Attractions

Legend tells, and research confirms it, that the famous Maddalena fair was born in the 13th century, after some relics of the saint and of her brother Lazarus were brought to Senigallia by a Marseillaise princess, wife of a local gentleman. They were placed in the Lombard church of San Gregorio, which later took the name of Church of Maddalena. 

In the Middle Ages there were many cases of fairs-markets born in places where people went on pilgrimage for the relics of some saint; the same thing happened in Senigallia. The relics became such an object of veneration to recall many pilgrims, especially on the day dedicated to her, the 22nd of July. This was the origin of a fair that later became the great Maddalena Fair that took place in the second half of July. In the 15th century the relics were stolen but the church kept the name. 

The building was rebuilt by Giovanni of the Rovere in 1480 and in this famous “Temple” took place his funeral. Today’s structure dates back to a third reconstruction of 1756. Today, inside, is buried the famous senigallian mathematician Giulio Carlo Fagnani. 

The church of San Martino, whose name is linked to the cult of the saint of the cloak shared with Jesus, has a long
history. It was first built outside the 16th-century walls in the 13th century until it was entrusted to the Servants of
Mary in 1468, who oversaw its construction.

Today’s structure dates back to 1736 and is attributable to the architects Rossi and Valeri, contains stuccoes that make it emblematic of the Baroque.

Senigallia’s Roman origins had long been known and visible in the foundations of the Rocca Roveresca; however, the discovery, during the founding of the New Theatre “La Fenice” in 1989, of important finds dating back to the 2nd-3rd century AD, which were subsequently the subject of systematic excavation campaigns, caused great surprise. Today the La Fenice archaeological area is one of the few in Italy where it is possible to admire the remains of buildings of Roman origin and the finds found on site at the same time.

Nell’area archeologica si possono vedere le vestigia di una tipica città romana, con chiare tracce dell’incrocio tra un “cardo” (Nord e Sud) e un “decumano” (Est e Ovest), appartenenti all’area periferica meridionale dell’antica Sena. La pavimentazione è ben conservata, tanto che sono ancora visibili i solchi delle ruote dei carri che vi hanno transitato. Uno spaccato della quotidianità romana si intravede nei resti delle “tabernae”, la prima delle quali era un “termopolium” (rivendita di cibi e bevande calde), e nell’ampia “domus” (abitazione signorile) che aveva l’ingresso sul “cardo”.

Sono ancora ben conservati i pavimenti in cocciopesto decorato con tesserine bianche e l’”impluvium” dell’atrio, pavimentato con mattoncini a spina di pesce. Durante gli scavi sono affiorate 130 fosse ad inumazione di età medievale, a testimonianza del diverso utilizzo dello spazio nel corso dei secoli. Di esse, una è ancora visibile in situ per evidenti scopi didattici.

La visita all’Area Archeologica La Fenice è un’esperienza unica in cui, camminando alcuni metri sotto il livello del suolo, è possibile visitare i luoghi abitati dagli antichi abitanti della Sena romana e i loro oggetti di uso quotidiano.

The extraordinary Municipal Museum of the History of Mezzadria “Sergio Anselmi” has been located since 1978, in the fascinating complex of Santa Maria delle Grazie, immersed in the greenery of the Senigallia hills. The museum, with its two thousand objects on display, is an indispensable point of reference for anyone who wants to learn about daily life and work in the Marche countryside in the first half of the twentieth century.

The evocative Renaissance cloister in one wing of the former Convent of the Grazie is the first impact of the Municipal Museum of the History of Mezzadria “Sergio Anselmi”, later organized into thirty themed rooms that retrace the stages of peasant life: olive presses, grain sorting machines, repair tools, a kitchen, looms, hemp, and, in the basement, a large cellar.

On the first floor, the genius and hard work of the peasants in the variety of their working tools is even better captured. Here, with well-structured itineraries, the objects document the major themes of peasant work: wheat, wine, corn, beetroot, and everyday life, all accompanied by beautiful historical photographs by Mario Giacomelli and Mario Carafòli. The rigor and passion in the distribution of themes and objects, behind which the presence of man is always felt, mean that the Museum materializes in its many facets a long story that has marked the history of the Marche region: sharecropping. A history marked by the daily master-peasant relationship, common to regions such as the Marche with a prevalent sharecropping organization of farms since the 14th-15th centuries.

