Romagna is not just sea, piadina and crowded bathing establishments in summer. Just move a few kilometers away from the coast to find yourself in another dimension made up of silent hills, medieval fortresses, stone squares and villages that seem to have remained suspended in time. It is here, between Ravenna, Rimini and Forlì-Cesena, that one of the most fascinating itineraries in northern Italy is hidden.
From Santarcangelo di Romagna to San Leo, passing through Verucchio, Longiano, Bertinoro and Brisighella, we passed through villages that were very different from each other but had a strong identity in common, made up of history, art, panoramic views and authentic atmospheres. Some dominate valleys from the top of rocky spurs, others surprise with cobbled alleys, covered streets and castles that tell of centuries of battles and dominations. The beauty is that each village has a specific character. There is the elegant and panoramic one, the mysterious and austere one, the creative and lively one.
Santarcangelo di Romagna: the village where poetry and tradition coexist
Our journey started from Santarcangelo di Romagna. At first glance it seems like a classic elegant village in the Rimini hinterland, with tidy squares, cobbled alleys and pastel-coloured houses. But then you just need to stop a few more hours to understand that there is much more here. Santarcangelo is a place that thrives on perfectly harmonized contrasts.
One of its most mysterious elements is represented by the famous tufaceous caves, an intricate underground network dug into the hill. Even today there is no definitive explanation of their origin: for some they were ancient cellars, for others places of worship or shelters used during the bombings of the war. Visiting them you immediately perceive that suspended atmosphere that accompanies the entire village.
The heart of the city is Piazza Ganganelli, dominated by the large triumphal arch dedicated to Pope Clement XIV. From here, narrow streets branch off full of shops, taverns and small places where Romagna tradition meets a surprisingly contemporary soul. And then there’s the atmosphere. Between a glass of Sangiovese, a piadina eaten in the square and the tables hidden under the porticoes, the village manages to give that rare sensation of immediate familiarity. As if I had already been there, even the first time.
San Leo: the fortress suspended between history and legend
If Romagna had a village capable of looking like something straight out of a medieval novel, it would probably be San Leo. Perched on a rock spur in Montefeltro, it dominates Val Marecchia with an imposing profile that can be recognized from kilometers away. The absolute protagonist is the spectacular Rocca di San Leo, a fortress also made famous by the imprisonment of Cagliostro, locked up here at the end of the eighteenth century.
But San Leo is not just its fortress. The village houses a surprising concentration of historic and religious buildings. Piazza Dante Alighieri overlooks the Medici Palace, the Palazzo della Rovere and the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta, considered one of the oldest religious monuments of Montefeltro.
A little further on you come across the severe Cathedral of San Leone, built in Romanesque-Lombard style and also known for its incredible acoustics. Here every street seems to tell a story. The stones, the narrow alleys and the sudden climbs give back the sensation of being in a place left out of time. And when the view opens onto the valley from the fortress, you understand why San Leo is considered one of the most fascinating villages in Italy.
Verucchio: the cradle of the Malatesta family among fortresses and panoramas
A few kilometers from Rimini, but already immersed in a landscape completely different from that of the coast, Verucchio dominates Valmarecchia from the top of a rocky spur. The village is considered the historic cradle of the Malatesta family, the dynasty that for centuries marked the destiny of much of Romagna. And this legacy is immediately perceived as soon as the gaze meets the massive Rocca Malatestiana, still the absolute protagonist of the panorama today.
Walking through Verucchio means crossing a village that alternates panoramic views and surprisingly intimate corners. The narrow streets climb between stone houses, medieval arches and small passages that suddenly open onto the Romagna hills. Each climb offers a different perspective: on one side the roofs of the historic center, on the other the soft green of the valley that accompanies the gaze up to the profile of San Marino.
Longiano: the castle overlooking the Romagna hills
And again there is Longiano, in the province of Forlì-Cesena, one of those towns that surprise without the need for special effects. The village develops around the Malatesta Castle, which dominates a labyrinth of silent streets, pastel-colored houses and views that open onto the hills. Walking here means alternating art and memory. In fact, the castle hosts the Tito Balestra Foundation, with twentieth-century works collected by the poet from Longiano thanks to his relationships with artists and intellectuals.
But Longiano also preserves harsher traces of its history, linked to the Second World War and the Gothic Line. Refuges and tunnels still survive in the village which tell of a less romantic but deeply identifying past. Between a hill and a small square you come across baroque churches, small museums and panoramic terraces where the landscape seems to stop.
Bertinoro: the romantic balcony overlooking Romagna
Among the villages that have won us over I cannot fail to mention Bertinoro, a small hilly jewel between Forlì and Cesena. Perched at around 300 meters above sea level, it is often called the Balcony of Romagna for the spectacular panorama that opens onto the countryside and the Apennines. And you just need to arrive in the main square at sunset to understand that the nickname is not an exaggeration at all.
Bertinoro has a different elegance than the other villages in the area. The tidy streets, the historic buildings, the panoramic terraces and the scent of wine coming from the wine shops immediately tell of the strong link with the gastronomic tradition of Romagna. The most famous symbol is the Column of the Rings, also known as the Column of Hospitality. According to tradition, each ring belonged to a noble family in the town and was used to tie guests’ horses, avoiding arguments over who should welcome them into the house. A detail that perfectly expresses the spirit of the place.
Brisighella: the village of the three hills and the Via degli Asini
The road that leads to Brisighella, in the heart of the Ravenna Apennines, passes through vineyards, olive groves and soft hills until the three symbols that dominate the panorama appear: the Rocca Manfrediana, the Clock Tower and the Monticino Sanctuary. Three rocky pinnacles overlooking a surprisingly lively medieval village.
The Rocca del Sasso, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in the area, tells the story of the strategic past of the village. Inside there are historic rooms, ancient walkways and environments that recreate the atmosphere of the ancient Romagna lordships. But Verucchio does not only live in the Middle Ages. Its history is even older: between the 9th and 6th centuries BC it represented one of the most important centers of the Villanovan civilization, linked to the Etruscan origins of central Italy. Even today, numerous archaeological finds bear witness to this very distant past.
What is really striking, however, is the intimate atmosphere of the village. The historic center is a tangle of cobbled streets, stairways dug into the chalk and houses with colors worn by time. Verucchio does not have the frenetic tourism of the more famous places and for this reason it retains an authentic charm. You willingly get lost among stairways, flower-filled balconies and sudden silences, with the constant feeling of being in a place that has managed to preserve its identity without turning into an artificial postcard. The perfect place to end our trip and return home, enriched by so much beauty.
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