a city of the Papal States, in the legation of Urbino-e-Pesaro, occupying the site of the ancient Fannum Fortuna, so named from the temple of Fortune there. It afterwards took the name of Colonia Julia Fanestris from a colony of veterans who were established here by Augustus; and a triumphal arch of white marble was erected in honour of that emperor, which still forms one of the gates of the city. Fano is situated in a rich and fertile plain on the shores of the Adriatic, at the mouth of the Metauro, 7 miles S.E. of Pesaro. Pop. 10,000. It is inclosed by old walls, with a lofty bastioned front towards the sea, and is richer in churches and paintings than any other town on the east coast of Central Italy. Its cathedral and many of its churches are fine buildings, richly adorned with marbles and frescoes, and containing several masterpieces of the great Italian painters. Fano has a college of Jesuits, a public library, and a modern theatre said to be one of the finest in Italy. Its harbour is so choked up with sand as to be accessible only to vessels of the smallest size, which trade in corn. The town has some manufactures in silk.