Ancona is the capital city of the Region of Marche, in Italy. We cruised south from Venus for a day to reach Ancona which is a busy sea port on the Adriatic Sea.
Ancona is a facinsting city because it is divided into 2 parts- the modern part along the coast and the historic centre of Monte Guasco. We were thrilled that we'd docked within 150 metres of this ancient town that we planned to explore on foot. High on the top of the very high hill on the headland was a beautiful domed cathedral that we planned to visit but the climb looked daunting. A very helpful tourist agent traced a less arduous route on our map and told us that halfway up the trail there was a lift that reduced the climb further and that the last leg to the climb would be our own final challenge before reaching the church.
We set off and walked up the gentle slope of a narrow cobbled street, lined with stone buildings which housed cute coffee shops, small restaurants, curio shops and some residential units. After taking the lift we stopped to enjoy the view over part of the city and to prepare for the final climb. It was about 8.45 am but already the temperature was about 24C so we were glad we had started well before the sun's heat increased. After we'd climbed the final step at the hill summit we were rewarded with a fantastic 180 degree view over the coastal port and the town below. The breeze was so refreshing and the sky so very blue.- another perfect day! We were surprised to learn from the locals that whilst the climate in Ancona is a warm and temperate one they have a great deal of rainfall all year round.
As we were enjoying the view and getting our bearing we suddenly saw below us an operating cruise building shipyard. We were so high up that the huge ship building area looked like a miniature model below. We could see workmen walking around the different levels of the prefabricated decks that they were welding and the men looked about the size of half a little finger. I felt like a giant with a toy mechano building set. Gigantic cranes were standing ready to lift the units in place and in the harbour a newly floated. Cruise ship hull was being fitted out with its' final trimmings. We were thrilled to have seen this unexpected part of Ancona and we would have missed it had we not chosen to climb the steep hill ( be it with a little aid from the lift which the locals, who live on the steep hillside, use daily as they travel to and from work ) 
When we turned and looked up behind us, there was the impressive Cathedral of San Ciriaco, which we'd come to see. This Cathedral dominates the city from the heights of Guasco Hill where the city's Acropolis was built (the remains of which are still evident today) The Cathedral has a white and rose marble facade and its' grand entrance has a triple sided set of wide steps leading up to a marble pafapet and portico. Standing either side of the huge beautifully carved wooden entrance doors are a pair of stylised-lions, carved from deep pink marble stand. The building stands tall and imposing with its' huge tourquoise coloured dome but it has simple lines and is not hugely decorated so it has a peaceful, calm and graceful charisma. It was built in the 11th century and adopted a sympathetic blend of Bysantine, Romanesque and Gothic architectural features, none of which are over emphasised. - a pleasant change from some of the over adorned buildings we've seen on our travels so far. Inside the church building thue high central dome and clear lead-light glass windows allowed eliminated the expanse of the altar, naves and pew seating area. Rows of tall slender collums and arches formed a colonnade through the central area of the church and the ceiling was decorated in a brown woodblock pattern. Outside it was already about 26C (at 10am and rising) but because of thickness of the walls, inside the cathedral it was cool and peaceful and we were able to meditate and thank God for this day, His goodness and blessings and care of us on this trip. The people who built this edifice centuries ago did it because they trusted in God and wanted a place to meet together and worship and honour Him. The walls were plain with little adornments which is unusual from most churches we have visited so far. I prayed that the people on this little part of Italy would continue to trust and believe in Jesus and live out their lives as Christ followers .
As were began our walk down from the cathedral on the hill, we look down over the city below saw another beautiful blue dome on one of the buildings below . As part of this building and adjacent to the dome to this dome we also noticed a statue with gilded horses and riders glittering in the sunlight. Intrigued by this sight we headed down the hill towards the building which we and learned was a museum. Part 2 of this blog is dedicated to the 2 hours we spent in this unexpected and unplanned tour of discovery venue.