The Mezzadria Museum offers meetings aimed at exploring popular culture topics with the participation of experts in ancient crafts, farmers, museum guides, and experts in popular traditions.

The Museum of the History of Mezzadria “Sergio Anselmi” also offers “Men and Landscapes”, a series of summer events, which began in 2005 with the aim of raising awareness and deepening, with historians and experts in sectors linked to the territory, the history of the Marche region, with a primary focus on the rural environment, which has marked its distinctive features more than any other, and on the Adriatic Sea, natural reference point in the history of the city of Senigallia.

For the 2025 summer events dedicated to “Men and Landscapes” click here

In May 1992, during the bicentenary of Pope Pius IX’s birth, the Bishop’s Palace became the seat of the Diocesan Art Gallery of Sacred Art. Its splendid rooms host remarkable works of art from the 16th to the 19th century

The gem of the art collection is La Madonna del Rosario e San Domenico (the Virgin of the Rosary and Saint Dominic) by Federico Barocci (1535-1612), painted between 1588 and 1592 for Confraternita dell’Assunta e del Rosario (Confraternity of the Lady of Assumption and Rosary) for Chiesa di San Rocco (Saint Rocco’s Church). The painting depicts the Virgin held by some angels with the Infant Jesus in her left hand, while offering the Rosary to Saint Dominic with her right hand.

In the same room visitors can admire Battesimo di Cristo and Natività (Christ’s Baptism and Nativity) by Andrea Lilli (1570-1631); Madonna con Bambino (Virgin with Baby Jesus) and Santi Lucia, Francesco e Giovannino (Saint Lucy, Francis, and Giovanni) by Andrea Donducci (1571-1655) known as il Mastelletta, a pupil of Ludovico Carracci who was especially interested in Mannerist themes: Circoncisione (Circumcision), a late Mannerist work by an Anonymous painter, probably from the Emilia school of the 17th  century. The other halls of the Museum host a rich collection of paintings from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century. Among them, Adorazione dei Pastori (Adoration of the Shepherds) (1568) and Crocifissione con la Madonna e San Giorgio (Crucifixion with Virgin and Saint George) (1585) by Ercole Ramazzani, a pupil of Lorenzo Lotto, alongside with several remarkable sacred and profane objects, among them pieces of furniture.

The Palazzetto Baviera overlooks Piazza del Duca and was built by order of Giovanni Giacomo Baviera, Giovanni della Rovere’s maternal uncle and lieutenant, at the same time as the Rocca, perhaps designed by Baccio Pontelli, as suggested by the harmonious proportion of the small courtyard.

Giovanni Baviera arrived in Senigallia at the end of 1474 to take possession of the state on behalf of Giovanni della Rovere. The Baviera family immediately assumed a leading role in the Senigallian nobility. The building became family property in 1512 and remained so until 1956, when the Baviera family donated it to the municipality of Senigallia along with the furnishings.

Built and then adapted between the end of the fifteenth century and the first decade of the sixteenth century, the Palazzetto Baviera reproduces, in its small cloister and in its sober and elegant atmosphere, the motifs and proportions of the cloister of the Convent of the Graces. It is possible to admire an elegant colonnade that supports the portico and in the centre a well decorated on all sides with the coats of arms of the House of Bavaria.

But it is certainly on the upper floor that one of the most beautiful treasures of the city of Senigallia is revealed. A staircase leads to the main floor where you can admire the ceilings entirely decorated in stucco by Federico Brandani from Urbino (circa 1525 – 1575). Brandani, commissioned to create the work by Giuseppe Baviera, spent many years of his life creating it and eventually gave history a jewel of art. The work alternates representations of bloody battles, biblical stories, heroic deeds and historical events without ever losing the harmony of the whole.

The ceilings of the five rooms (of Imperial Rome, Republican Rome, the Iliad, Hercules, the Old Testament) are undoubtedly the greatest expression of Federico Brandani’s work.

