Things to do in Ancona
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Enopolis
A visit to this restaurant and international wine establishment is worth it simply for the tour of the labyrinthine cellars of the 18th-century Palazzo Jona, as the cellars descend a full three levels under the streets above. With fresh fish as the main event (besides, of course, the wine), you can sit amongst contemporary art or next to an ancient well as you sample the fixed-price menus (€36 to €45) along with recommended wines for each course.
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La Cantineta
Off Piazza del Plebiscito, the upstairs restaurant offers checked tablecloths, a constantly going TV and cheap and filling meals. It specialises in seafood, including local salted fish, which is best sampled over pasta as tagliatelle allo stoccafisso.
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Sot’Ajarchi
This small restaurant under the portici (arcade) in front of the port specialises in fish. For your primo piatto (first course) try the pasta con frutti di mare or the minestra di seppie (cuttlefish soup) and finish off with a simple homemade dessert such as zuppa inglese (liquor-soaked sponge with custard) and some biscottini dipped into vin santo (little biscuits in wine).
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Cattedrale di San Ciriaco
Via Giovanni XXIII leads up Monte Guasco and Piazzale del Duomo, where there are sweeping views of the city and the port. Here, the Cattedrale di San Ciriaco sits grandly atop the site of an ancient Pagan temple, jimmied together with Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic features. You can take bus 11, which runs from Piazza Roma to Piazza della Repubblica, or get your exercise walking up the steep hill.
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Museo Tattile Statile Omero
Museo Tattile Statile Omero is the only museum of its kind in all of Europe; this is one museum where you’re supposed to touch the art. All of its sculptures have been created for the blind in order to feel the representations of Roman statues, the Parthenon and St Peter’s, as well as Michelangelo’s David.
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Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche
The Museo Archeologico Nazionale delle Marche is in the 16th-century Palazzo Ferretti, where the ceilings are covered with original frescoes and bas-reliefs. Although not the most thoughtfully laid-out display, artefacts range from Greek and Etruscan back to the Bronze and Neolithic Ages.
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La Moretta 1897
Run by the same family since the year, not surprisingly, 1897, the restaurant features not just Marchigiani cuisine, but dishes specifically native to Ancona. Try the tagliatelle al sugo di ostriche (pasta with oyster sauce) or brodetto all'anconetana (Ancona-style bouillabaisse).
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Museum
The small museum attached to the cathedral holds the 4th-century sarcophagus of Flavius Gorgonius, a masterpiece of early Christian art. You can take bus 11, which runs from Piazza Roma to Piazza Repubblica, or get your exercise walking up the rather steep hill.
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Liberty Cocktail Lounge
The hot spot in town, this art deco inspired cafe would have made Picasso feel right at home. Asian-influenced artwork, Tiffany glass lamps and a classy bohemian crowd will make you want to paint the scene and sell it as a framed poster. It’s off Piazza Kennedy.
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Solo Doc: SapordiVini
While away hours on a warm day outside at this café and bar under the Italian version of a tented harem. Bar tables and plush, low couches seat the young hip crowd as well as visitors. Or just stroll by and enjoy the piped-in jazz, dance or world music.
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Chiesa di San Francesco delle Scale
North along Via Ciriaco Pizzecolli and off to the right is Chiesa di San Francesco delle Scale, noteworthy for its 15th-century Venetian-Gothic doorway by Orsini. Check out the ancient waterway below or ascend the many steps to the bell tower.
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Mercato delle Erbe
A picnickers’ mecca. Dozens of booths line this green metal-and-glass-enclosed bazaar. Freshly baked pastries and bread, locally produced cheese and meat, and everything else you would need for a picnic (including plastic cups) are sold here.
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Osteria del Pozzo
The black-ink squid risotto alone deserves a trip to this Ancona favourite, as does the sea bass ravioli with zucchini and clam sauce. Most locals go for the fixed-price lunch and dinner offers, which range from €10.50 to €16.
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Chiesa del Gesù
Beyond Chiesa di San Francesco delle Scale is Vanvitelli's Chiesa del Gesù, which is closed to visitors. Nearby, in the Palazzo degli Anziani, is the economics faculty of the city's 13th-century university.
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Mole Vanvitelliana
The large building at the waterfront is the Mole Vanvitelliana, designed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1732 for Pope Clementine. It is now the magnificent venue for some major exhibitions. Call them for details.
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Cremeria Rosa
A cafeteria, bar and gelateria all in one, it’s also on the main drag, perfect for people-watching while eating a sundae as big as your whole head. The adjoining pizzeria serves up pies from €4.50 to €8.
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Chiesa di San Domenico
The elegant Piazza del Plebiscito is flanked by the baroque Chiesa di San Domenico, containing the superb Crucifixion by Titian and Annunciation by Guercino.
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Passetto
Run by the same owners as the Grand Hotel Passetto, this is well-known as Ancona's best restaurant. It's quite apt that it specialises in seafood, as it is well placed overlooking the sea.
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Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza
You'll also find the small Piazza Santa Maria and the disused, tumbledown Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza, which retains scraps of 5th- and 6th-century pavement mosaics.
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Teatro delle Muse
The ornate Teatro delle Muse, built in 1826, has a neoclassical facade of six Ionic columns which meld with Greek friezes portraying Apollo and the Muses.
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Arco di Traiano
North of Piazza Dante Alighieri, at the far end of the port, is the Arco di Traiano, erected in 115 BC by Apollodorus of Damascus in honour of the Roman Emperor Trajan.
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Fontana del Calamo
Head along Corso Mazzini, where you will see the 16th-century Fontana del Calamo, 13 masked spouts supposedly representing effigies of those who had been beheaded.
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Arco Clementino
Luigi Vanvitelli's Arco Clementino, inspired by Apollodorus' arch and dedicated to Pope Clement XII, is further on from Arco di Traiano, near Molo Rizzo.
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Premio Marche
The Premio Marche is an international exhibition of contemporary art held in November and December. Check with the tourist office for details.
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Ancona Jazz
Ancona Jazz takes place in October. Check with the tourist office for details.
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