FORTUNE AND MISFORTUNE

Meet your private guide and driver at your accommodation and set off to discover the fascinating history and architectural heritage of two delightful towns in northern Le Marche. Visitors will turn the clock back to the Middle Ages on a tour of a fairy tale castle and enjoy roaming the streets of the “city of fortune”.

Your first stop is Gradara, a quaint little town, oozing old-world charm and character, located near the border of Emilia Romagna. A jumble of stone houses huddles at the base of a hilltop fortress, protected by well preserved walls and watchtowers. The town flourished during the Middle Ages and Renaissance era when it became the object of dispute between powerful noble families, owing to its strategic position along the ancient Via Flaminia, once an important route for trade and travel. The castle of Gradara is one of Italy’s most noteworthy examples of medieval military architecture and perfectly combines the functions of a defence fortress and a stately mansion. Its first nucleus dates to the 12th century when the De Grifo lords marked their hegemony over this feud by building a defence tower on this site. But it is to the Malatesta, Sforza and Della Rovere dynasties, who in turn came into possession of Gradara between the 13th and 17th centuries, that we owe the castle as we know it today. All these families set out to transform the stronghold into a magnificent princely residence that would proclaim their prestige.

Your guide will show you around the halls that served as the private quarters of illustrious personages and paint a vivid picture of courtly life back in Gradara’s olden days. These mighty walls, still surprisingly intact, have witnessed some eight centuries of Italian history. You will hear stories of sieges, learn of the disputes that inflamed rival dynasties, conjure up an image of Lucrezia Borgia, dissatisfied and longing for her festive Roman lifestyle, and listen to the moving tales of two star-crossed lovers whose tragic fate was sealed within these rooms. The castle of Gradara is indeed inextricably linked to the legend of Paolo and Francesca, the protagonists of the 5th canto of Dante’s Inferno, who fell madly in love and were murdered by her husband Gianciotto.

After lunch rejoin your driver and reach the lively seaside resort of Fano, known in ancient times as Fanum Fortunae, owing to a long lost temple dedicated to goddess Fortune, around which the town developed. Once a Roman colony and one of the largest Roman settlements on the Adriatic coast, today Fano retains traces of its ancient past, which merge perfectly with tower-houses and buildings dating to the Middle Ages and Renaissance era.

The grand Arch of Augustus welcomes visitors to the old town, which is surrounded by portions of Roman era walls and peppered with unexpected treasures. From here, with your guide leading the way, you will enjoy a leisurely walk that encompasses many of Fano’s attractions. You will certainly visit the 12th century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, housing a Romanesque pulpit and a richly decorated Baroque-style chapel by Domenichino, and examine the masterpieces on display inside the Church of Santa Maria Nuova, including precious paintings by Giovanni Santi, Perugino and Le Marche’s most famous son, Raphael. Not to be missed are also Piazza XX Settembre, the beating heart of Fano, dominated by the medieval Palazzo del Podestà, and the fascinating deconsecrated Church of San Francesco. The nave, columns and capitals of this 13th century structure still stand proudly in place although the roof has fallen and the ceiling is now the glorious blue sky and the heavens above.

After the tour your private chauffeur will drive you back to your accommodation.