Ancona, Italy

Ancona is a port on the Adriatic coast of central Italy. Monuments of interest include the Cathedral remodelled in the 12th and 13th centuries in Romanesque style with evident Byzantine influence. Notable landmarks, restored since the war, include the marble Arch of Trajan (115), the 11th century Church of Santa Maria della Piazza and the Cathedral of San Ciriaco, which is supposed to occupy the site of a Roman temple of Venus and incorporates the remains of a 5th century basilica. The city has many fine Gothic buildings and is the site of the National Museum of Marche and Piazza del Plebiscito considered the favourite meeting point of Ancona.