Ancona (/æŋˈkoʊnə/,[4]alsoUS:/ænˈ-,ɑːnˈ-/;[5][6][7]Italian:[aŋˈkoːna]ⓘ) is a city and a seaport in theMarche region ofCentral Italy, with a population of around 101,997 as of 2015[update]. Ancona is the capital of thehomonymous province and of the region. The city is located 280 km (170 mi) northeast of Rome, on theAdriatic Sea, between the slopes of the two extremities of thepromontory ofMonte Conero, Monte Astagno and Monte Guasco. The hilly nature around Ancona is a strong contrast to the flatter coastline in areas further north.
Ancona is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea, especially for passenger traffic, and is the main economic and demographic centre of the region.
Before the Greek colonization, the territory was occupied by separated communities of thePicentes tribes.
Ancona took a more urban shape by Greek settlers fromSyracuse in about 387 BC, who gave it its name:Ancona stems from the Greek wordἈνκών (Ankṓn), meaning "elbow"; the harbour to the east of the town was originally protected only by the promontory on the north, shaped like an elbow. Greek merchants established aTyrian purple dye factory here.[8] In Roman times it kept its own coinage with the punning device of the bent arm holding apalm branch, and the head ofAphrodite on the reverse, and continued the use of theGreek language.[9]
When it became aRoman town is uncertain. It was occupied as a naval station in theIllyrian War of 178 BC.[10]Julius Caesar took possession of it immediately after crossing theRubicon. Its harbour was of considerable importance in imperial times, as the nearest toDalmatia, and was enlarged byTrajan, who constructed the north quay with his architectApollodorus of Damascus. At the beginning of it stands the marbletriumphal arch, theArch of Trajan with a single archway, and withoutbas-reliefs, erected in his honour in 115 by the Senate and Roman people.[9]
Ancona was attacked successively by theGoths andLombards between the 3rd and 5th centuries, but recovered its strength and importance. It was one of the cities of thePentapolis of theExarchate of Ravenna, a lordship of theByzantine Empire, in the 7th and 8th centuries.[9][11] In 840, Saracen raiders sacked and burned the city.[12] AfterCharlemagne's conquest of northern Italy, it became the capital of theMarca di Ancona, whence the name of the modern region derives.
After 1000, Ancona became increasingly independent, eventually turning into an importantmaritime republic[13] (together withGaeta andRagusa, it is one of those not appearing on theItalian naval flag), often clashing against the nearby power ofVenice. An oligarchic republic, Ancona was ruled by six Elders, elected by the threeterzieri into which the city was divided: S. Pietro, Porto and Capodimonte.[citation needed] It had a coin of its own, theagontano, and a series of laws known asStatuti del mare e del Terzenale andStatuti della Dogana. Ancona was usually allied with theRepublic of Ragusa and theByzantine Empire.[citation needed]
In 1137, 1167 and 1174 it was strong enough to push back the forces of theHoly Roman Empire. Anconitan ships took part in the Crusades, and their navigators includedCyriac of Ancona. In the struggle between the Popes and the Holy Roman Emperors that troubled Northern and Central Italy from the 12th century onwards, Ancona sided with the Popes (Guelphs).[14]
Trade routes and warehouses of the maritime republic of Ancona
Unlike other cities of northern Italy, Ancona never became asignoria. The sole exception was the rule of theMalatesta, who took the city in 1348, taking advantage of theblack death and of a fire that had destroyed many of the city's important buildings.[citation needed] The Malatesta were ousted in 1383. In 1532, Ancona definitively lost its freedom and became part of thePapal States, underPope Clement VII. The symbol of the new papal authority was the massive Citadel.[citation needed]
Pope Pius IV commanded the execution and burning of Converso merchants in Ancona for returning to Judaism.[15] Later, Ancona, along with Rome andAvignon insouthern France, was one of the three cities in thePapal States whereJews were permitted to remain afterPope Pius V ordered their banishment in 1569. They lived in theghetto that had been established in Ancona in 1555.[citation needed]
In 1733,Pope Clement XII extended the quay, and an inferior imitation of Trajan's arch was set up; he also erected aLazaretto at the south end of the harbour,Luigi Vanvitelli being the architect-in-chief.[citation needed] The southern quay was built in 1880, and the harbour was protected by forts on the heights. From 1797 onwards, when the Frenchtook it, it frequently appears in history as an important fortress.[citation needed]
Ancona, as well as Venice, became a very important destination for merchants from theOttoman Empire during the 16th century. The Greeks formed the largest of the communities of foreign merchants. They were refugees from former Byzantine or Venetian territories that were occupied by the Ottomans in the late 15th and 16th centuries. The first Greek community was established in Ancona early in the 16th century.
