Once upon a time … In 1200 there was a free port fair famous throughout the Adriatic: it was the Fiera Franca of Senigallia or Fiera della Maddalena (named in honour of Saint Magdalena).
In the twenty days of the fair you could buy and sell almost everything: fabrics, silks, arms, Bohemia crystals, Murano glass, spices, spirits and wine.
The goods were exempt from customs duties (a sort of duty free) and all boats on the Adriatic coast, attracted to this free market, invaded the port and even the beach: people strolled along the river bank; musicians sang serenades to the young women who looked out of the windows. Aromas of fried fish and cheeses flowed from the kitchens, storytellers told of legendary exploits while playing accordions.
Over the centuries, Senigallia became increasingly an apparatus of this commercial event, it expanded and was enriched by new monuments, among them the Ercolani Arcades, the Theatre and the Foro Annonario, opened in 1835.
Our Bed and Breakfast is located right here at the Foro Annonario, a neoclassical brickwork structure designed by architect Ghinelli. This architectural structure is place of historical memory as well as a symbol of the town’s contemporary identity.
When at night the light of the square enhances the profile of the colonnade, in day time when the sun makes the red clay shine, even when left deserted it becomes metaphysics geometry just as when it fills up with partying people: the Foro is always at any time a paradigm of beauty.
The Foro Annonario is an agora of entertainment, lived from early morning to late night that embraces the many restaurants, bars, wine bars and shops.