Fano, the City of Fortune

It is pleasant to discover and lose oneself in the centre of Fano. The sea is just a glimpse away, a blue stripe, an unavoidable landmark, but all you have to do is look inland and walk a few meters to find elegant shops and small boutiques and notice the signs of centuries of history.

The city is an ancient village that developed around the temple of the goddess Fortuna: 'fanum Fortunae', hence the place name, was an important Roman colony under the Emperor Augustus. Traces remain in the orthogonal plan of the city and in the splendid arch dedicated to him and built between 2 and 9 A.D. as thanksgiving for the founding of the city.

This was followed by the devastating barbarian invasions that destroyed almost the entire city. 
It then saw a period of splendour under the Malatesta dynasty, whose residence in the city centre can still be admired, now home to the civic museum and art gallery, and S. Maria Nuova, where frescoes by Perugino and the young Raphael are to be seen.

Nearby:

• Mondavio
• Pergola
• Eremo di Fonte Avellana
• Cagli