower you see here, that is the symbol of the place. Right now, I'm starting with the churches, mostly.
	[ 5/13/01: 1 page, 1 photo, further resources ] Cantiano, the last comune on the Via Flaminia before the road enters Umbria, is one of the most pleasant places I know in the Marche. Warmly recommended.
	[ 8/5/01: 2 pages, 4 photos, further resources ] Founded by the Romans as a highway rest stop in the 2c B.C., Fossombrone may well be smaller now than in Roman times. It's a peaceful town on the Metauro river with some interesting reminders of its wealthy days as a silk-weaving town in the 17th and 18th centuries.
	[ 2/7/07: 1 page, 3 photos ] Although it's hardly a major sight, a little wayside shrine in Lucrezia (comune of Cartoceto) is a witness to the history of at least two centuries.
	[ 3/27/08: 1 page, 2 photos ] The church of l'Angelo Custode at Calcinelli (comune of Saltara) is similarly minor; but also a proof, if any were needed, that history continues to live.
	[ 10/11/06: 2 pages, 5 maps ] Something slightly different, but of interest to military topography buffs: two scholarly articles by Bernard Henderson on the question of where to place the Battle of the Metaurus, in which the Carthaginians were decisively defeated, and Hasdrubal killed. (The main article will link to the earlier small article, which clears some of the underbrush.)

Finally, in the course of roaming the Web, I occasionally find pages — in addition to whatever towns are represented, usually quite well, on the general sites in the navigation bar at the bottom of this page, and those at the bottom of the page for the entire Marche region — for specific comuni I've never been to, or went thru too quickly; I'll collect them here. This list is almost random, by no means comprehensive:

Acqualagna • Apecchio • Borgo Pace • Cagli • Cantiano • Fano • Fossombrone • Gabicce Mare • Gradara (1 — 2 — 3 ) • Isola Del Piano • Macerata Feltria • Montefelcino • Pesaro • Serrungarina • Urbania • Urbino

Images with borders lead to more information.
The thicker the border, the more information. (Details here.)

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