Palazzo del Duca overlooks right in front of the Rocca Roveresca.  Commissioned by Guidubaldo II della Rovere in the mid-sixteenth century based on a design by Gerolamo Genga, it was enlarged in the decades immediately following by his son and heir Francesco Maria II, the last representative of the dynasty, who altered the symmetry of the façade, making the entrance portal then located on the left. The palace was not designed to house the duke permanently, but rather as a representative residence for the court and its illustrious guests, who from the windows could admire the military parades that took place in the square.

Inside, a splendid coffered ceiling attributed to Taddeo Zuccari embellishes the Throne Room. The forty-nine coffers were most likely made between 1553 and 1555 and evoke joyful, cheerful, festive atmospheres. But one can also notice irony and satire towards political and cultural power: the master Zuccari paints carnival themes showing an imaginary world in reverse, where children, represented by cherubs, rule over adults, and the poor over the rich. Also visible in the Throne Room is a family tree on paper of the Della Rovere family.

The building overlooks the square of the same name, whose name instead refers to Giovanni Della Rovere. The square has unique characteristics for the Renaissance era: no religious building overlooks it and the so-called Fountain of the Ducks (or Lions) is located in an off-center position, thus confirming the military use of this space.

The fountain, built between 1599 and 1602, was commissioned by Francesco Maria II della Rovere to remind the population of the redevelopment of the marshy area of the Saline. Ducks symbolize the birdlife present in the wetland, while water features represent the control of the waters, once carriers of disease and now a symbol of prosperity.

Inaugurato il 5 dicembre 1996 sorge nel medesimo luogo dei precedenti teatri cittadini e sopra l’area archeologica da cui lo separa ben più di duemila anni di storia.

Il teatro La Fenice venne inaugurato il 5 dicembre 1996 e sorge esattamente nel medesimo luogo dei precedenti teatri cittadini e sopra l’area archeologica da cui lo separa ben più di duemila anni di storia.

La realizzazione del primo teatro comunale fu affidata all’architetto Pietro Ghinelli (1759-1834), uno dei più importanti architetti teatrali che costruì ben 14 teatri tra iquali quelli di Pesaro (1818) e “Le Muse” di Ancona (1826). I lavori iniziati il 18 ottobre 1828 terminarono nel luglio del 1830 ma la notte del 9 agosto 1838 il teatro venne distrutto da un incendio.

Nel gennaio del 1839 partono i lavori di ricostruzione che si concludono in meno di un anno.Il nuovo teatro comunale viene chiamato “La Fenice”. Nel 1930 il terremoto condannò il teatro ad una forzata inagibilità e infine nel 1944 fu colpito da una bomba e le sue macerie furono a lungo una ferita aperta nel cuore della città.

L’attuale Teatro La Fenice è stato progettato dall’architetto Silvio Argentati. I ritrovamenti archeologici romani scoperti durante i lavori, hanno influenzato in modo rilevante il progetto del teatro che è stato quindi pensato come un isolato a più facce ognuna caratterizzata da un’immagine architettonica che rimanda all’architettura della città sulla quale l’edificio prospetta. In particolare il prospetto lungo Via Pisacane, rivolto alla parte settecentesca del centro storico, è caratterizzato da un ordine architettonico gigante che trova i suoi riferimenti nell’architettura dei Portici Ercolani, la struttura urbana più significativa della città del settecento.

Il prospetto opposto che guarda invece all’interno della città murata cinquecentesca, consolidatasi con la signoria dei Della Rovere, è caratterizzato da figure che rimandano all’architettura di quel periodo, come la grande finestra quadripartita che illumina il foyer di forma analoga alle finestre quadripartite presenti in varie architetture dell’epoca come, a Senigallia, nel convento delle Grazie.

La sala del Teatro La Fenice è costituita da un’unica grande aula a pianta rettangolare (dimensioni m. 32,80 x 24,70) con il pavimento a gradoni di alzata progressivamente crescente che supera un dislivello pari a m. 5,82. La sala ha una capienza di 874 posti. Si tratta di una struttura polifunzionale adatta per spettacoli di lirica, balletto, concerti, teatro di prosa e cinema.

