Ancona bids for Italian Capital of Culture 2028 with €120M plan

Key facts

• Ancona's candidacy dossier for Italian Capital of Culture 2028 is structured around four macro-areas: Questo Mare, Via Maestra, Adesso Parco, and Mare Culturale.
• The dossier includes over eighty strategic, site-specific projects tied to the city's natural morphology.
• Contributors include Oscar winner Dante Ferretti, filmmaker Abel Ferrara, scholars Francesco de Melis, Enrico Maria Dal Pozzolo, Gabriele Simongini, Gabriele Tinti, and artists Dardust and Quiet Ensemble.
• Questo Mare aims to revitalize the port area, featuring Abel Ferrara narrating the Arch of Trajan and the Mole Vanvitelliana becoming the Museum of the Civilization of the Adriatic Sea, directed by Dante Ferretti.
• Via Maestra connects the historic center to the Acropolis, named after Ciriaco d'Ancona, and hosts the Prize for Intercultural Dialogue in collaboration with the Permanent Secretariat of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative.
• Via Maestra links city museums including the National Archaeological Museum of the Marche and the Civic Art Gallery, and from 2026 will pilot MIC guidelines for urban museum networks.
• Adesso Parco merges nature and culture in Parco del Cardeto, in dialogue with Parco del Conero, a candidate for UNESCO Global Geopark status.
• Mare Culturale transforms the sea into a hub for contemporary creative production, hosting digital and performing arts coordinated by entities recognized by MIC, including Marche Teatro and Fondazione Muse.
• Accessibility is guided by the State Tactile Museum Omero, an international excellence in the sector.
• The plan integrates digital technologies with the Polytechnic University of the Marche and promotes cultural welfare.
• Ancona 2028 includes an urban regeneration plan with over €50 million in investments, plus €70 million from the Extraordinary Commissioner for the 2016 post-earthquake reconstruction.
• The candidacy is for Italian Capital of Culture 2028.