Fano, a seaport of central Italy, in the province of Pesaro, on the Adriatic, near the mouth of the Metauro, 30 m. N. W. of Ancona; pop. about 20,000. It is surrounded by old walls, built by the emperor Augustus, in whose honor was erected here a triumphal arch of white marble, which is still standing. Few cities of central Italy surpass it in artistic treasures or richness of the surrounding soil and scenery. The cathedral is adorned with 16 frescoes by Domenichino, representing events in the life of the Virgin. Many of the 13 other churches, and several public buildings and private mansions, contain paintings by the great Italian masters, marbles, statues, and fine monuments. It is the seat of a bishop, and has a lyceum, a gymnasium, a technical school, a public library, and a theatre considered one of the finest in Italy. The manufactures are chiefly of silk stuffs and twist, and the trade is in corn, oil, etc. The port was once much frequented, but is now choked up with sand, and visited only by small coasting vessels.-Fano occupies the site of the ancient Fanum Fortunae, so called from a temple of Fortune built by the Romans, and commemorative of their victory over Hasdrubal on the river Me-taurus, in the second Punic war.

It was the scene of a victory by Narses over the Goths under Totila. In 1511 Pope Julius II. established here the first printing press in Europe with movable Arabic types.