Negli spazi indoor del Teatro La Fenice è possibile connettersi gratuitamente alla rete “Senigallia-Wifi” scaricando l’app Wifi.Italia.it ed eseguire la procedura di registrazione. Chi ne è già in possesso, potrà registrarsi anche attraverso la propria identità digitale (Spid).

Scopri il programma della stagione teatrale

Su progetto dell’architetto Pietro Ghinelli, l'imponente palazzo ad isola sostenuto nei suoi quattro lati da porticati in pietra bianca d’Istria uguali a quelli costruiti lungo il canale.

La storia del Palazzo detto della Filanda prende avvio nel 1758 quando il Consiglio Generale dei Nobili, delibera di donare alla famiglia Antonelli i cui componenti tanto si erano prodigati per ottenere dal papa Benedetto XIV l'autorizzazione ad ampliare la città, l’area su cui  costruire un proprio palazzo.

Tuttavia, a distanza di circa mezzo secolo, non essendo stato posto un solo mattone, nell’anno 1805 la Magistratura comunale chiede al card. Leonardo ed al conte Bernardino, la restituzione del terreno che viene donato a Vincenzo Micciarelli di Jesi, il quale aveva preso impegno di costruirvi, su progetto dell’architetto Pietro Ghinelli, il magnifico, imponente palazzo ad isola sostenuto nei suoi quattro lati da porticati in pietra bianca d’Istria uguali a quelli costruiti lungo il canale. I lavori ebbero inizio subito dopo la fiera dell’anno 1805 ma per un imprevisto grave dissesto finanziario subito dal Micciarelli, i lavori si protrassero per quasi un trentennio fino a che, nell’impossibilità di portare a compimento l’opera, il Micciarelli, fu costretto a venderlo al conte Lovatti di Roma, che in poco tempo completò l’edificio.

È curioso ricordare che il Comune nell’agosto del 1818 per favorire la fine dei lavori indice una grande lotteria per raccogliere i fondi necessari che però “viene differita per mancanza di azioni” senza che poi se ne fece più nulla.

A testimonianza della maestosità dell’edificio sia sufficiente ricordare come nel 1829 per evitare che in quell’anno la città, ed in particolare la sua celebre fiera franca, rimanesse priva dei consueti spettacoli lirici qualora non fosse stato pronto il nuovo teatro che la Comunità andava costruendo al posto di quello vecchio condominiale utilizzato sino all’anno precedente, l'Amministrazione civica fece subito costruire nel cortile del palazzo Micciarelli un teatro in legno che aveva tre ordini di palchi con 21 palchi per ogni ordine, loggione, platea, atrio, camerini e tutto quanto poteva essere necessario per dare spettacoli di opera e di ballo, che entrò regolarmente in attività e funzionò fino all’anno seguente quando venne aperto il nuovo teatro.

Poi il palazzo passa di mano. Lo rileva un tale Corrado Hoza e lo trasforma in filanda della seta. L’attività si protrae dal 1867 al 1930, l’anno del terremoto.

A not to be missed stop for visitors, via Carducci is the “lounge” of the historical town centre with a bohemian atmosphere.

The splendid frame of Via Carducci, enriched by the powerful Porta Lambertina (the city door dedicated to Pope Benedict XIV, Prospero Lambertini), is a privileged venue to host events, concerts, and fairs.

The memory of the old magnificent Fiera della Maddalena (Magdalene’s Trade Fair) is still vivid: here many foreign consulates had their offices to protect the merchants and their activities. Today, the names of the streets – Rodi, Smirne, Corfù, Narente – are an evidence of the lively trade between the fair and Europe, and especially with the East, which made Senigallia famous all over the continent.

With the recent refurbishment works, Via Carducci has seen the set-up of many trade activities. Some of them, like “Brunelli” ice cream parlour and “Nanà piccolo bistrot” wine place, have received numerous international prized and awards.

Via Carducci is connected to the port and to Mameli seafront with a pedestrian/bike underpass to enjoy a beautiful walk along the beach starting from the city centre.

