The day the capital of Le Marche was bombarded from the sea
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| A painting, by an unknown artist, depicting battleships of the Austria-Hungary fleet bombarding Ancona |
The Austrian fleet were quick to react after Italy declared that it was joining the war on the side of the Allies, having initially remained neutral.
Destroyers immediately set sail from their base in Pola - modern-day Pula in Croatia - heading towards Ancona to attack both military and civilian targets under the cover of darkness.
The rest of the Austrian fleet set off to join in the bombardment the following day and the enemy ships attacked several other coastal cities in the province of Ancona, destroying a train and a railway station while they were firing on Senigallia.
Two destroyers and a torpedo boat bombarded Ancona’s harbour for about an hour and 15 minutes, and an Italian destroyer, which was trying to defend the city, was badly damaged.
There were two enemy aircraft in the sky above Ancona signalling the targets that had been chosen to be hit by the ships. The city’s military hospital, penal colony, orphanage, the Bank of Italy building, and some shipyard workshops in Ancona were all selected and many ended up badly damaged as a result.
The primary objective of Austria-Hungary was to hinder Italian mobilisation by attacking the key naval, industrial, and logistical infrastructure along the Adriatic coast.
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| Ancona's cathedral sits on top of a hill above the harbour, making it an obvious target |
The dome and a chapel inside Ancona’s cathedral - the Cattedrale di San Ciriaco - were seriously damaged by eight Austrian cannon shots.
This major onslaught on the Adriatic coast culminated in a bombing raid on Venice by Austrian seaplanes.
It was the largest and most ambitious naval operation carried out by the Austro-Hungarian navy during World War I. But eventually, a large Allied blockade was set up to prevent the enemy fleet from leaving the Adriatic.
There had been widespread public support after King Victor Emmanuel III had formally declared war, siding with the Allies, at 15.00 on 23 May. Many Italians were hoping it would give them the chance to regain lost territory, such as areas of present-day Trentino alto Adige and the South Tyrol, as well as parts of Istria and the Dalmatian coast.
However, Italy had been unprepared for immediate offensive operations, particularly along the Adriatic coast where fortifications were inadequate.
The Allies were able to subsequently blockade the Strait of Otranto between Brindisi in Italy and Corfu in Greece to prevent the Austro-Hungarian navy from escaping into the Mediterranean and threatening any more of their operations.
Although the attackers did not suffer many casualties themselves, after this raid on Ancona, the major Austro-Hungarian battleships rarely left their bases.
The previous year, when General Luigi Cadorna had been preparing for war, his attention had been focused on Italy’s western border with France. For many people, trench warfare remains a lasting image of World War I, which makes them think of the conflict as principally a land war.
But the sea and air operations that were also carried out during World War I foreshadowed the important part the sea and air were to play during World War II, just 25 years later.
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| Pope Clement XIII's statue looks over Ancona's pretty Piazza del Plebiscito |
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region of central Italy and is the capital of both the province and the region. The city is 280km (170 miles) northeast of Rome and is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea for passenger traffic. Ferries link Ancona with ports in Greece, Turkey and Croatia. The name Ancona derives from the shape of the harbour that the Greek founders of the city referred to as ‘ankon’, meaning elbow. Thanks to this unusual configuration, Ancona is the only city in Italy, and one of the few in the world, where it is possible to see the sun both rise and set over the sea. A famous site near the harbour is the towering Trajan’s Arch, built in AD115 overlooking the port in honour of the Roman Emperor, Trajan. Near to it is the smaller Clementine’s Arch, built by architect Luigi Vanvitelli in 1733 on the orders of Pope Clement XII, who wanted to be remembered for the work he had commissioned to modernise the port in order to revive the city’s maritime trade. A large statue of Clement XII also stands in front of the 13th century Church of San Domenico in Piazza del Plebiscito, which is a lively square, just off the seafront, with plenty of bars and restaurants.
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| The cathedral's Gothic porch, flanked by red marble lions |
High above Ancona on Monte Guasco stands the Cattedrale di San Ciriaco in Piazza del Duomo, which was damaged during the bombardment by Austria-Hungary. It is a short bus ride from the centre of Ancona. The cathedral was founded during the fourth century but was later rebuilt and consecrated in 1017. It has a Gothic porch flanked by red marble lions that was added in about 1200. The body of Ancona’s patron saint, San Ciriaco (Saint Cyriacus) is kept in the crypt, but it is no longer on public view. There, you can also see the remains of the original Greek temple that stood on the site, and some early frescoes. The grounds surrounding Ancona’s Duomo have panoramic views of the harbour below and provide a good opportunity for taking photographs on a clear day. On the road just below the Duomo can be found a site with the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, which was built towards the end of the first century BC, and nearby is a lift that will carry you down to the Lungomare Luigi Vanvitelli, a road that overlooks the port and leads into the centre of the city.
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More reading:
The World War I flying ace who became physician to Italy’s Chamber of Deputies
The army commander who was one of first to see the potential of air power
The general who masterminded Italy's decisive World War 1 victory
Also on this day:
1498: The execution of hellfire preacher Girolamo Savonarola
1670: The death of Ferdinando II de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
1729: The birth of poet and satirist Giuseppe Parini
1933: The birth of football referee Sergio Gonella