Ancona Cathedral

However long your stay in Ancona, a visit to the beautiful and renowned Cathedral of St Ciriaco is an absolute must.   Consecrated in 1128 and finally completed 60 years later, it is one of Italy’s finest Romanesque churches and is the jewel in Ancona’s architectural crown.   The Cathedral of St Ciriaco is actually built on the site of an even more ancient temple, built in honour of Venus, the Roman Goddess of love.  Some of the ruins of this much older structure are still visible beneath the church itself, and it has been suggested that the Ancona Cathedral’s ten columns mirror the layout of the original pagan temple.

Built from exquisitely worked grey stone, Ancona Cathedral sits majestically on the city’s Guasco hill, commanding the most spectacular views of the city and the Adriatic - one of the many reasons why the short climb from the city’s main streets is so richly rewarded and not to be missed.