Italy · Marche · Sea and coast
seven kilometres of beaches and the city of Rossini, between the Bicipolitana and the San Bartolo park
Pesaro sits where the hills of Monte San Bartolo come down to the Adriatic, and it holds together two things that usually belong to different towns: seven kilometres of beaches and an old centre that turns around Gioachino Rossini, born here in 1792. You get about by bicycle more than by car, because the Bicipolitana covers the city with 180 km of cycle paths. For a motorhome it is an easy destination: the service area is a kilometre from the centre and the campsites are on the sea.
Sleeping
Three options: the automated service area near the centre and two campsites, one on the beach and one on terraces inside the San Bartolo park.
Via Acquedotto, 61121 Pesaro (PU)
the choice for visiting the city without moving the vehicle. A kilometre from the old centre, 1.5 km from the seafront, 700 m from the railway station. In some periods there is a free shuttle to the centre, otherwise the bus stop is a few metres away. The rate is not stated by the source and should be checked on arrival.
Via Marina Ardizia 181, 61122 Pesaro, sulla SS16 Adriatica al km 244
a campsite right on the beach, with equipped pitches, a private beach with umbrella and sunbed hire, a fish restaurant and pizzeria, a market, a bar, a playground, a games room, an internet point and hire of bicycles and tandems. The cycle path along the beach runs towards Pesaro and towards Fano. Small and medium sized dogs welcome. The railway passes close by and you hear it at night.
Via Rive del Faro 2, 61121 Casteldimezzo, Pesaro
family run, laid out on terraces inside the San Bartolo park, with marked shaded pitches and a view of the sea. Outdoor pool with hydromassage, bar, restaurant and pizzeria, market, service point and playground; the power comes from renewable sources. In season a public shuttle goes down to the beach. A good base for walking and cycling in the park. Twelve kilometres from Pesaro, a quarter of an hour by car from Cattolica station. Pets welcome.
Getting around
Seeing
From the old centre to the sea is ten minutes on foot, and in between lie the square, the museums and the theatre; the last two stops are outside the city, to the north. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Square · free entry · 43.90976, 12.91298
the centre of Pesaro, dominated by the monumental fountain known as the Pupilla di Pesaro, of 1593, the work of Bernardino Baldi, with tritons, dolphins and sea horses. On the square stand the Palazzo Ducale, a Renaissance building wanted by the Malatesta and the Sforza and today the seat of the Prefecture, the Palazzo Baviera, which houses the town hall, and the Piaggeria. From here the shopping streets and the alleys towards the other monuments set off.
Museum · paid entry · 43.90873, 12.90803
the house where Gioachino Rossini was born, 1792-1868, today a multimedia museum in ten rooms with documents, paintings, stage costumes, the composer's restored piano and projections of the best known operas, from the Barber of Seville to the Thieving Magpie to Cinderella.
Monument · 43.90765, 12.90933
built in 1637, 860 seats, a neoclassical horseshoe hall with four tiers of boxes and the gallery. Since 1980 it has been the home of the Rossini Opera Festival. Visits are by booking.
Museum · 43.91116, 12.91326
an art gallery with works from the Renaissance to the twentieth century; the best known piece is the Coronation of the Virgin by Giovanni Bellini, of 1475. There are also a collection of Pesaro ceramics and majolica and the Parete di Libri, a contemporary art installation.
Church · 43.91113, 12.91449
the cathedral of Pesaro, sober outside and full of colour and works of art inside. Beneath the floor early Christian mosaics of the fifth and sixth centuries have been found, the remains of two earlier basilicas, open to visitors on request.
Monument · free entry · 43.91407, 12.91836
the bronze sculpture of 1988 on the seafront, a globe that opens and shows the gears inside. People in Pesaro call it la Palla and it has become the contemporary symbol of the city; at sunset it is the right place for a photograph.
Monument · 43.91403, 12.91802
one of the greatest examples of Liberty architecture in Italy, built between 1902 and 1907 for the pharmaceutical industrialist Oreste Ruggeri. The floral and marine decorations in relief are different on every facade. The inside is not open, you look at it from outside.
Beach · 43.91365, 12.91959
seven kilometres of sandy coast, a Blue Flag since 2005, divided into four stretches: to the north the beaches of Monte San Bartolo, then Baia Flaminia with the area for dogs, then the central seafront with the beach clubs, the bars and the summer nightlife. Fine golden sand, wide beaches, a cycle path along the whole coast.
Park · free entry · 43.92073, 12.89546
north of the city, a regional park with cliffs falling straight into the sea, panoramic paths, woods and the villages of Fiorenzuola di Focara and Casteldimezzo. People come for walking, mountain biking and excursions; the easiest way in is from the Parco della Pace, at Baia Flaminia.
Monument · 43.92118, 12.87948
a Renaissance residence in the landscape of the San Bartolo park, among the most interesting examples of Mannerist architecture in Italy. Built by the Sforza and enlarged by the Della Rovere, it keeps its painted cycles and frescoes. It can be visited only by booking, on a guided tour: times and availability should be checked on the official website.
When
Next: Candele a Candelara · 28-29 Nov
a Christmas market in the village of Candelara, a hamlet of Pesaro, lit by thousands of candles, with craft stalls, nativity scenes and music. Temporary parking areas for motorhomes are set up for the occasion.
the opera festival entirely devoted to Rossini, founded in 1980, between the Teatro Rossini and the Auditorium Scavolini: new productions, bel canto concerts and rarities in critical editions. The three opening nights go out live on Rai Radio3, and since 2017 Pesaro has been a UNESCO Creative City of Music. Calendar at rossinioperafestival.it.
Remember
Pesaro · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
The most typical dish, to cook again at home.
The next stop, ordered by driving time.
Distances and times by road, measured with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data.
Looking
6 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.