Ancona wins title of Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2028. The Italian city of Ancona on the Adriatic coast will be Italy's Capital of Culture 2028, the culture minister Alessandro Giuli announced at a ceremony in Rome on Thursday. The capital of the Marche region saw off competition from the other nine finalists: Anagni, Catania, Colle di Val d’Elsa, Forlì, Gravina in Puglia, Massa, Mirabella Eclano, Sarzana and Tarquinia. In addition to the prestigious title, Ancona wins funding of €1 million to support the cultural projects outlined its winning bid, entitled: Ancona: Questo adesso. Founded by Greek settlers in the fourth century BC, Ancona flourished as a maritime republic during the Middle Ages, rivalling other powerful Adriatic ports in trade and influence. The city is renowned for its striking Cathedral of San Ciriaco, and the second-century Arch of Trajan, a testament to its significance as a vital gateway for the Roman Empire. Today, it remains a bustling commercial hub and a primary departure point for ferries crossing to the Balkan Peninsula and Greece. Italy's culture capitals The initiative, promoted by the culture ministry, is part of the broader aim of celebrating Italy's cultural heritage and enhancing Italian cities through culture. The 2026 title holder is L'Aquila which succeeded Agrigento as Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2025, in turn following Pesaro in 2024, Bergamo and Brescia in 2023 and the island of Procida in 2022. In 2020 Parma retained the title for a second year, in 2021, to make up for the negative effects of the covid lockdowns, while the Italian title skipped a year in 2019 when Matera became European Capital of Culture. Italy's previous culture capitals include Cagliari, Lecce, Perugia, Ravenna and Siena in 2015, Mantua in 2016, Pistoia in 2017 and Palermo in 2018. The 2027 title holder will be the northeastern Italian city of Pordenone. Photo credit: trabantos / Shutterstock.com.