6 reasons to visit
Fossombrone
A cradle of history, art and culture, Fossombrone reveals its essence as an ancient Roman town. Nestled on a hillside dominated by the Citadel, the town engages with its past amidst the ruins of the 15th-century Rocca Malatestiana and the foundations of the Forum Sempronii.
A charming little town where the Renaissance meets the splendour of Baroque art. The long colonnaded street and the 16th- and 17th-century palaces lend an air of elegance to the town, creating an urban landscape of extraordinary architectural harmony.
Fossombrone is a town shaped by the skilled hands of master goldsmiths and by artisanal expertise. Its identity is also expressed through the flavours and aromas of tradition, which preserve a material culture that has been passed down intact through the centuries.
The enchantment of unspoilt Mother Earth blends with human care: the vineyards encircle the town in an intoxicating embrace, seamlessly integrating the architecture of the buildings with the lush beauty of the Marche countryside.
A city dedicated to harmony, where ancient musical notes echo amongst the stones of its buildings. The past comes to life through superb historical re-enactments, which transport visitors into authentic and evocative Renaissance atmospheres.
Visitors are greeted by the Ponte della Concordia, known as ‘the Eye of Fossombrone’. Its round arch is reflected in the waters of the Metauro, creating a surreal optical effect – a universal symbol of perfection and the union between nature and human ingenuity.
Discover the charms of Fossombrone
The Beauty Trail comes to life
Exploring the beating heart of the Marche has never been easier with Criluma Viaggi!
Romantic weekends, days spent immersed in nature or cultural tours: we’ve put together itineraries to suit all tastes and time constraints.
Historical sites
A city devoted to the harmony of ancient musical notes, where the past comes to life through historical re-enactments that transport us to the Renaissance atmosphere of centuries past.
As we venture into the heart of the municipal area, we discover a place with ancient origins, dating back to well before the 2nd century BC, when the ancient Forum Sempronii was founded in San Martino del Piano, along the Via Flaminia, 2 km from present-day Fossombrone.
It is precisely here that the 25-hectare archaeological site stands, bearing witness to the Roman presence.
Founded by a member of the Semproni family, Forum Sempronii was for centuries the most prestigious, busiest and most important centre in the Metauro Valley.
Carts bound for Rome passed through here, travelling along the very paving that you can still walk on today: a surface of enormous polygonal stones bearing the deep grooves left by the wheels of the vehicles.
A monumental entrance, framed by recently restored brick columns, symbolically marks the gateway to the ancient Roman town, within which we find mosaics, a portico of terracotta columns, the remains of public and private buildings, and traces of a thermal bath complex.
A sense of wonder fills one’s heart at the thought of walking on the original cobblestones dating back almost two thousand years.
The town was abandoned following the barbarian invasions, only to be reborn as the present-day Fossombrone on the hill of Sant’Aldebrando.
Numerous artefacts have been unearthed in this area, some dating back as far as the Picene period, and are housed in the ‘A. Vernarecci’ Archaeological Museum.
Here, in the heart of Fossombrone, one can see evidence of the ancient civilisations that succeeded one another: from everyday objects such as coins, knives and nails to gilded bronze surgical instruments such as forceps and scalpels.
Particularly striking is the discovery of 150 amphorae found all together, in the same spot, in a well beneath the road, which was prone to becoming waterlogged: these objects, stacked on top of one another and turned upside down, were used to drain water.
A stroll through art and culture
Amidst palaces, fortresses, churches and museums, the soul of Fossombrone
Looking up towards the upper part of the town, one’s gaze lingers on the ruins of the ancient Rocca Malatestiana, a fortified complex built by the Papal States in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 15th century under Malatesta rule and subsequently reinforced at the behest of Duke Federico da Montefeltro.
Quadrangular in shape, with four towers at the corners, it was demolished in 1502 by Guidobaldo da Montefeltro ‘with a terrible din’, as the chroniclers of the time wrote, to prevent it from falling into the hands of Cesare Borgia.
Although it has been in a state of disrepair for centuries now, it is still possible today to glimpse its evocative interior spaces, passageways and rooms.
From the top of the hill, where the fortress once stood, one can enjoy the breathtaking panorama in which the town is set.
It was in Fossombrone that the history of the Montefeltro family of Urbino unfolded, a history that can be retraced, step by step, along Corso Garibaldi – the only street in the Marche region to boast a double colonnade, once lined with a variety of shops and taverns.
