Cesenatico

A colourful and cozy village of fishermen and merchants. Impregnated with stories woven between the networks of a canal harbour that was drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1502 on Cesare Borgia's assignment. A place where the cheerful and creative spirit of its people is expressed in trade and tourism and where the typical marine atmosphere coexists with the most modern urban structures.

Cesenatico was born as a fishing port and the outlet of the nearby river Cesena. The first bathing establishment, inaugurated on May 22nd, 1878, shows the long history of the Romagna coast’s tourism full of beaches and equipped facilities. The resort is known for its seven kilometres of soft beaches, which to the west are tinged with the intense greenery of the Zadina pine forest, the town has two large parks and the “Giardini al Mare” with lawns, gazebo, fountains and games for children.

Cyclists from around the world, are attracted by the specialised services on offer and international events marking the spring season, such as the “Nove Colli” bike race. Over the years, art and culture have found fertile ground on the left bank of the harbour, overlooking the house of the poet Marino Moretti, donated to the Community and transformed into a permanent museum. On an ideal journey through the literary twentieth century.

The origins of the village date back to 1302, when the canal harbour was excavated and the fort was built, whose ruins can now be admired in the archaeological park of the “Rocca”. Older finds, related to the early Roman settlements, are preserved in the Municipal “Antiquarium".

The harbour dates back to 1502 when Leonardo da Vinci designed the canal harbour, creating infrastructure for the population and the heart of the city. There is a very close connection with Garibaldi; on August 2nd, 1849, he set sail with Anita and two hundred followers for Venice, the event is remembered with a monument in the centre of Piazza Pisacane.

Cesenatico's maritime Identity survives in the large square Piazza Spose, dominated by a bronze sculpture that depicts a mother with children watching the sea.  There is a frenetic fish market and the floating Marineria Museum.

The structure, located in the inner harbor, enclosed between the two bridges, features fishing and shipping boats with colored sails. On the other side, behind the ancient fish farm, still in use today, we find the square of the “Conserve”, with the underground buildings from the seventeenth century once used as "refrigerators" for the preservation of fish.

In Piazza Ciceruacchio the bricks of different colours trace the perimeter of the ancient Pretoria tower (late 16th century but destroyed by an English naval attack in 1809) while the church of St. James  from 1200 contains a painting by Guido Cagnacci.

A green oasis in the heart of the city is the Levante Park, which extends into the Valverde hamlet and is about 4 hectares in size: in the two lakes swans, mandarin ducks, moorhens and other varieties of fish live.

There is plenty tourist activity in the summer evenings, when the town's alleyways are filled with stalls, lights and colours: from the flea market and artistic handicraft to the aromatic herbs and wellness products.

The summer event calendar offers music, open-air theatre, themed evenings and tastings (such as the "Fish Party" festival) and concerts.

In other periods of the year, there is the traditional Garibaldi Festival with traditional races through the eight districts of the city as well as the Easter regatta and the Christmas nativity scene done on boats.