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Stemma di Pesaro

Marche · Pesaro e Urbino

Pesaro

The Adriatic port at the mouth of the Foglia, founded as Roman Pisaurum in 184 BC and given to the world by Rossini in 1792.

Best time
May–Sep
By car
41 min from Rimini
By train
Station in the comune
Population
95,376

Known for

  • ROSSINI

    Gioachino Rossini was born here in 1792; the Rossini Opera Festival each August and UNESCO's 2017 Creative City of Music designation both rest on his legacy.

  • SPIAGGIA DI VELLUTO

    Seven kilometers of fine sand along the Adriatic, awarded Bandiera Blu and the working spine of Pesaro's summer economy.

  • PESARO MAIOLICA

    The city's ceramic tradition, recognized as Città della Ceramica, with a permanent collection across the rooms of Palazzo Mosca.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J10°
  • F13°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J27°
  • J30°
  • A29°
  • S25°
  • O21°
  • N15°
  • D11°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in January at 9°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Pesaro sits at the mouth of the Foglia river on the Adriatic, founded as the Roman colony of Pisaurum in 184 BC on the Via Flaminia and held in turn by Montefeltro, Sforza and Della Rovere lords through the Renaissance. The city was Italian Capital of Culture in 2024. The centro storico is bookended by two poles: the Rocca Costanza holds one end, a fortress built to defend the town, while the beach runs north from the port along the other, the source of the city's working summer economy rather than its history.

Inland and above, on the Monte San Bartolo hills, the Della Rovere and Sforza built their summer villa away from the density of the port town below, a separation of ruling residence from civic center that still marks the geography. The Palazzo Mosca, in the center, gathers what the town has made and collected: paintings, a modern audio amphitheater, and the maiolica that gave Pesaro its recognition as a city of ceramics. Together the fortress, the villa, the beach and the palazzo describe a town shaped by defense, hillside retreat, coastal work and civic collection, each occupying a different piece of ground rather than competing for the same one.

The Sunday letter

Pesaro 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 Pesaro comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Pesaro in our articles

How to get there

From Rimini (RMI), about 55 minutes by car.

Ancona / Pescara (AOI) is about 59 minutes away.

By car from the centre of Ancona 1h 11m or Bologna 1h 49m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Bologna?

Coming by train into Rimini? Pesaro is about 39 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Rimini airport.

Pesaro, photo 1
Pesaro, photo 2

What to see

  • Rocca Costanza

    Renaissance fortress commissioned by Costanzo Sforza in the 1470s, four corner bastions and a moat, anchoring the eastern edge of the centro storico.

  • Musei Civici di Palazzo Mosca

    Civic museum in the former Mosca residence, holding paintings, the Pesaro maiolica collection and the Sonosfera audio amphitheater by David Monacchi.

  • Teatro Rossini

    Nineteenth-century opera house restored after the 1873 reconstruction, filled for two weeks each August when the Rossini Opera Festival takes over, alongside the Vitrifrigo Arena, for the run of performances.

  • Villa Imperiale

    Sforza summer residence on the Monte San Bartolo hills above town, expanded in the 1530s by the Della Rovere with frescoes by Dosso Dossi and Bronzino.

  • Spiaggia di Velluto

    The beach runs north from the port, flat and continuous, the stretch of coast that structures how the city spends its summer.

  • Casa Rossini

    The house at Via Rossini 34, now a museum of manuscripts, portraits and family objects, kept much as the rooms he was born into.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Pesaro 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.

Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Lo ScudieroRistorante

    Two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) for Lo Scudiero, along with a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • NostranoRistorante

    Nostrano carries one Michelin star, two Gambero Rosso forks (85/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.

  • MarinoRistorante

    Marino holds two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • SalicorniaTrattoria

    Salicornia has one Gambero Rosso prawn and a Slow Food snail.

  • GibasRistorante

    Gibas has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.

  • OperaTrattoria

    One Gambero Rosso prawn, at Opera.

  • Rossini BistrotBistrot

    Rossini Bistrot has two Gambero Rosso tables to its name.

  • Grand Hotel VittoriaHotel

    Grand Hotel Vittoria has a place on Italy's historic-locali register to its name.

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.

  • Fiera di San Nicolamarket

    usually held in September. lemarche.it

Living here

  • Population 95,376
  • A local hubi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rimini, 55 min drive
  • Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 11 min drive

Common questions

What is Pesaro known for?
Pesaro is the Adriatic port at the mouth of the Foglia, founded as Roman Pisaurum in 184 BC and given to the world by Rossini in 1792.
Where is Pesaro?
Pesaro is a comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, in Marche, at 11 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Pesaro?
Rimini (RMI), about 55 minutes by car.
Can you get to Pesaro without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Ancona to Pesaro?
About 1h 11m by car.
When is the best time to visit Pesaro?
Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 10 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Pesaro?
Yes. Fiera di San Nicola. September is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Pesaro?
Senigallia, Ravenna and Trieste.
How many people live in Pesaro?
95,376 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 11 m
  • Population: 95,376
  • Surface area: 126.77 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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