Just like Portici Ercolani, Piazza Garibaldi, also known as Piazza del Duomo, recalls the most splendid time of Senigallia’s fair. It belongs to the urban development works ordered by Pope Lambertini in the mid of the 18th century.

Thanks to the recent refurbishment works, Piazza Garibaldi is a charming urban scenario, surrounded by public buildings with high architectural value: Palazzo Becci, Cattedrale di San Pietro Apostolo (Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle), Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop’s Palace) with Pinacoteca Diocesana, Palazzo Micciarelli (a former spinning mill), Auditorium San Rocco, Palazzo delle Dogane (Il Doganone) (The Customs Building) and Collegio Ginnasio Pio IX.

Especially worth of mention are Palazzo Micciarelli, designed by Senigallia’s architect Pietro Ghinelli, which in the early 19th century its courtyard hosted a communal wooden theatre, and the Cathedral, full of works of art.

Following the Decree of the Council of Ministers released to limit the contagion from Coronvirus, the museum Mastai Palace’s activity is suspended until 24.00 on 3 May 2020. < / strong>

Senigallia’s illustrious citizens include a Pope: Pius IX, Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti in the world, born in 1792 from the Mastai noble family that had moved to Senigallia from Crema. The Mastai family lived in Senigallia until the beginning of the 20th  century.

The building of Mastai Palace was erected at the beginning of the 16th century and is the birth place of Count Giovanni Maria, future Pope under the name of Pius IX.

The architectural line is sober and severe, whereas the interior space is a typical example of a noble residence from the 16th -17th century. The halls on the first floor are occupied by the Museum with a rich collection of important memorabilia from Pius IX’s life. Other remarkable items include the portal with the coat of arms and the reception hall decorated with a cycle of twenty works with Biblical subjects painted by the local artist Giovanni Anastasi (1653-1704).  In the Amnesty Hall visitors can admire two Roman amphorae that were found in the Adriatic Sea by Senigallia’s fishermen. The Noble Chapel hosts a beautiful copy of “Madonna detta del Sassoferrato”.

A few meters from Palazzo Comunale (Town hall) and the main street called Corso II Giugno, Church of the Cross is a real and probably unexpected surprise. The late-Renaissance sober façade contrasts with the opulent and magnificent Baroque style of the interior space, enriched by the painting known as “Sepoltura di Cristo” (Burial of Christ) by Federico Barocci.

Designed by the Duke’s architect Muzio Oddi, the Church was consecrated in 1608 by Confraternita del Sacramento e della Croce (Confraternity of Sacrament and Cross) that was committed in assisting the poor. The original idea was to create an oratory for the confraternity and, in fact, its structure reminds of a hall, rather than a church.

The marvellous stucco and gold decoration includes six lateral altars and the unusual coffered ceiling, a masterpiece with golden/bronze colour shades.

The valuable small church contains may important works of art, among them a real gem:  the Altar Piece painted by Federico Barocci in 1592 representing the burial of Christ. The artist depicts Christ accompanied to the sepulchre by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, as an ideal prosecution of the “Deposition” previously painted for the Cathedral (Duomo) of Perugia. Mount Calvary and the Duke’s Palace of Urbino can be seen in the background.

Of the lateral altars, the one dedicated to Saint Barbara is worth mentioning. Two cannons frame the portrait of the patroness of bombardiers who had a training school near Rocca Roveresca.

A remarkable piece is the organ built by Gaetano Callido in 1775, which is still playing.

Foro Annonario is a harmonious neoclassical brickwork structure with a welcoming square that was designed to enlarge the commercial area within the ancient city walls.

Every day the circular space hosts a fresh vegetable and fruit market. The colonnade has a total of 24 columns with Dorian capitals, where several small shops offer local foods and wines.

Designed in 1834 by architect Pietro Ghinelli from Senigallia, Foro Annonario is one of Senigallia’s landmarks. Its role in the urban space has remained unchanged since its construction. The heart of Foro Annonario is the square encircled by a total of 24 columns with Dorian capitals. The old fish market is protected by the portico from sunlight, which only reaches this part of the structure at sunset.