Revealing new, evocative views of the landscape, the most important historic buildings of Fossombrone follow one after the other along the stairways leading to the upper part of the town, starting with the Church of San Filippo, with its splendid Baroque interior, built between 1608 and 1613 as a votive offering by the people of Fossombrone following the birth of the male heir to the last Duke of Urbino.
Originally a simple and unassuming structure, it consisted of a single nave with no side chapels. It was later the Filippini Fathers who enlarged and embellished it, to the greater glory of God.
The renowned sculptor Tommaso Amantini of Urbania created the stucco decorations there; the influence of the Foresmprone-born painter Francesco Guerrieri is also evident in the altarpiece and in other paintings housed in one of the building’s chapels.
Today, the church – now a museum – is open to visitors wishing to admire its splendid interior, characterised by its magnificent cycle of stucco work and its rich artistic heritage of paintings, sculptures, furnishings and sacred objects. As you continue along the high street, you’ll find yourself pausing at every turn to marvel at the beauty of all the historic buildings the town boasts, such as the 14th-century Church of Sant’Agostino, whose façade bears the Malatesta coat of arms and the apothecaries’ symbol (a mortar and pestle), and is distinguished by its spectacular sandstone portal and characteristic medieval-style cloister.
Then there is Palazzo Cattabeni, the 16th-century building with its distinctive rusticated façade and coffered ceilings; the 16th-century Town Hall, built of sandstone; and the Bishop’s Palace with its large windows and alternating pediments. Finally, the 18th-century cathedral and the palace where, as an inscription indicates, the painter Francesco Guerrieri is believed to have lived.
Fossombrone is also known as the ‘city of the three courtyards’: the Upper Courtyard is the ancient Renaissance palace, commissioned by the Montefeltro family, which today houses the Archaeological Museum and the Art Gallery.
Notable features include the elevated loggia rising to the east and the massive western wing, which originally housed the ducal theatre hall.
During the third decade of the sixteenth century, as an alternative to the Upper Courtyard, the Della Rovere family had the Lower Courtyard and the Red Courtyard built, a complex of interconnected buildings that blends seamlessly into the urban fabric.
The wooden ceilings of the Corte Alta, preserved to this day, characterise the rooms housing the Civic Art Gallery, established in 1901. Here, the centuries from the 16th to the 19th unfold one after the other: from a sketch depicting the bestowal of the stigmata upon Saint Francis, dating from the late 1500s and executed by the painter Federico Barocci, to the 17th-century works of Francesco Guerrieri, who brought the innovations of Caravaggist painting to Fossombrone, right through to the portraits painted by Francesco Podesti.
Before leaving Fossombrone, a visit to the Cesarini House Museum and Art Gallery – named after the notary who lived in the building – is a must.
Of particular note is the painter’s self-portrait, in which he depicts himself as a painter and decorator at work, as if art were primarily a craft as well as an intellectual endeavour, and the marvellous inner courtyard of the villa, carved out of the rock, almost forming a single structure with the rock face that looms behind the building.
Of particular note is the painter’s self-portrait, in which he depicts himself as a painter at work, as if art were above all a craft, as well as an intellectual endeavour, and the marvellous inner courtyard of the villa, carved out of the rock, almost forming a single structure with the rock face that looms behind the building.
Between music and the Renaissance
Between the harmony of early music and historical re-enactments
In Fossombrone, there is a cheerful, lively and fun-loving atmosphere. The town is the birthplace of Ottaviano Petrucci, a 15th-century music publisher and the inventor of music printing using movable type. A series of early music concerts is dedicated to him, taking place in October, when the heavenly notes emanating from the instruments fill the town’s narrow streets and alleys.
In March, Fossombrone then becomes the capital of the Bianchetto truffle, with an exhibition and market that has been attracting hundreds of visitors for over thirty years.
Finally, in May, the streets of the town are filled with the ‘Triumph of Carnival’, a Renaissance-themed historical re-enactment that involves every resident, from children to the elderly, in a riot of joy, jubilation and enthusiasm that fosters a sense of togetherness and community.
Gold craftsmen
How Fossombrone ended up in Dubai
The silhouette of the bridge of the same name features on the ‘Concordia’ bracelet, crafted in gold with diamonds, rubies or sapphires by one of the world’s most famous goldsmiths: AllGold.
The Foresmprone-based Maison AllGold, which has been operating in the area for over fifty years, crafts all its sumptuous, sparkling and marvellous jewellery entirely by hand, for which it is renowned far beyond Italy’s borders.
