In the heart of Romagna, on the splendid Adriatic Coast there is a town that is ready to welcome you, and make your holidays an unforgettable one. This is Cesenatico. Since ancient times Cesenatico has been a fishing and trading centre and still today life revolves around the port canal, designed by Leonardo.

Just a little bit history...

In 1501, Cesare Borgia completed the unification of Romagna under his total dominion, by ousting the last of the local seignories. Borgia immediately felt the need to better defend his new duchy against internal and external enemies. Such need was all the more serious in an age in which new fighting weapons and methods had often made old medieval fortifications obsolete and ineffective. This was a task for which his court engineer was unsuited and so the latter was soon replaced by Leonardo da Vinci, who was given a "letter patent" and appointed to see, measure and well estimate, and to consider our Places and Fortresses and States,so we can take all necessary action according to our requirements and judgement. Leonardo was asked to inspect the strategic fortifications and infrastructures of the new duchy and make any necessary improvements. In this respect, Cesenatico most definitely deserved the special attention of Leonardo - it was the major port of the region, envied and coveted by the Venetians and very close to Cesena, the city chosen by the Borgias as the capital of the duchy.

Leonardo da Vinci was at Porto Ciesenaticho on 6 September 1502 at 3 pm, as he himself noted down in his travel diary, known as Codex L. This same document contains a drawing of Cesenatico made from the top of the old fortress (lost during the course of the Second World War), and above all a sketch of the harbour, complete with precise measurements. Leonardo took special note of the lengths of the various sections of the harbour and the master wharfs were carefully shown. Leonardo's study thus represents an important milestone in the town's history and further evidence of the crucial role played by the harbour for the life of the town and the area as a whole.

Today, the oldest and most characteristic part of the harbour accommodates the Floating Seafaring Museum. On display in the floating section are the prototypes of the boats of the upper and mid Adriatic, with their coloured lug sails, a common sight in Cesenatico harbour after the disappearance of the Latin sail and before combustion engines came on the scene. The adjacent land section - still being set up - will accommodate seafaring artefacts and instruments and will show visitors how the boats were built and those used for the different types of fishing. Currently, Cesenatico, with its dockyards and water veins is also a major pleasure-boat marina. The Seafaring Museum, which evokes the hard lives of men in years gone by, is able, among other things, to foster a greater awareness of the sea among present and future generations.

In the Pisacane Square, along the port canal, it is situate the first statues ever erected in Italy 1884 to the national hero Giuseppe Garibaldi. The monument recalls an important historic event which took place in Cesenatico on the night of 2nd August 1849: Garibaldi with Anita, Ugo Bassi and other patriots arrived here; they had escaped from Rome and were heading for Venice, hunted both over land and sea by they pursuers. Garibaldi embarked on thirteen 'bragozzi' and set out to relieve Venice despite the stormy weather.

On the other side of the port canal, it's possible to reach by car or public means of transport the Moretti-House. In this house, where the gifted poet and writer Marino Moretti, highly ranked on the national panorama, was born in 1885 and died in 1979, the books and writings, which were given to the Town Council by his sister Ines, are preserved. Today the House of Moretti is an important cultural workshop dedicated to the literature of the twentieth-century, where important exhibitions and events are held every year, such as a biennial Literary Prize, taking place in the month of October, and an exhibition from June to September.

From Easter is possible to visit the museum of the Antiquarium that collects some valuable findings recovered in the surrounding area, where an early Roman settlement was located. The items - in particular ceramics like plates, vases, coins and building material - date back to the Republican period (2nd-1st century B.C.) and the Roman Empire (1st-4th century).

Close to the train station is located the museum of Marco Pantani, the bike's legend. An exhibiting area of 300 square metre where it is possible to go over the sport career of the “pirate” through photos, mementos and audiovisual material that belonged to the famous champion of Cesenatico.