What is Pergola known for?

Only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity, found at Cartoceto in 1946, two women, two riders and two horses from 50-30 BC. Città del Tartufo with three October weekends of the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato, the second-largest white truffle fair in the Marche. Founded in 1234 by the people of Gubbio with the inhabitants of the surrounding castles, on older Roman ground along the Via Flaminia.

When is the best time to visit Pergola?

Apr–Oct. April through June and September into October are the best months for Pergola. The Cesano valley turns green in spring, the white truffle woods open from late September, and the inland Apennine air stays clearer than the coast on summer days. July and August touch the high twenties at 265 meters, with the centro storico quietest through midday. The October truffle fair runs across three weekends and doubles the population. November through March is cold and damp from the river plain, with the Museo dei Bronzi Dorati on reduced winter hours and the surrounding hills given over to black truffle hunters. Snow is uncommon below 600 meters but possible on the high ridges.

Pergola is a comune in the province of Pesaro e Urbino, Marche region of Italy, about 82 kilometers from Ancona.

How do I get to Pergola?

From Ancona, Pergola is roughly 82 km by road.

Marche · Pesaro e Urbino

Pergola

A hill town in the upper Cesano valley, holding the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity.

Known for

BRONZI DORATI
Only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity, found at Cartoceto in 1946, two women, two riders and two horses from 50-30 BC.
WHITE TRUFFLE
Città del Tartufo with three October weekends of the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato, the second-largest white truffle fair in the Marche.
1234 FOUNDATION
Founded in 1234 by the people of Gubbio with the inhabitants of the surrounding castles, on older Roman ground along the Via Flaminia.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

The festa: San Secondo, 1 June

Why come

Pergola sits on a terrace at the confluence of the Cesano and the Cinisco, fifty-five kilometers from Ancona in the inland Apennines. The town was founded in 1234 by the people of Gubbio with inhabitants of the surrounding castles, raised on older Roman ground along the Via Flaminia. The defining find is the Bronzi Dorati da Cartoceto: hundreds of gilded bronze fragments unearthed in June and July 1946 at Santa Lucia di Calamello, in the frazione of Cartoceto, the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues from antiquity.

Reassembled into two standing women, two riders and two horses, the group dates to the late Republican period between 50 and 30 BC and is held in the Museo dei Bronzi Dorati, opened on 9 October 1999 in the fourteenth-century convent of San Giacomo. Pergola is also a Città del Tartufo, with the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato running across three weekends in October.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Pergola’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

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What to see

Museo dei Bronzi Dorati e della Città di Pergola
Opened 9 October 1999 in the fourteenth-century former convent of San Giacomo, holding the only surviving group of Roman gilded bronze statues, found at Cartoceto in 1946.
Bronzi Dorati da Cartoceto di Pergola
Two standing women, two riders and two horses in gilded bronze from the late Republican period, 50 to 30 BC, the only surviving group of its kind in the world.
Cattedrale di San Secondo
Pergola was a co-cathedral diocese until 1986; the cathedral on the central piazza holds works tied to the medieval and renaissance town.
Centro storico
Medieval centro storico founded 1234 by Gubbio settlers on the Cesano-Cinisco confluence, with later expansions through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from tanning, dyeing and wood crafts.
Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato
Three October weekends of white truffle fair, the second-largest in the Marche after Acqualagna, with tasting stands across the centro storico.

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Living here

Population 5,784
Off the beaten pathi
Pharmacy in town
High school within a 30-minute drive
Nearest airport Ancona / Pescara, 1 h 3 min drive
Regional capital Ancona, 1 h 15 min drive

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 265 m
Population: 5,784
Surface area: 112.4 km²

On the map

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These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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