A TOUR TO DISCOVER THE SEA AND THE LOCAL FISHING
Fano seafaring city for generations.
Discover the Fano Marinara
The port of Fano is a place that preserves the history of the city and which, with its evolution over time, bears witness to its cultural, commercial, social and economic changes.
Fano Marinara, an initiative promoted by the Municipality of Fano, provides for the organization of guided tours to discover the navy and the world of fishing typical of this locality.
Walking along the banks and the docks of the port it is possible to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the maritime life of the fishermen to learn about their history and daily activities. Along the route, eight information totems fixed at points of interest allow access to textual and video content.
THE TRADITIONAL FISHING
The essence and history of Fano are inextricably linked to the development of the port area.
The port, built in 1616, begins with the Darsena Borghese, the oldest canal and main connection to the sea, which owes its name to the one who ordered its execution: Pope Paul V Borghese.
Over time, the other docks built for port activities were built. The port area was then adapted to economic needs.
The shipyards for the construction of boats in iron – and later in fiberglass – replaced the old shipyards, which were then transferred inland due to space constraints. Today the port area also includes the Lisippo promenade and the paintings, which are among the most characteristic places along the seafront.
The port is framed by colorful fishermen's houses, central to both work activities and the social composition of the city.
THE FISHERMEN'S DISTRICT (Cogollo, Gugùl)
Can an object name a place? If that object and that place are linked by the same profound tradition, yes. This is the case of Gugul. The cogollo, or gugùl in the Fano dialect, is a net that was used for fishing eels.
Once placed on the bottom, its conical shape with internal restrictions allows fish to enter but not to exit. In Fano, the Gugùl is one of the first concentrations of houses for the inhabitants of the port and the place where, even today, the children of the fishermen live.
Its name derives from the fact that it is a closed road at the bottom, just like the cogollo. The terraced houses of Gugùl are a joy of colours.
On each of them you will find a tile that reproduces the sail of a boat.
On the sail, the symbol that identifies the "house" of the fisherman who lives there.
FISHING IN THE "PAINTINGS" (El Quàder)
The Fano paintings, which recall the trebuchets of the Abruzzo and Apulian coasts, are the wooden huts built along the piers since the early 1900s.
Called "scales" or "lugèrne" depending on the area, in Fano they are known as "quadri". A word that comes from the Fanese dialect "quader" and which indicates the square iron perimeter on which the fishing net was fixed.
The structures of the paintings, resting on poles planted deep in the sand, were simple and functional, and allowed fishing even when the sea was too rough to go out by boat.
The modernization process of the early 2000s brought them into line with safety standards and made it possible to continue to use them. But if once diamond fishing was also intended for sale, today it is purely amateur.
THE PROCESS OF CLAMS
The port area of Fano welcomes some companies that process the catch to prepare it for sale.
In particular, New Copromo, specialized in the various stages of processing of clams.
The clams arrive here every day and are then transported to the control plant and sorted by size and condition. Species other than purassa or venus gallina are excluded. Subsequently, the division and packaging are carried out according to the size, a factor that will determine the price.
The control provides for the verification of the origin of the molluscs and the microbiological analyzes necessary to guarantee the safety of the final product. In the plant, the automatic machines purify the clams and maintain their optimum temperature.
THE LITTLE FISH (Darsena Piccola pesca)
Fishing is an incredible activity because it evolves with technology while maintaining the ancient charm of knowledge handed down from generation to generation. The rules and techniques are different and speci c for each species and knowledge of the different realities is essential for the success of this activity.
This is the dock for small fishing. Here the boats of the harbor master's office and those carrying out the various fishing activities are moored. The variety of techniques allows you to adapt fishing to the characteristics of the catch.
Of particular interest is that of trawlers with surface longlines for catching tuna and swordfish. A Japanese technique that involves the use of a long nylon thread on which numerous hooks are hooked.
In the dock there is also a catamaran for processing the mussels which it cultivates in a nursery located two miles from the coast.
CLAMS FISHING (Darsena vongolare)
In the Marche region, clam fishing was already practiced manually 2000 years ago.
Technological development has then revolutionized this activity.
The Marche Region holds the highest number of clams. In Fano they are found here, in the clam dock of the port, and fish only wild clams.
These boats are the result of a long technological evolution and greater environmental awareness. Thanks to technology it is possible to select the catch, in order not to disturb the marine balance.
This type of fishing identifies the area and Fano is a point of reference both for fishing and for commerce. There are strict national and European rules relating to both the characteristics of the boats and those of the catch. The fishermen are gathered in a compartmental consortium that manages the activity.
Here the purasse or venus gallina are the protagonists of the most varied fish dishes.
TRAWL FISHING (Darsena strascico)
From the clam dock to the open sea and back. The trawlers leave every morning for trawling off the coast between Ancona and Rimini and return during the night to land the catch to be sold at the wholesale fish market (stage 9). During fishing, the nets are towed on the bottom and their opening is obtained with the two large iron outriggers visible on the side of the stern. On the weekend the fishermen rest and the boats are moored in the dock waiting for Monday.
In the early 2000s, there were over 65 motor trawlers docked at the Fano pier and operated off the Croatian coast.
Today, the rules are stricter and more attentive to the environmental implications, the trawlers have decreased to around 10 and they fish in different areas, where they find a greater variety of species depending on the distance from the coast, the seabed and the period of activity.
THE FISH MARKET
From the sea to the table, the journey of the catch always passes through the fish market, where every day the fishermen bring the fruit of their work destined for the activities that compete to buy it. Why talk about competition? Because a special fish auction takes place at the fish market.
Here it is the buyers who define the price. First of all, the quality of the products is checked and a draw defines the sales order.
Then the “reverse auction” begins! The value of the fish starts to fall and stops only when one of the participants freezes the price by pressing a button, winning the box.
The sale is quick. The catch must be auctioned in a short time to allow buyers to bring it to their activities in the best fresh conditions. At the end of the auction, the empty boxes are recovered and the fish market washed.
All ready for the next day.
