The province of Pesaro and Urbino (, ) is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in the

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

region of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Its capital is the city of

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

. It also borders the state of

San Marino San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two European microstates, microsta ...

. The province is surrounded by San Marino and Emilia Romagna in the north,

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

and

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

in the west,

Ancona Ancona (, also ; ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona, homonymous province and of the region. The city is located northeast of Ro ...

in the south and the Adriatic Sea on the east. The province has an enclave of the Umbrian commune of Citta' di Castello named Monte Ruperto. The province is also known as "Riviera of Hills". It is mostly covered by hills and is popular for its beaches. The

ceramics museum A ceramics museum is a museum wholly or largely devoted to ceramics, usually ceramic art. Its collections may also include glass and enamel, but typically concentrate on pottery, including porcelain. Most national collections are in a more gener ...

and the Biblioteca Oliveriana are located in the capital city. It has a robust economy with low

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is the proportion of people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work du ...

, based on small and medium enterprises active in manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, other services. It has a very low per capita energy consumption. The small manufacturing industry contributes 22% of the province's GDP. Tourism in the province plays a primary role in the local economy; the main attractions are the coast and the Apennines. The beaches of Gabicce Mare, Pesaro, Fano and Marotta are the most famous ones. The Lucus Pisaurensis, the

Sacred Grove Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...

Pisaurum Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the Marche, ...

, ancient Pesaro, is just outside modern Pesaro in the hamlet of Santa Veneranda.

History

Early sources indicate a pre- Estruscan settlement in

. The city was established as

by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

in 184 BC as a colony of the

Picentes The Picentes or Piceni or Picentini were an ancient Italic peoples, Italic people who lived from the 9th to the 3rd century BC in the area between the Foglia and Aterno rivers, bordered to the west by the Apennines and to the east by the Adriatic ...

, an early

Italic people The concept of Italic peoples is widely used in linguistics and historiography of ancient Italy. In a strict sense, commonly used in linguistics, it refers to the Osco-Umbrians and Latino-Faliscans, speakers of the Italic languages, a subgroup of ...

who lived on the northeast coast of

during the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. In 1737, 13 ancient votive stones were unearthed in a local

farm field, each bearing the inscription of a

Roman god Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the Latin literature, literature and Roman art, visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these ...

; these were written in a pre- Estrucan script, indicating a much earlier occupation of the area than the 184 BC

colony. After the fall of the

Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, the area was absorbed in the

Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...

. In late mediaeval times and early Renaissance it was the center of the county of Urbino, and later, the Duchy of Montefeltro. Later it was part of the

Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...

and, from the late 19th century, of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

. After the referendum of 2006, seven municipalities of

Montefeltro Montefeltro is a historical and geographical region in northern Italy. It gave its name to the House of Montefeltro, Montefeltro family, who ruled in the area during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The mountainous region includes San Marino ...

were detached from the Province to join the

Province of Rimini The province of Rimini () is the southernmost Provinces of Italy, province of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Rimini, one of the "seven sisters" of the historical region of Romagna. The province borders the Adriat ...

(

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

) on 15 August 2009.Article
on " il Resto del Carlino" The municipalities are

Casteldelci Casteldelci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Rimini, in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. History On 7 April 1944, the hamlet of Fragheto was the sit ...

Maiolo Maiolo () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 807 and an area of .All ...

Novafeltria Novafeltria, historically Mercatino Marecchia (), is a ''comune'' in the province of Rimini, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Geography The town is located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. It is the main ...

Pennabilli Pennabilli () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italy, Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. In 2019, the podcast ''This Is Love (podcast), This is Love'' spoke ...

San Leo San Leo () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Rimini. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages ...

Sant'Agata Feltria Sant'Agata Feltria () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Overview It is home to a large fortress (''Fortilizio''), desig ...

and

Talamello Talamello () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. Geography Talamello borders the following municipalities: Maiolo, Mercato ...

. On 17 June 2021, the municipalities of

Montecopiolo Montecopiolo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about west of Rimini. It is formed by several villages, none exactly called Montecopiolo; the comm ...

and

Sassofeltrio Sassofeltrio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Rimini in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about south of Rimini. On 24-25 June 2007 Sassofeltrio, alongside the nearby ''comune'' of Montec ...

were transferred from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino to the Province of Rimini.

''Comuni''

There are 59 ''

comuni A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' (: ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'') in the province. As of May 31, 2005, the main ''comuni'' (municipalities) by population are:

References

External links

*
History of Pesaro, Italy
italythisway.com. Accessed 22 March 2024. * {{Authority control Pesaro and Urbino