Indeed, the art of goldsmithing in Fossombrone has made a name for itself even overseas, from the United States as far as Dubai in the East.
The meticulous filigree craftsmanship of its jewellery ensures that Fossombrone’s goldsmithing stands out everywhere, in every corner of the world, as do the original ‘Concordia’ bracelets, the workshop’s tribute to the town’s strong historical and cultural roots.
Flavours and Surroundings
Where the authentic flavours of traditional cuisine blend with the intoxicating flavours of the wines
Fossombrone is the home of Bianchello del Metauro DOC, a fresh, well-balanced white wine.
A must-visit spot to enjoy a glass is Cantina Bucchini, which for over fifty years has been producing this nectar of the gods from a wholly indigenous grape variety, native to the area, yielding a wine that transcends fads and conventions and, through its character, its heady aroma and its history, the full tradition of quality from the Marche region.
A single-varietal, certified organic product: this is how the family-run business operates, focusing on the bounty of Mother Earth, typical of a healthy peasant diet.
In fact, it produces not only wine but also spelt, chickling vetch, chickpeas, flours and olive oil: products imbued with the love, dedication and respect for nature of those who live off it, those who nourish themselves with its fruits, and those who cultivate them. An elixir of the gods, Bianchello, to be savoured alongside a fine Sunday lunch, such as eel, river fish, salted cod or stockfish… dishes steeped in ancient tradition that can be savoured at Osteria Zanchetti and Saletta Paolina. The goldsmithing craft of Fossombrone has, in fact, made a name for itself even overseas, from the United States to Dubai in the East.
The meticulous filigree workmanship of its jewellery makes Fossombrone’s goldsmithing instantly recognisable anywhere, in every corner of the world, as do the original ‘Concordia’ bracelets, a tribute by the workshop to the town’s strong historical and cultural roots. at Osteria Zanchetti, situated in the heart of Fossombrone on Via Cesare Battisti, one of those narrow streets once filled with the clamour of traders and shopkeepers. The aim of chef Luca Zanchetti, who has returned to Fossombrone after eighteen years working alongside some of the biggest names in the Italian culinary scene, is precisely to recreate the atmosphere of days gone by.
As soon as you step through the door of his restaurant, amidst fragrances, scents and delightful aromas that stir the imagination and whet the appetite, you are transported back to the 1930s.
Here, everything is authentic and strictly Italian, from the vintage décor to the napkins, the majolica plates and the striking, original ceiling lamps – the traditional Urbino ducal stars. Not to mention the authentic flavours of traditional cuisine, where the ingredients – all strictly organic and seasonal – come together to create a colourful palette of tastes, flavours and aromas.
With just a few tables, the restaurant recreates that homely atmosphere of lunches from days gone by, when families would gather to enjoy traditional dishes that may now be forgotten.
The charm of nature
When the Giants created the Marmitte
A fascinating natural formation, which the River Metauro has patiently and inexorably shaped over the millennia, creating rounded hollows of varying sizes, is situated in San Lazzaro di Fossombrone and is the only turquoise canyon in the Marche region, the Marmitte dei Giganti, filled with distinctive pools of water that reflect the clear blue sky and the vegetation lining the riverbanks.
Each pothole has a distinctive pot-like shape caused by the powerful erosion of the water on the limestone rock.
A long and arduous process; which is precisely why legend has it that giants were responsible for shaping these fascinating and unique natural gems.
Some potholes reach considerable sizes, boasting a diameter of 4 metres and a depth of 6. The more adventurous can enjoy this natural wonder by following the path that runs alongside the gorge’s banks, but those who simply wish to feast their eyes and soothe their souls with this dreamlike sight can look out from Diocletian’s Bridge, better known as the Ponte dei Saltelli.
Every spring, Fossombrone celebrates one of its local specialities: the ‘bianchetto’ or ‘marzuolo’ truffle, which is showcased by the restaurants of the Restaurant Owners’ Association, including at the traditional Bianchetto Truffle Fair.
Discover the charms of Fossombrone
The Beauty Trail comes to life
Exploring the beating heart of the Marche region has never been easier. Criluma Viaggi is proud to bring to life Confcommercio Marche Nord’s ‘Itinerario della Bellezza’ project, transforming a guide to excellence into real-life itineraries, ready for you to experience.
Romantic weekends, days spent immersed in nature or cultural tours: we’ve created itineraries to suit all tastes and time commitments. The Criluma experience is the added value that guarantees you first-class treatment, comprising continuous support, personalised attention and immediate responses.