Fossombrone, once the Roman settlement of Forum Sempronii, looks splendid from afar on the slopes of the Metauro Valley. Named after the plebeian tribune Gaius Sempronius Gracco who built the forum between 133 and 126 BC, the town was laid out on a grid-like plan which ran parallel with the Flaminian Way. Excavations have brought to light the remains of a domus, or family house, with thermal heating system, and a long stretch of basalt paving running parallel to the Flaminian Way.

ATTRACTIONS: The most remarkable religious sites include: the Church of St. Philip, the fourteenth-century Church of St. Augustine, the Church of San Francesco and the Cathedral with its neoclassical facade. Church towers and the upper storeys of larger noble palaces peep out through the terracotta roofs of the town's terraced streets, while above it stands the 15th Century Corte Alta Palace, now home of Art Gallery the Civic Museum, housing prehistoric finds and a large collection of finds dating back to Roman Forum Sempronii; must see attractions are also the sixteenth-century Palazzo Cattabeni and Palazzo Dedi. In the fortified citadel that dominates the city are the remains of the pentagonal Malatesta fortress, whose courtyard boasts the Church of S. Aldebrando. Along Via Pergamino -  in the direction of Urbino -  is the Palazzo Pergamini - Negri, which houses the  Quadreria Cesarini, containing over 60 paintings and graphic works made by Anselmo Bucci, as well as works of modern and contemporary art. Safely locked up on the edge of the town is one of Italy's most secure prisons.

The most typical delicacies of Fossomobrone are the " Ciambella di Pasqua" (Easter ring-shaped cake), "coniglio in porchetta" (rabbit stuffed with wild fennel) and "crescia sfojata" ( stuffed flat bread). In March there is the "Fair of Bianchetto Truffle"; in May there's the Renaissance Festival  "Triumph of the Carnival".