Pesaro 
Pesaro
SUMMARY:
HISTORY
THE BEACHES
SAN BARTOLO
History The ancient name
"Pisaurum" comes from the name of the river "Pisaurus".
Pesaro had already existed for some time as a settlement of the "Piceni"
people when it became a Roman colony in 184 B.C. It became a commercial town
during the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Empire (476 A.D.) Pesaro suffered
invasions from Byzantine people, the Langobards and the Franks. An independent
city-state in 1199, eight hundred years ago, Pesaro was ruled with papal
investiture by the Malatesta family, then by the Sforza and finally by Della
Rovere family. In 1631 it then returned to direct rule by the Pope. In 1861
Italy was united under the rule of the Savoia family.
Highlights
in Pesaro 1) The Ducal Palace (XV th century).
Located in the main square, "Piazza
del Popolo", it faces a fountain from
the XVII th century. 2) The church of Sant’ Agostino has a fine gothic portal
(1368/1413). 3) Rossinis birthplace is now a national monument. 4) Rossini
conservatoire is a music school. It includes
Auditorium Pedrotti for concerts. 5) Teatro Rossini, where the Rossini Opera
Festival (ROF), classical music concerts and plays are performed. 6) Palazzo
Toschi, now the Municipal museum, is important for its ceramic display,
paintings and frescoes. 7) The Oliveriana Library and Museum were founded in the
XVIII century. 8) Other churches to be seen in the city centre: the Cathedral
with a Romanesque facade and important mosaics recently discovered; the Church
of San Francesco, the Church of Maddalena and the Church of Sant’ Ubaldo. 9) The
Sfera Grande by Arnaldo Pomodoro, an example
of modern art, is a symbol of the town to all effects (see above). On the San
Bartolo hillside you can admire Villa Imperiale, one of the finest examples of a
Renaissance residence, and Villa
Caprile (1640), surrounded by wonderful
gardens in the Renaissance style. 4
1 2
The beaches Pesaro,
nestling between two hills, is located on the Adriatic sea. The town has four
main beach areas. These are fully equipped
with beach hire equipment, but there are also wide free beaches to the south.
Fine sand and shallow waters are typical along the whole coastline. Pesaro has a
canal harbour. During
the summer pleasure trips are available to the Yugoslavian coast. Hotels
and Accomodation Pesaro offers over 80 hotels
at different levels and prices. There are also apartments to rent. For young
people there are: 4 campsites (two by the sea, 2 on the hills) , 1 Youth
hostel. Sport and Entertaining All
sports can be practised in town at well-equipped, gyms, public and private sport
facilities. Pesaro and its surroundings offer itineraries for enthusiasts of
mountain bikes, cycle tours, trekking and horse-riding. 1 Young tourists Young
people, who want to have fun in Pesaro, may go to the beach and have a swim, if
it is not too cold. In the summertime many parties are organised on the beach at
the night, where you can have Latino dance-classes. There are also some dance
groups where you can learn all sorts of dance all year around. Otherwise young
people can have a snack in "pizzeria" (pizza restaurant), gelateria (ice-cream
restaurant) and pubs. Then they can have great fun in discos: "Colloseo in
Pesaro" and "Baia Imperiale" in Gabicce. Dozens and dozens of
discos are spread along the coast from Pesaro to Rimini. Pesaro doesn’t offer
green areas in the city – centre. You can walk and cycle in the pedestrian
area. There are a few cycle routes through the town but they are not safe.
San
Bartolo Hill Natural Park (Protected Area) History The
park was established in 1994 by the Marches
council. It began to operate in 1997; it’s a regional park. Organisation It’s a public institution, the
administrative agency is composed of a chair-man and a board of directors. The
funds are granted by the Marches Council and the general government only for
special purposes. Flora – Vegetation – Fauna and Soil The
protected territory includes the stretch of hill between Pesaro and Gabicce with
an imposing cliff which lowers into the Adriatic Sea. San Bartolo and Mount
Conero cliffs, near Ancona, are the only example of rocky coasts along the
Adriatic Sea between Trieste and the Gargano Peninsula. The side of the hill
overlooking the sea is a cliff, an overhang, sheer cliff eroded by the waves of
the sea. The
hill is made up of sand stone and loam. The vegetation consists of
salt-resistant plants and trees (pine trees, brooms, tamarisks, manna, white
poplars), since the wind blowing from the sea carries salt that burns leaves.
Olive trees and vineyards cover most of the area which is not exposed to the
cold winds from North-East, thus enjoying long sunny days. The animals of the
park are mainly birds; in fact
the site is an important migration and resting
spot for several bird species. Here you can see birds of prey such as hawks and
buzzards, even herons and storks. In the area there are also some foxes.
Problems
Owing to recent origin, the park needs more efficient organisation;
in fact there are some problems with the private ownership of 90% of the
territory which requires frequent negotiations for the use of the land. Moreover,
most of the money is spent on the protection of the cliffs which are threatened
by sea erosion. Villages, Villas and Archaeological sites In
the park there are three small villages and two important villas: Villa
Imperiale (1530) and Villa Caprile (1640)
Villa Imperiale was built in the sixteenth century by the Della Rovere family,
as a residence for entertainment and relaxing; it includes beautiful paintings
and frescoes. Villa Caprile (page 14) was a site for art, literature, politics
and natural science; it is surrounded by wonderful gardens in the Renaissance
style.
Near
Colombarone there are also some important archaeological excavations of a Roman
villa, where there are very interesting mosaics. Work
Opportunities Not many jobs have been created
so far; the park employs a few people who are volunteers and others who work for
province of Pesaro. In the next few months, co-operatives could be created in
order to run some activities, such as: ecological guides, hiring
mountain-bikes, small boats, horse-riding and things like that, trekking
trails and sign maintenance, shops selling gadgets and souvenirs, l agricultural bed and breakfasts, restaurants and so on.
Equipments
and Facilities The San Bartolo Hill has
little equipment because of its size, its recent foundation and the private
ownership of most of the area – approximately 90%. At present the park
includes a few "agriturismi", a lot of restaurants, a few hotels and
two camping sites. In the near future a multimedia centre will be created inside
the park. The small aquarium in Fiorenzuola will be enlarged. Now there is a
centre for bird-watching, for their capture and control. Trails through the park
for walks and signs giving information on the plants and animals have been
created. Future plans suggested by young people In
order to encourage young people to visit this area the following activities
should be carried out in the park: trails for trekking, sailing,
mountain-biking, horse-riding and so on, access to the villas and
archaeological sites, museums for traditional jobs and working tools,
scuba-diving classes to explore the sea, areas for orienteering, sites for
open air-activities and houses in the park to stay overnight, which have meals
and low prices.
