The Romagna inland: Cesenatico and the surrounding area

The area inland from Cesenatico is a wonderful place to spend your holidays. When you go up towards the hill from the sea, you are surrounded by the history and natural beauty of these places which recount the ancient traditions and depict truly impressive panoramas.

Going up from Cesenatico you can visit:

Cesena where you can see Roman and Etruscan traces as well as evidence of the dominion of the Malatesta family. Today Cesena is described as a "Malatestian town" and you can visit the Malatestian Library, the "Sala del Nuti", the 'Piana" (the private library of Pope Pius VII), the Municipal Library and the Lapidary Museum, which is part of the Archaeological Museum located at the Cloister of S. Francesco. At the museum you can see exhibits dating back to the prehistoric, Roman and medieval ages. Another monument which is well worth a visit is the Palazzo del Ridotto with the bronze statue of Pius VI, created by Calligari.

Forlì in ancient times was Forum Livii and was inhabited by Celts and Galls. In the past it was an important agricultural centre due to its strategic position on the Via Emilia. Forlì was ruled by the Ordelaffi family, before it became part of the Papal State.

A distinguished citizen from Forli and a follower of Mazzini, Aurelio Saffi was triumvirate in the Roman Republic of 1849. His monument stands in the centre of the grand Piazza Saffi.

Longiano is not far from the sea and was awarded the “ideal village in Italy” prize in 1991 by Airone magazine with the patronage of the European community.

This small village is surrounded by vineyards, fruit orchards and historical and panoramic places which are of great interest to tourists.

Bertinoro. During medieval times this small village was dominated by the Malatesta family, of Forli, Cesena and Rimini until it became part of the Pontificate Church. It is famous for the production of table grapes and wine grapes, such as Albana grapes. The village has numerous historical treasures such as the San Romano gate, turned towards Forlì and the San Francesco gate, turned towards Polenta. Bertinoro is described as “the balcony of Romagna" due to the enchanting panorama which can be seen.

Roncofreddo was ruled by the Malatesta family during the 13th century and the small village is nestled around the mighty castle. The centre of Roncofreddo is on the eastern edges of an incredibly wild area, where nature overflows in the valleys and in the gorges dug by streams and becks (one of these is eerily known as Dark Eddy).

Monteleone has received the Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, an award given to inland villages which offer a high level of hospitality. The small centre is famous for the perfect combination of uncontaminated nature and historical finds of notable splendour. 

Bagno di Romagna is famous for being a spa centre. In 266 B.C. the town was conquered by the Romans and during this very period it became an important spa centre for travellers on the road between Rome and Ravenna. Over the years, Bagno di Romagna was first called Balneum sanctae Mariae and then, during the Renaissance, it enjoyed artistic greatness. Today you can still see the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, the Madonna with child (1410) by the Master of Sant’Ivo, an altar piece by Neri di Bicci (1467) and the Madonna with child and saints (1560) by Michele Tosini.

Today Bagno di Romagna is a famous spa resort near the Foreste Casentinesi National Park.

Sarsina was the birthplace of Tito Maccio Plauto, the greatest Latin playwright and it is to him that the Plautus Festival is dedicated, an event that celebrates classical theatre in Romagna.

You can see the Sanctuary of S.Vicinio, the cathedral which houses the iron collar of San Vicinio. He is remembered for his ability to cure the possessed with his collar, which each year numerous followers come to visit to ward off bad luck.

Predappio is famous as it was the birthplace of Benito Mussolini, who enhanced it by creating an efficient urban and architectural structure. You can visit the Rocca delle Caminate fortress, the Caproni plane factory and the Casa del Fascio.

Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole are two villages worth visiting. Castrocaro houses the Rocca del Capitano fortress and Terra del Sole (the ancient “Eliopoli”) was built in the Renaissance to protect the territories of the Medici from banditry. In the 19th century Castrocaro became a spa centre and today it is one of the most famous health and beauty centres in Italy.

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