Foro Annonario is also a fascinating stage for important events, cultural initiatives and shows. The recent refurbishment works have converted it in the city’s cultural heart: the perfectly restored attic houses a public library (Biblioteca Antonelliana) and the Municipal Archives (Archivio Comunale).

 Il Museo si trova al centro storico di Senigallia, in quelle che furono le scuderie dell’antico ed imponente palazzo settecentesco Monti Malvezzi. Il museo vanta una preziosa collezione di giocattoli antichi dall’Ottocento fino all’immediato dopoguerra.

Il Museo si trova al centro storico di Senigallia, in quelle che furono le scuderie dell’antico ed imponente palazzo settecentesco Monti Malvezzi, che dopo un accurato restauro e allestimento curato da Gabriele Ogiva sono così ritornate al loro originario splendore. Il museo vanta una preziosa collezione di giocattoli antichi dall’Ottocento fino all’immediato dopoguerra.

Le ventitré vetrine sono corredate da un percorso storico-artistico curato dalla direttrice artistica Elena Turchi al fine di inserire i giocattoli nel contesto storico-culturale che li ha prodotti; una delle vetrine presenta delle riproduzioni di antichi giocattoli e bambole dell’epoca romana,  come la celebre bambola di Crepereia Tryphaena, sono stati eseguiti da Lorenzo ed Anna Marconi dell’Orient Express di Senigallia, una delle eccellenze di Senigallia.

A far da cornice al museo, all’interno ci sono un piccolo teatro, disponibile per eventi culturali e un caffè letterario, a disposizione dei fruitori del teatro, contenente libri artistici e letterari di pregio. Il tutto in un ambiente ricco di fascino, elegante e curato nei dettagli, ricco di suggestioni che solo le cose rare ed antiche riescono ad evocare un luogo in poche parole unico nel suo genere, che ci auspichiamo possa diventare  un polo culturale polifunzionale di qualità e di pregio, così come si presenta già ai visitatori, a disposizione della città e di chiunque voglia poter sfruttare tutte le potenzialità che questo luogo offre.

Il Museo avrà anche il piacere di presentare la storia del giocattolo antico anche alle scuole, dove gli alunni saranno condotti da una guida, che utilizzando i toni più appropriati all’età dei bambini, li condurrà in un viaggio lungo i secoli alla scoperta dell’affascinante storia dei giocattoli antichi, quelli che fecero la gioia dei nonni dei loro nonni, una storia poco conosciuta anche dai più grandi.

INTRODUZIONE STORICA
Dalla notte dei tempi, i giocattoli hanno accompagnato la storia dell'uomo. Bastava una pietra levigata,uno scampolo di stoffa un pezzo di legno per accendere la fantasia. Se si parla d’infanzia il discorso si fa più complesso.Non in tutte le epoche il bambino e le problematichedell'infanzia furono affrontate in egual maniera.Storia, arte, unitamente ad un approccio sociologico psicologico ed archeologico, si fondonorendendo l'argomento complicato, ma al tempo stessoun caleidoscopico viaggio nei secoli, curioso e stimolante.Nelle epoche più antiche, come in quella greca e romanal'infanzia era solo una tappa della vita che conduceva all'età adulta.Nei secoli bui del Medioevo, non esisteva il concetto di infanzia.Solo nel Rinascimento, l'invenzione della stampa a caratteri mobili, creò una prima distinzione tra coloro che erano capaci di leggere e di scrivere.Bisognerà aspettare il Settecento,con l'Illuminismo,per poter parlare di una questione infantile. Jean Jeacques Rosseau, considerato il padre della pedagogia moderna, nel suo Emile parlò dell'infanzia come tappa primaria e fondamentale nello sviluppo dell'uomo, momento delicato della vita su cui bisognava intervenire il meno possibile, in quanto il bambino, nella sua bontà originaria, va considerato quale essere perfetto ed incorrotto, che esce dalle mani del Creatore.Nell’Ottocento, il secolo del positivismo, del progresso, della borghesia, e al tempo stesso degli ideali romantici, il giocattolo doveva riprodurre ogni aspetto della vita vera, quella vissuta dagli adulti, a cui ogni bambino doveva aspirare…ecco che il cavallo a dondolo e la spada, sinonimi di potenza, erano destinati ai bambini ricchi, mentre ai figli degli artigiani, erano concessi gli arnesi del mestiere, per prepararsi ai ruoli del padre. E le bambine? Si preparavano al futuro ruolo di mogli e di madri attraverso le bambole. Victor Hugo a proposito scriveva: “il primo bambino viene a sostituire l’ultima bambola”.Lasciatevi guidare nella visita, in un viaggio lungo i secoli, attraverso il fascino dei giocattoli che per il loro fascino e bellezza, continuano a nutrire la fantasia dei più grandi e dei più piccini, creando suggestioni difficili da definire e da descrivere.

