What is Numana known for?

Sixth-century BC Picene royal burial with Attic pottery, bronze, ivory and amber, the central exhibit of the Antiquarium and proof of trade ties to Greece. Town at the southern foot of Monte Conero, the 572-meter limestone promontory that gives the Conero Riviera its cliffs and Blue Flag beaches. Thirteenth-century Romanesque-Byzantine wooden crucifix in the sanctuary, venerated since the sixteenth-century discovery and a pilgrim draw across the centuries.

When is the best time to visit Numana?

May–Sep. May through September are the months for Numana. The Conero water clears from late May and stays warm through September, with the port's daily boats running to Due Sorelle and the other Conero cliff beaches. July and August are the busiest weeks of the Marche coast: parking is metered into the late evening and the Numana bassa restaurants book ahead. June and September are calmer and warmer than the inland Marche hills. October to April the town shifts back to its 3,700 residents; many beach establishments close, the Antiquarium runs reduced winter hours, and the Conero trails become the main reason to come.

Numana is a comune in the province of Ancona, Marche region of Italy, about 23 kilometers from Ancona.

How do I get to Numana?

From Ancona, Numana is roughly 23 km by road.

Marche · Ancona

Numana

A Conero coastal town above its port, the Picene harbour that traded with Greek ships from the sixth century BC.

Known for

TOMB OF THE QUEEN
Sixth-century BC Picene royal burial with Attic pottery, bronze, ivory and amber, the central exhibit of the Antiquarium and proof of trade ties to Greece.
CONERO COAST
Town at the southern foot of Monte Conero, the 572-meter limestone promontory that gives the Conero Riviera its cliffs and Blue Flag beaches.
CROCIFISSO
Thirteenth-century Romanesque-Byzantine wooden crucifix in the sanctuary, venerated since the sixteenth-century discovery and a pilgrim draw across the centuries.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: Cristo Re, 3 May

Why come

Numana sits fifteen kilometers south of Ancona, on a cliff overlooking the Adriatic at the foot of the promontory that shapes this stretch of coast. The old town, Numana alta, runs along the ridge in continuity with Sirolo, while Numana bassa wraps around the port below, so the visitor moves between two settlements joined by a single slope rather than one town with two names. The place was a Picene harbour that traded with Greek and Etruscan ships from the sixth century BC, and a major centre of pre-Roman Italy before the rise of Ancona pushed it into decline around 500 BC. That decline is what left the burial grounds undisturbed long enough to be excavated centuries later, and it is also why the town's oldest identity is archaeological rather than architectural: a harbour that mattered, stopped mattering, and was rediscovered through what it buried.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Numana’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

What to see

Antiquarium Statale di Numana
Opened 1974, holding more than five hundred Picene burials from the Conero necropolises, plus a sixth-century BC limestone warrior's head found on a Numana beach in 1892.
Santuario del Crocifisso
Rebuilt in 1969 on a 1566 foundation, the current structure standing on a sanctuary site with roots three centuries older than the rebuild itself.
Porto di Numana
Working fishing and pleasure port at the foot of the cliff, with daily boat services along the Conero cliffs to the otherwise inaccessible Due Sorelle beach.
Spiaggia dei Frati
Pebble-and-shingle beach below the southern cliff of Numana alta, reached by stepped paths from the upper town.
Parco del Conero
Regional park covering 6,000 hectares of limestone promontory between Ancona and Numana, with Monte Conero rising above the town.

The slow-trip planner

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Living here

Population 3,741
Commuter belti
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 40 min drive
Regional capital Ancona, 30 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 56 m
Population: 3,741
Surface area: 10.94 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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