Just behind the Velvety Sand

I spent the bulk of my recent weeklong stay in Senigallia barefoot in the velvety sand of the Spiaggia di Velutto.

But, when not basting my body with SPF 50+, and, to my surprise, I discovered an entirely different view just behind the lungomare (boardwalk) in central Italy’s Marche region where ancient cobblestone transitions this popular seaside resort back to its historical roots.

Founded around 385 BC as Sena Gallica (Old Gaul) by the Senones, a Gallic tribe, the city fell under the Roman Republic when sandal-clad legions marched in, defeated the grubby Gauls in 295 BC and established Senigallia as its first colony along the Adriatic seacoast.

Over the ensuing centuries, Senigallia, where the Adriatic Sea merges with hillsides covered in grapevines and sunflowers, was either conquered, destroyed or rebuilt by, among others, the Byzantines, the Lombards and the Saracens before settling in as part of the Papal States until Garibaldi’s “land grab” united all of Italy in 1861.

Around the Centro Storico (Historic Center), Senigallia’s rich past unfolds with expertly restored ancient structures, like the Roca Roveresca Fortress and the ancient Roman Foro Annonario and its oval piazza. Doubling as as the city’s daily open-air produce market, the Foro is dotted with shops and under-the-colonnades regional Marchegiano restaurants.

Let’s take a walk.

Senigallia. A delightful Italian seaside resort along the Bel Paese’s central Adriatic coast that’s equally worthy of a stroll around its camera-ready ancient past.

©The Palladian Traveler | ©Tom Palladio Images

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