 PALAZZO MONTI MALVEZZI
Il Teatro-Museo, sorge nelle scuderie di Palazzo Monti Malvezzi, nel centro storico di Senigallia, all’interno delle antiche mura del pentagono guidubaldino.L’edificio venne edificato nella prima metà del Settecento, per volontà di Matteo Monti,ricco mercante. Tra i più importanti edifici storici della città, stupisce per il contrasto tra le linee solide e sobrie della sua struttura ed i sontuosi affreschi che ne decorano le volte nei piani nobili. Fu in queste sale che, nel 1727, Giovanni Paolo Monti,seguendo il costume della sua famiglia e il desiderio di primato che gli era proprio e quello della nobiltà del tempo, incline agli spettacoli ed al divertimento, che venne allestito il primo teatrino privato della città.

The Della Rovere port of Senigallia from dawn to dusk is a place of great beauty and charm

The Della Rovere port of Senigallia is a place of great beauty and charm, a natural continuation of a pleasant walk that starts from Corso Matteotti and continues along Corso II Giugno, runs along the Misa River until it touches the Adriatic Sea at the new tip of the Ponente Pier.

Redeveloped and inaugurated with a grand celebration in 2009, it allows visitors to enjoy the view of the boundless sea on the horizon, as well as admire the entire Adriatic coast from Mount Conero located south of Senigallia to Mount San Bartolo, in the north near Pesaro.

Very lively from the first light of day thanks to the transit of fishing boats and the fish market set up in a modern facility on the Nino Bixio quay, during the bathing season its reception increases thanks to the marina, which offers the possibility of anchoring at particularly advantageous rates with services ranging from assistance to mooring with sailors, up to engine repairs.

Very active at the Porto Club Nautico and Lega Navale, which also gave birth to the “Senigallia Vela” project, a school for adults and children born from the merger of their activities. The two associations in their premises located in the marina also have a bar, a restaurant with a panoramic terrace, and a very versatile reception room and ideal as a location for anyone who wants to use the space for their own initiatives.

Thanks to its layout, the Port of Senigallia also lends itself to being the scene of evocative cultural events, among which the CinemAmare film festival has achieved considerable success in recent years.

Don’t miss a stroll through Porto della Rovere, where the lights and colors will remain in your eyes as the sun rises and sets, with the sound of the sea accompanying your steps.

For guaranteed services to boaters click here

The Rocca Roveresca is an essential stop on your visit to the city of Senigallia. The fortress can be defined as an extraordinary history book: in fact, it is the result of the overlapping of defensive structures that have occurred over the centuries, since the city’s origins, on a site of decisive strategic importance.

Over time, towers and bastions have been added to the defensive structure present since the Roman foundation of the city: evidence of the fourteenth-century Rocchetta commissioned by Egidio Albornoz is still visible, against which the Rocca di Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta was built in 1450 (1450).

The current structure of the monument is due to Giovanni della Rovere, lord of Senigallia, and son-in-law of Federico III da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino. It was Duke Federico who made the best architects of the time available to Giovanni: Luciano Laurana and Baccio Pontelli. The intervention began in 1478 with the aim of adapting the fortress to the new defensive needs. In 1503 the fortress was conquered by Cesare Borgia who carried out the famous massacre described by Niccolò Machiavelli in Senigallia.

Rocca Roveresca is unique because it was not only a fortress, but also a stately home, home to an artillery school founded by Guidubaldo della Rovere in 1533. After the ducal dynasty died out, after the city returned to Church rule in 1631, it served as a papal prison and orphanage.

