The Arch of Augustus on the Via Flaminia, the Fountain of Fortune, the Malatesta Court and the two Perugino paintings in Santa Maria Nuova
Fano was the Roman Fanum Fortunae, the temple of the goddess Fortuna where the Via Flaminia reached the sea. It still has the arch and walls of Augustus, a Malatesta court and two paintings by Perugino. A lively city of fishermen and markets, with Italy's oldest carnival and its own fish brodetto.
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
The gateway to the Roman city, from 9 AD, where the Via Flaminia entered. Originally it had a loggia above the three arches, destroyed in 1463 during Federico da Montefeltro's siege against the Malatesta: what it looked like before is shown in a relief carved on the façade of the church of San Michele, right next door. From here begin the best-preserved stretches of the Augustan walls.
Always visible.
The heart of Fano. On the fountain turns the statue of Fortune, symbol of the city, with her sail billowing in the wind (the original is in the museum). Around it stand the thirteenth-century Palazzo della Ragione and the nineteenth-century Teatro della Fortuna.
The courtyard of the Malatesta palace, lords of Fano in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, with its loggia and staircase. Inside the museum: Roman finds from the city, coins, mosaics and the picture gallery, where you'll find Guercino's Guardian Angel.
Closed on Mondays: check opening times.
Houses two works by Perugino, Raphael's master: the Annunciation and the large altarpiece of the Madonna Enthroned with Saints. In the predella, the small scenes below the altarpiece, some scholars see the hand of the very young Raphael, then in Perugino's workshop.
Free entry, outside service times.
Ten minutes on foot and you reach the fishing harbour and the Lido, the city's sandy beach. Here was born the brodetto alla fanese, the fish soup with tomato concentrate, worth trying if your visit turns into lunch.
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
Rossini's birthplace, Piazza del Popolo and Palazzo Ducale, Giovanni Bellini's altarpiece, the Cathedral mosaics and Pomodoro's Sphere by the sea.
4 h 15 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Half day
The plan
The panoramic road along the cliff, Villa Imperiale (in summer), the villages of Fiorenzuola di Focara and Casteldimezzo, the view from Gabicce Monte.
4 h 55 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Half day
The planVespasian's Roman tunnel through the gorge, the Della Rovere Ducal Palace, the Church of the Dead with its mummies and the home of the Befana.
6 h 00 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Half day
The plan
The Rocca Roveresca in Mondavio, the intact walls of Corinaldo, the Piaggia, the Pozzo della Polenta and the house of Saint Maria Goretti.
5 h 20 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Half day
The planItaly's most famous caves, the Ancona Abyss, the neoclassical temple inside the rock and the Romanesque abbey of San Vittore.
6 h 35 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Full day
The planThe sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto, Palazzo Leopardi with the poet's library and the Hill of the Infinite.
6 h 30 from Bellaria-Igea Marina Long half day
The planTrips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
