Marche · Pesaro e Urbino
Pergola
A hill town in the upper Cesano valley, holding the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity.
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 15 min from Ancona
- Population
- 5,784
Known for
BRONZI DORATI
Only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity, found at Cartoceto in 1946, two women, two riders and two horses from 50-30 BC.
WHITE TRUFFLE
Città del Tartufo with three October weekends of the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato, the second-largest white truffle fair in the Marche.
1234 FOUNDATION
Founded in 1234 by the people of Gubbio with the inhabitants of the surrounding castles, on older Roman ground along the Via Flaminia.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Oct
- J10°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J32°
- A31°
- S25°
- O21°
- N14°
- D11°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: San Secondo, 1 June
Why come
Pergola sits on a terrace at the confluence of the Cesano and the Cinisco, fifty-five kilometers from Ancona in the inland Apennines. The town was founded in 1234 by the people of Gubbio with inhabitants of the surrounding castles, raised on older Roman ground along the Via Flaminia. The defining find is the Bronzi Dorati da Cartoceto: hundreds of gilded bronze fragments unearthed in June and July 1946 at Santa Lucia di Calamello, in the frazione of Cartoceto, the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity.
Reassembled into two standing women, two riders and two horses, the group dates to the late Republican period between 50 and 30 BC and is held in the Museo dei Bronzi Dorati, opened on 9 October 1999 in the fourteenth-century convent of San Giacomo. Pergola is also a Città del Tartufo, with the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato running across three weekends in October.
The Sunday letter
Pergola is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Pergola comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
How to get there
From Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 1 hour by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1h 31m away.
By car from the centre of Ancona 1h 15m or Perugia 1h 27m.
Coming by train into Rimini? Pergola is about 1h 15m away by road.
What to see
Museo dei Bronzi Dorati e della Città di Pergola
Opened 9 October 1999 in the fourteenth-century former convent of San Giacomo, holding the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues, found at Cartoceto in 1946.
Bronzi Dorati da Cartoceto di Pergola
Two standing women, two riders and two horses in gilded bronze from the late Republican period, 50 to 30 BC, the only surviving group of its kind in the world.
Cattedrale di San Secondo
Pergola was a co-cathedral diocese until 1986; the cathedral on the central piazza holds works tied to the medieval and renaissance town.
Centro storico
Medieval centro storico founded 1234 by Gubbio settlers on the Cesano-Cinisco confluence, with later expansions through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from tanning, dyeing and wood crafts.
Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato
Three October weekends of white truffle fair, the second-largest in the Marche after Acqualagna, with tasting stands across the centro storico.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Pergola fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
Through the year
What happens here
Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.
Sagra delle Tagliatellafood festival
usually held in August. lemarche.it
Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di Pergolafood festival
usually held in October. sagritaly.com
Living here
- Population 5,784
- Remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 1 h 3 min drive
- Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 15 min drive
Common questions
- What is Pergola known for?
- Pergola is a hill town at 265 meters in the upper Cesano valley, holding the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity.
- Where is Pergola?
- Pergola is a comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, in Marche.
- What is the nearest airport to Pergola?
- Ancona / Pescara (AOI), about 1 hour by car.
- How long is the drive from Ancona to Pergola?
- About 1h 15m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Pergola?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Pergola?
- Yes. Sagra delle Tagliatella and Fiera Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di Pergola. August is when the first of them falls.
- Which other towns are like Pergola?
- Urbania, Sassoferrato and Matelica.
- How many people live in Pergola?
- 5,784 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 265 m
- Population: 5,784
- Surface area: 112.4 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and 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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