On 23 May 1915, Italy enteredWorld War I and joined theEntente Powers. In 1915, following Italy's entry, the battleship division of theAustro-Hungarian Navy carried outextensive bombardments causing great damage to all installations and killing several dozen people.[16] Ancona was one of the most important Italian ports on the Adriatic Sea duringthe Great War.
Jews according to documents began living in Ancona in 967 AD, even though there is evidence they lived there even before.[18][19] It has been claimed that in 1270, a Jewish resident of Ancona,Jacob of Ancona, travelled toChina, four years beforeMarco Polo, and documented his impressions in a book called "The City of Lights". From 1300 and on, the Jewish community of Ancona grew steadily, most due to the city importance and it being a center of trade with theLevant.[20] In that year, Jewish poetImmanuel the Roman tried to lower high taxation taken from the Jewish community of the city. Over the next 200 years, Jews from Germany, Spain,Sicily and Portugal immigrated to Ancona, due to persecutions in their homeland and thanks to the pro-Jewish attitude taken towards Ancona Jews due to their importance in the trade and banking business, making Ancona a trade center.[citation needed]
In 1555, popePaul IV forced theCrypto-Jewish community of the city to convert toChristianity, as part of his PapalBull of 1555. While some did, others refused to do so and thus were hanged and then burnt in the town square.[19] In response, Jewish merchants boycotted Ancona for a short while. The boycott was led byDona Gracia Mendes Nasi.[citation needed]
Though emancipated byNapoleon I for several years, in 1843Pope Gregory XVI revived an old decree, forbidding Jews from living outside theghetto, wearing identification sign on their clothes and other religious and financial restrictions.[21] Public opinion did not approve of these restrictions, and they were cancelled a short while after.[22]
The Jews of Ancona received full emancipation in 1848 withthe election of PopePius IX. In 1938, 1177 lived in Ancona;[22] 53 Jews were sent away to Germany, 15 of them survived and returned to the town afterWorld War II.[citation needed] The majority of the Jewish community stayed in town or emigrated due to high ransoms paid to the fascist regime. In 2004, about 200 Jews lived in Ancona.[citation needed]
Two synagogues and two cemeteries still exist in the city. The ancient Monte-Cardeto cemetery is one of the biggest Jewish cemeteries in Europe and tombstones are dated to 1552 and on.[citation needed] It can still be visited and it resides within theParco del Cardeto.
The climate of Ancona ishumid subtropical (Cfa in theKöppen climate classification) and the city lies on the border between mediterranean and more continental regions. Precipitations are regular throughout the year. Winters are cool (January mean temp. 5 °C or 41 °F), with frequent rain and fog. Temperatures can reach −10 °C (14 °F) or even lower values outside the city centre during the most intense cold waves. Snow is not unusual with air masses coming from Northern Europe or from the Balkans and Russia,[citation needed] and can be heavy at times (also due to the "Adriatic Sea effect"), especially in the hills surrounding the city centre. Summers are usually warm and humid (July mean temp. 22.5 °C or 72.5 °F). Highs sometimes can reach values around 35 and 40 °C (95 and 104 °F), especially if the wind is blowing from the south or from the west (föhn effect off theApennine Mountains). Thunderstorms are quite common, particularly in August and September, and can be intense with occasional flash floods, damaging winds and even large hail. Spring and autumn are both seasons with changeable weather, but generally mild. Extremes in temperature have been −15.4 °C (4.3 °F) (in 1967) and 40.8 °C (105.4 °F) (in 1968) / 40.5 °C (104.9 °F) (in 1983).
Source: P. Burattini.Stradario – Guida della città di Ancona (Ancona, 1951),ISTAT
In 2007, there were 101,480 people residing in Ancona (the greater area has a population more than four times its size), located in the province of Ancona,Marches, of whom 47.6% were male and 52.4% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 15.54 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 24.06 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Ancona residents is 48, compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Ancona grew by 1.48 percent, while Italy as a whole grew by 3.56 percent.[24][25] The current birth rate of Ancona is 8.14 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births.