Today it hosts art exhibitions and prestigious cultural events.

Program of archaeology conferences related to the exhibition “The Shape of Gold”:

Piazza Roma is a real agora and the administrative heart of the town. The 17th-century Palazzo del Governo (Town hall) overlooking the square was built by Francesco Maria II Della Rovere in 1609. The project of Urbino’s architect Muzio Oddi was completed in 1644.

The front of the town hall is decorated with Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune’s Fountain), popularly known as “l’monc’ in piazza'” because of the two missing arms. The origin of the statue is unknown, although some have proposed a Roman origin, while according to others it is a work of art from Gianbologna’s school.

The Church and Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie is an important testimony to Renaissance architecture dating back to the last decade of the 15th century and sees the participation first of Baccio Pontelli and then of Girolamo Genga, two of the greatest Italian architects of that extraordinary artistic era.

On the site where the church and convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie now stand, there was a votive shrine or small chapel called Santa Maria del Pennocchio” around which a large wooded area extended. According to a tradition that arose already at the end of the sixteenth century, Giovanni della Rovere, Lord of Senigallia, had the church and convent built as a vow to the Madonna for the birth of the long-awaited male heir, Francesco Maria, which took place in Senigallia on 25 March 1490. The design and construction of the architectural complex was entrusted to the Florentine architect Baccio Pontelli and the first friars took up residence there as early as 1492. The building was subsequently revised and expanded, according to Vasari’s historical testimony, by the architect Girolamo Genga at the behest of Francesco Maria Della Rovere, in an intervention certainly begun before the Duke’s death in 1538. The most recent studies believe that when Giovanni voted for the birth of Francesco Maria, he decided to build the church to make it the mausoleum of the Della Rovere family, just as the church of San Bernardino in Urbino was intended to house the remains of the Montefeltro family. And so in Santa Maria delle Grazie are buried in addition to Giovanni himself, his brother-in-law Antonello Sanseverino, Prince of Salerno; his daughter Girolama; and his mother Teodora Manerola. The entire complex was finally completed only in 1684, thanks to the initiative of Vittoria Della Rovere, Grand Duchess of Tuscany (remembered by the Medici coat of arms on the façade, above the portal), the last direct descendant of Giovanni to bear the name of the illustrious dynasty. The interior of the church is simple and essential. Two Renaissance masterpieces were preserved here: “Madonna and Child with Saints” by Perugino and the “Madonna of Senigallia”, by Piero della Francesca. The first panel is now on display at the diocesan art gallery of Senigallia, the second is located in the National Gallery of the Marche in Urbino. Of interest is the valuable hand wash of exquisite fifteenth-century workmanship located in the sacristy. Today, part of the convent houses the “Sergio Anselmi”” Museum of the History of Mezzadria, rich in precious testimonies on peasant civilization. The convent’s two cloisters are frescoed with 28 and 19 lunettes depicting episodes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, painted in 1598 by the painter Pietro Francesco Renulfo.

Its history dates back to the second half of the 19th century, when the architect Vincenzo Ghinelli designed the structure which was located a few hundred metres north of its current location for hydrotherapy and recreational purposes, before it was destroyed by war even if at the time it was not yet possible to speak of a rotunda but rather of a wooden platform designed on the model of stilts, which was likely intended to become a meeting point for visitors to the Senigallia beach. In 1932, with a project by engineer Enrico Cardelli, it was decided to renovate it and move it to its current position in a typically rationalist style, with a platform equipped with a large covered canopy and a large, accessible elevated terrace. In 1935, it was visited by Prince Umberto of Savoy, who was in the city for the inauguration of the Maria Pia di Savoia Marine Colony. The 1950s and 1960s were its heyday, when it rose to become a temple of worldliness and a place of entertainment. The greatest artists of Italian pop music performed here. After mixed fortunes that saw it renovated and later destroyed by fire, it remained closed due to its uninhabitability until 2006, when it returned to being a point of reference for the area’s entertainment and a symbol of the city’s vitality. Today, exhibitions, conferences and events of various kinds are held there.