Ancona

Ancona clings to a promontory shaped like an elbow — gomito in Italian — jutting into the Adriatic Sea, and it is this distinctive geography that gave the city its Greek name: Ankón, meaning "elbow." Founded by Syracusan colonists in the fourth century BC, Ancona has spent two and a half millennia as a crossroads between Italy and the eastern Mediterranean, a maritime gateway where Roman emperors embarked for Dalmatia, Crusaders sailed for the Holy Land, and Venetian merchants traded silks and spices. Today, it remains the Marche region's capital and principal port, a working city with the kind of lived-in authenticity that Italy's more touristed destinations have long since sacrificed.

The heart of Ancona is the hill of Guasco, crowned by the Cathedral of San Ciriaco — a Romanesque-Gothic masterpiece whose rose-coloured marble façade gazes out over the harbour from a position of serene command. The Trajan's Arch, erected in AD 115 to honour the emperor who expanded the port, still stands at the harbour entrance, one of the best-preserved Roman triumphal arches in existence. Between cathedral and harbour, the old city cascades downhill through a warren of narrow streets, Renaissance palazzi, and small piazzas where the daily rhythms of Marchigiano life unfold — espresso at the corner bar, fresh pasta at the neighbourhood trattoria, the evening passeggiata along the waterfront Mole Vanvitelliana, an elegant pentagonal lazaretto designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in the eighteenth century.

The Marche is one of Italy's most underappreciated gastronomic regions, and Ancona sits at the heart of its culinary culture. The city's signature dish is brodetto all'anconetana, a rich fish stew of thirteen varieties of Adriatic seafood simmered with tomato, vinegar, and saffron — each restaurant guards its recipe with fierce pride. Olive all'ascolana, deep-fried stuffed olives from nearby Ascoli Piceno, are the region's most famous aperitivo snack, while ciauscolo, a soft, spreadable salami unique to the Marche, is best enjoyed on warm bread with a glass of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi — the crisp, mineral white wine that is the region's vinous calling card.

The Marche coast north and south of Ancona offers some of Italy's most beautiful and least crowded beaches. The Conero Riviera, a dramatic stretch of limestone cliffs and hidden coves just south of the city, is anchored by Monte Conero, a 572-metre headland that plunges into waters of Caribbean clarity. The beaches of Portonovo, Mezzavalle, and the Due Sorelle (Two Sisters) sea stacks are reached by boat or steep footpath, rewarding the effort with crystalline swimming far from the crowds that pack the Amalfi Coast. Inland, the medieval hill towns of Urbino (birthplace of Raphael), Loreto (home to one of Catholicism's most important shrines), and the mysterious Frasassi Caves — a vast underground cathedral of stalactites and stalagmites — are all within day-trip distance.

Ancona is served by MSC Cruises and Marella Cruises on their Adriatic and Mediterranean itineraries. The cruise terminal is centrally located, within walking distance of the old city, the cathedral, and the waterfront. The best time to visit is May through October, with June and September offering the ideal combination of warm weather, manageable crowds, and the full spectrum of Marchigiano cuisine in season. Ancona is the kind of Italian port that rewards those who look beyond the obvious — a city with genuine depth, extraordinary food, and a coastline that would be world-famous if it belonged to any other country.