A cannon situated near the Arch of Trajan, with theAncona Cathedral in the backgroundRenaissance Gothic door of the church of Sant'Agostino
Ancona Cathedral, dedicated toJudas Cyriacus, was consecrated at the beginning of the 11th century and completed in 1189.[26] Some writers suppose that the original church was in the form of abasilica and belonged to the 7th century. An early restoration was completed in 1234. It is a fineRomanesque building in grey stone, built in the form of a Greek cross, and other elements of Byzantine art. It has a dodecagonal dome over the centre slightly altered by Margaritone d'Arezzo in 1270. The façade has a Gothic portal, ascribed toGiorgio da Como (1228), which was intended to have a lateral arch on each side. The interior, which has a crypt under each transept, in the main preserves its original character. It has ten columns which are attributed to the temple of Venus.[9] The church was restored in the 1980s.
TheArch of Trajan is a marble structure 18 metres (59 feet) high, but only 3 metres (9.8 feet) wide, standing on a high platform approached by a wide flight of steps, and is one of the finest surviving Roman monuments in theMarches. It was built in the year 114/115 as an entrance to the causeway atop the harbour wall and is named in honour ofTrajan, the emperor who made the harbour. Most of its original bronze ornaments have disappeared. The archway is flanked by pairs of flutedCorinthian columns on pedestals. A pediment bears inscriptions. The format is that of theArch of Titus in Rome, but made taller, so that the bronze figures surmounting it, of Trajan, his wifePlotina and sister Marciana, would figure as a landmark for ships approaching Rome's greatest Adriatic port.
Lazzaretto: the complex was planned by architectLuigi Vanvitelli in 1732 as a pentagonal building built on an artificial island, also pentagonal, as a quarantine station; it covers more than 20,000 square metres (220,000 square feet), built to protect the city from the risk of contagious diseases eventually reaching the town with the ships. Later it was used also as a military hospital or as barracks; it is currently used for cultural exhibits.
The Episcopal Palace was the place wherePope Pius II died in 1464.
Palazzo del Comune (orPalazzo degli Anziani – Elders palace); it was built in 1250, with lofty arched substructures at the back, was gotic work ofMargaritone d'Arezzo.[9]
Santissimo Sacramento: 16th and 18th century church.
There are also several buildings byGiorgio da Sebenico, combiningGothic andRenaissance elements: thePalazzo Benincasa, theLoggia dei Mercanti, the Franciscan church ofSan Francesco alle Scale andSant'Agostino,Augustinian church with statues portraying St. Monica, St. Nicola da Tolentino, St. Simplicianus and Blessed Agostino Trionfi; in the 18th century it was enlarged byLuigi Vanvitelli and turned into a palace after 1860.
protohistoric section, with the richest existing collection of thePicenian civilization; the section includes a remarkable collection of Greek ceramics
Greek-Hellenistic section, with coins, inscriptions, glassware and other objects from thenecropolis of Ancona
Roman section, with a statue of Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, carvedsarcophagi and two Roman beds with fine decorations in ivory[9]
rich collection of ancient coins (not yet exposed)
European Coastal Airlines, a former seaplane operator from Croatia, established trans-Adriatic flights between Croatia and Italy in November 2015, and offered four weekly flights from Ancona Falconara Airport toSplit (59 minutes) andRijeka (49 minutes).
TheAncona railway station is the main railway station of the city and is served by regional and long-distance trains. The other stations areAncona Marittima, Ancona Torrette, Ancona Stadio, Palombina and Varano.
^The Italian Cities and the Arabs before 1095, Hilmar C. Krueger,A History of the Crusades: The First Hundred Years, Vol. I, ed. Kenneth Meyer Setton, Marshall W. Baldwin (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1955), p. 47.
^The International Geographic Encyclopedia and Atlas,Ancona (p. 27), Springer, 1979. ISBN 9781349050024.
^Ray, Jonathan Stewart (2013).After expulsion: 1492 and the making of Sephardic Jewry. New York: New York University Press. pp. 70, 73.ISBN978-0-8147-2911-3.
^abCapalbi, Monica (2008)."Matas, Niccolò (Niccola, Nicola)".Treccani. Biographical Dictionary of Italians - Volume 72. Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia.
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