Croatia Sailing and Cycling

Today I invite you on a journey which we have undertaken 2012 the PiP shows sails and bicycle routes in an approximate way

the first thing we admired after a long drive at the parking lot in Ancona

Afterwards we went for a walk in Ancona, through this very multifaceted city. PiP: I am fascinated by these stone buildings again and again

The prefecture of Ancona The tower, originally from the 14th century, was rebuilt in 1581. In 1806 it was equipped with a carillon (playable glockenspiel) by master watchmaker Antonio Podrini. Four bells played the melody. Ancona is the capital of the Italian Marche region. It is an important port city on the Adriatic coast. Parts of the medieval centre were bombed during the Second World War, because there are still many old monuments and squares.

The Church of San Domenico The present church was designed by Carlo Marchionni in 1763 and the first stone was laid in 1771. With the French occupation and the advent of the Republic of Ancona, the church, whose façade had not yet been completed, was used as a barracks in 1778; the upper part of the main façade was therefore unfinished. It was reopened in 1816 with the restoration for worship. After the 1930 earthquake, the upper part of the façade was modified by the installation of reinforced concrete structures to repair the damage. During the bombardments of the Second World War, the church was damaged again and the roof collapsed in some areas. After the war the church was restored and the destroyed statues and paintings were replaced by others; in 1948 it was reopened for worship.

Piazza del Plebiscito, also known as Piazza del Papa, is located in the centre of the historic city of Ancona. It is the oldest of the urban squares. After the conquest of the French at the end of the 18th century, it was also called Piazza Napoleone. Later Piazza del Papa, because of the statue of the Blessing of Pope Clement XII. (Cardinal Lorenzo Corsini: 1652 - 1740) on the square. It was built by the Senate of Ancona in the centre of the square, in gratitude to the Pope for the concession to the free port city in 1732 (goods passing through the port were not subject to papal customs duties). Piazza del Plebiscito is still the heart of the old town and an important place for the nightlife and social life of Ancona.

walk continues through Ancona's old town, past old buildings and stone archways.

The church of San Francesco all Scale, located on the top of a staircase leading to the square of the same name, was founded in 1323 by the Franciscans, originally dedicated to Saint Mary Maggiore. In 1454 the portal was created by the Dalmatian master Giorgio da Sebenico. After the Napoleonic occupation, the complex was used as a hospital and from the 1920s as a town museum. The church was restored and reopened in 1953. The bell tower from the 18th century, which had been destroyed by an Allied bomb attack in 1944, was rebuilt at the same time. The main feature of the façade is the portal designed by Giorgio da Sebenico, with an artistic frame with twenty heads and two high pilasters on the sides, which house four niches with statues of saints. In the church was once the altarpiece of Gozzi, made by Titzian in 1520.

The Cathedral of Ancona Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Ciriaco, is dedicated to Saint Cyriacus of Ancona. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Ancona. The building is an example of mixed Romanesque-Byzantine and Gothic elements and stands on the site of the ancient acropolis of the Greek city, the Guasco hill overlooking Ancona and its gulf. The excavations carried out in 2016 showed that already in the 3rd century B.C. an italic temple, perhaps dedicated to Aphrodite, existed on this site. In 1017 the renovated basilica received the relics of Saint Marcellin of Ancona and Saint Cyriacus. The church, formerly dedicated to Saint Laurentius, was consecrated to Saint Cyriakus the Martyr, patron saint and (possibly) bishop of Ancona. The first restoration took place in 1883. During the First World War, on 24 May 1915, the basilica was damaged by a bombing of the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The damage was repaired in 1920, but during the Second World War Anglo-American bombing raids destroyed the south transept and the tear crypt below, as well as the art treasures housed there. PiP: Two such red marble lions carry the roof in front of the entrance portal

Former bell tower or Military tower

View from the mountain on which the Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Ciriaco stands over the rooftops of Ancon

View from the mountain on which the Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Ciriaco stands, over the ferry port of Ancona

A closer look at some ferries The port of Ancona is one of the largest ferry ports in the Mediterranean Sea . There are daily ferries to Igoumenitsa, Corfu and Patras in Greece, Split, Zadar and Vis in Croatia, Albania and Çeşme in Turkey. The port is also visited by freighters and cruise ships.

The Càlamo fountain, known as the fountain of 13 sinks, a Renaissance fountain in Ancona. In ancient times, in Greek times, there was already a fountain here, it was integrated into the city walls in the Middle Ages. It was demolished in 1503 and rebuilt between 1559 and 1560. It consists of thirteen fields, with just as many masks spitting water, hence the name, thirteen sinks is derived. The masks, 12 of which are made of bronze, the 13 of which are carved from stone in the middle, show satyrs and faunas. An old tradition tells that the traveller who wants to return to the city should drink the water that flows from the well.

The Càlamo fountain, known as the fountain of 13 sinks, a Renaissance fountain in Ancona. In ancient times, in Greek times, there was already a fountain here, it was integrated into the city walls in the Middle Ages. It was demolished in 1503 and rebuilt between 1559 and 1560. It consists of thirteen fields, with just as many masks spitting water, hence the name, thirteen sinks is derived. The masks, 12 of which are made of bronze, the 13 of which are carved from stone in the middle, show satyrs and faunas. An old tradition tells that the traveller who wants to return to the city should drink the water that flows from the well.

on the way through the alleys of Ancona

View by day to the cathedral of San Ciriaco, from the waiting room before we drive on the ferry PiP: once again the view in darkness from the ferry to the cathedral of San Ciriaco

all ferries are loaded and ready for departure, ours is leaving to reach Split in the morning