Pesaro

Pesaro (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpeːzaro] (listen)) is a city and comune in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, after Ancona. Pesaro was dubbed "Cycling City" (Città della Bicicletta) by Italian environmentalist association Legambiente in recognition of its extensive network of bicycle paths and promotion of cycling. It is also known as "City of Music" as it is the birthplace of the composer Gioacchino Rossini. In 2015 the Italian Government applied for Pesaro to be declared a "Creative City" in UNESCO's World Heritage sites. In 2017 Pesaro received the European City of Sport award together with Aosta, Cagliari and Vicenza.

Pesaro
Comune
Città di Pesaro
Monte Ardizio
Coat of arms
Location of Pesaro
Pesaro
Location of Pesaro in Italy
Pesaro
Pesaro (Marche)
Coordinates: 43°55′N 12°54′E
CountryItaly
RegionMarche
ProvincePesaro e Urbino (PU)
Government
 • MayorMatteo Ricci (PD)
Area
 • Total126.77 km2 (48.95 sq mi)
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Population
 (21 October 2011)[2]
 • Total95,000
 • Density750/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Pesaresi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
61121, 61122
Dialing code0721
Patron saintSt. Terence
Saint daySeptember 24
WebsiteOfficial website

Local industries include fishing, furniture making and tourism.

History

The city was founded as Pisaurum[3] by the Romans in 184 BC as colony in the territory of the Picentes, the people who lived on the northeast coast during the Iron Age. However, in 1737, 13 ancient votive stones were unearthed in a local farm field, each bearing the inscription of a Roman god; these were written in a pre-Etruscan script, indicating a much earlier occupation of the area[4] than the 184 BC Picentes colony.

A settlement of the Picentes tribe has been found at Novilara. The northern Picentes were invaded in the 4th century BC by the Gallic Senones, earlier by the Etruscans, and when the Romans reached the area the population was an ethnic mixture. Within it the Gauls at least were still distinct, as the Romans separated them out and expelled them from the country.

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 reconquest, it formed the so-called Pentapolis, part of the Exarchate of Ravenna. After the Lombard and Frankish conquests of that city, Pesaro became part of the Papal States.

During the Renaissance it was ruled successively by the houses of Malatesta (1285–1445), Sforza (1445–1512) and Della Rovere (1513–1631). Under the last family, who selected it as capital of their duchy, Pesaro saw its most flourishing age, with the construction of numerous public and private palaces, and the erection of a new line of walls (the Mura Roveresche). In 1475, a legendary wedding took place in Pesaro, when Costanzo Sforza and Camilla d'Aragona married.[5]

On 11 September 1860 Piedmontese troops entered the city, and Pesaro was subsequently annexed to the new Kingdom of Italy (see also Battle of Castelfidardo).

Government
See also: List of mayors of Pesaro

Main sights

Civic Sites
  • Ducal Palace (15th century): Commissioned by Alessandro Sforza, the façade has a portico with six arcades supported by six heavy pilasters and an upper floor with five windows crowned by coats of arms, festoons and puttoes.
  • Rocca Costanza (15th century): Massive castle built by Costanzo I Sforza; it has a square plan with four cylindrical corner towers and a wide dry moat. Later used as prison.
  • Villa Imperiale of Pesaro (c. 1530): Suburban palace with gardens designed by Girolamo Genga for Duke Francesco Maria Della Rovere and his duchess Eleanora[6] and built from c. 1530 onwards, stands atop the San Bartolo hill. Its sunken court is the direct precedent for the more famous one at the Roman Villa Giulia.[7] Rooms are frescoed by prominent Mannerist painters Bronzino, Francesco Menzocchi, Girolamo Genga, and Raffaellino del Colle.
  • Mura Roveresche (17th century): "Della Rovere Walls", demolished in the early 20th century), only two gates, Porta del Ponte and Porta Rimini, and a short section remain.
  • Birthplace of Gioachino Rossini: Now a museum dedicated to the composer, located at 34 Via Rossini. It has a museum with manifestoes, prints, portraits and his spinet.
  • Conservatorio Statale di Musica Gioachino Rossini: Located in the 18th century Palazzo Olivieri–Machirelli on the Piazza Oliveri
  • Musei Civici di Palazzo Mosca: Civic museum contains mainly paintings and ceramics. Among the masterpieces is the Pesaro Altarpiece by Giovanni Bellini.
  • Oliveriano Archeologic Museum and Oliveriana Library[8]: Archaeological Collection and Manuscript Library; founded in 1756 by Annibale degli Abati Olivieri.

Religious Sites
  • Palazzo Ducale
  • Duomo di Pesaro
  • Rocca Costanza
  • Musei Civici Pesaro
  • Monte Ardizio and Beach

Culture

Notable Pesaresi

International relations
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Italy

Twin towns – sister cities

Pesaro is twinned with:[10][11][12]

Partnership

See also

References
  1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Istat. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. etymology - pi (π), plural, and aurum, reflecting gold http://www.italythisway.com/places/articles/pesaro-history.php
  4. History of Pesarohttp://www.italythisway.com/places/articles/pesaro-history.php
  5. A Renaissance Wedding: The Celebrations at Pesaro for the Marriage of Costanzo Sforza & Camilla Marzano D'Aragona (26–30 May 1475): (Studies in Medieval and Early Renaissance Art History). Harvey Miller Publ., 2013, ISBN 978-1905375936
  6. Andrew Hopkins, 2002. Italian Architecture from Michelangelo to Borromini, p.23f.
  7. Hopkins 2002 p 24.
  8. Oliveriano Museum http://www.euromuse.net/en/museums/museum/view-m/museo-archeologico-oliveriano
  9. "Pesaro film festival site".
  10. "Pesaro". italien.de (in German). Italien.de. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  11. "Pesaro". primaria-resita.ro (in Romanian). Reșița. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  12. "Si rafforza il gemellaggio Pesaro-Kakegawa. Cerimonia del tè verde con la delegazione giapponese guidata dal sindaco Saburo Matsui". pu24.it (in Italian). PU24. 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
  13. "Collaborazione internazionale". rovinj-rovigno.hr (in Italian). Rovinj. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
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