Predappio

The political past and vineyards attract tourists from all over the world. The Sangiovese grapes grow here. Intensive cultivations and hilly landscapes mark hospitable communities and authentic hamlets.

Predappio is found in the heart of the Romagna Apennines, in the valley of the river Rabbi, in a hilly area surrounded by fine vineyards. The ancient part, lying on the hillside, is probably of Roman origin but developed in the Middle Ages extending around its castle.

The founding of the modern city dates back to quite recent times, a perfect example of the architecture of the 1920s, founded in 1925 by Mussolini, who sought to engage the major Italian architects of the twentieth century to design for his hometown. Today the city is a large open-air urban museum that encloses a controversial but fundamental part of Italian and European history, memories and testimonies of urban and architectural styles in vogue in the years of totalitarian regimes.

Here in the small town engineers and architects such as Florestano Di Fausto, Cesare Bazzani, Arnaldo Fuzzi, Cesare Valle and Gustavo Giovannoni worked . Experts who contributed to the creation of works such as the former Casa della Ospitalità, an imposing 1934 building with a façade marked by the contrast between the red and white bricks, topped with a castle tower. Or Palazzo Varano, the present-day town hall, which was for about twenty years Mussolini's residence, converted from a former fortress into a communal villa, featuring a massive staircase and clock tower.

The monumental cemetery, inspired by Romanesque style, includes a chapel with the tomb of the Mussolini family and the church of San Cassiano in Pennino (XI century). Also worth mentioning is the former slaughterhouse or boar hole, the former Caproni aeronautical establishment - an example of industrial archeology.

The upper part of Predappio is dominated by the medieval fortress, built between the IX and X century, the property of the noble Forlivese family of Calboli and later of the Ordelaffi, which in 1471 enlarged and fortified it, transforming it into an impenetrable defensive bastion.

The old town is located around the square and the church, propped up by groups of houses, the public washroom and the "La Vecia Cantena d'Pré" cellars of Roman times and "Cà de Sanzvés" from 1400 with the annexed museum of wine. These insights become the choreography of medieval festivals.

Due to the peculiar nature of the Sangiovese grapes grown in the area, the village is included in the Italian wine routes. From the wine-growing companies of the region, a robust and structured wine is produced, celebrated in the event called "The Three Days of Sangiovese” in September.

The many specialties of the Romagna cuisine range from simple food, pasta dishes and meat dishes. The classic piadina and the crescione, buns filled with pumpkin, potatoes, spinach or cabbage combine with renowned cold cuts and cheeses, such as the raviggiolo and pecorino aged in the grottoes of Predappio Alta.

Today Predappio is a well-known hospitable community for the tourists, offering river parks and green areas within the countryside….two characteristics that make the city alive and engaging in all periods of the year.