| Province of Ancona | |
|---|---|
| — Province — | |
| Map of the province of Ancona | |
| Map highlighting the location of the province of Ancona in Italy | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Marche |
| Capital(s) | Ancona |
| Comuni | 49 |
| Government | |
| • President | Patrizia Casagrande Esposto |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,940 km2 (749 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 474,630 |
| • Density | 244.7/km2 (633.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 60100 |
| Telephone prefix | 071 |
| Vehicle registration | AN |
| ISTAT | 042 |
The Province of Ancona (Italian: Provincia di Ancona) is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Ancona. The province extends from the coast of the Adriatic Sea west to the Apennines, its relief becoming steadily higher and more mountainous. Its population is mostly concentrated near the coast, and the city of Ancona, its capital, accounts for nearly a quarter of it; the other principal towns are Castelfidardo, Chiaravalle, Fabriano, Falconara Marittima, Jesi, Loreto, Osimo, and Senigallia.
The coastal strip of the province is given over to sandy beaches popular among Italians rather than foreigners; moving inland, the central portion is an area of rolling farmland, producing red and white wines mainly of the Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Verdicchio grape varieties; the mountain zone is densely forested, and its most famous agricultural product is the black truffle, the main market for which, however, is in Acqualagna just across the border in the province of Pesaro e Urbino.
Famous natives of the province of Ancona include the painter Gentile da Fabriano, born in Fabriano; writer Rafael Sabatini (Jesi); composer Gaspare Spontini, born in Maiolati, now named after him Maiolati Spontini; composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (Jesi); mathematician and physicist Vito Volterra (Ancona); Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (Jesi); footballer Roberto Mancini (Jesi); Pope Leo XII (Genga, although a minority opinion holds he was born in the Umbrian town of Spoleto); Pope Pius IX (Senigallia); Maria Montessori (Chiaravalle), and actress Virna Lisi (Jesi).
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