The Marecchia Valley

Santarcangelo
Santarcangelo is an attractive and important little town which has kept its own particolar features and has maintained strong links with its past and tradition.
Its role as a town of first importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance is still visible in the Malatesta Fortress, in the Capuchin Convent and in the Ganganelli Place, which has been recently restored according with the original plan from the XIX. century. The old town is built over a network of mysterious tufa caves, which are open to the visitors. Traces of tradition are to be found in the fabrics printed with rust-dyed designs.

Torriana and Montebello
Torriana, like many other villages of the Marecchia valley, is perched on a rocky cliff and from there you can have a wonderful view of the Adriatic Romagna coast. From the centre of Torriana begins a road which leads to Montebello, a wholly medieval village. This castle is full of treasures and secrets. Mysterious tunnels and dark passages have nourished the legend that the castle is haunted by the ghost of Azzurina, the daughter of the retainer, a little girl who disappeared without trace in 1375 in the underground passages of the castle. It is said she still wanders within the castle walls.

Pennabilli
Pennabilli is one of the most important towns of the Marecchia valley: it grew up from the fusion of two neighbour castles. The entire urban layout is noteworthy: a big cultural interest has the Diocesan Museum with an historical and artistic patrimony collected all around the Montefeltro region. Visitors can as well see the innumerables spots created by the imagination of the poet Tonino Guerra, like the "Sanctuary of Thoughts", the "Garden of the forgotten fruits" and the "Petrified Garden".

San Marino
San Marino is the smallest and oldest republic in the world, a small and independent nation within the Italian borders and a very famous touristic destination.
A walk among its narrow streets full of shops, its museums and old mansions, its three towers which are the symbols of  San Marino and the spectacle offered by the unusual State ceremonies represent a classical destination for both Italian and foreign tourists.

San Leo
The Fortress of San Leo, perhaps the most famous and celebrated in the region, stands on the top of a rocky peak which dominates the little village and the whole Marecchia valley. It was here that Count Cagliostro lived out his last days of imprisonment and the legend surrounding the life of this extraordinary alchemist, doctor and magician still inhabits the chambers of this impregnable castle.

The Conca Valley

Gemmano
The most unspoilt natural environment in the Conca valley is to be found here, where the traces of man are few and the countryside is still protagonist.
And then there are the surrounding Onferno Caves and the surrounding Nature Reserve, the only one of its kind in the Rimini area.Gemmano is the ideal place for nature-lovers, where country excursions and holidays have a special charm.

Gradara
It is a classic medieval village enclosed inside a long city wall where the imposing and spectacular fortress, a superb exemple of military architecture from the XIV. century, completes the medieval centre. At the Gradara Castle took place the tragic love story between Paolo and Francesca, that the great poet Dante immortalized in his Divine Comedy and nowadays the lovers-chamber still has a melancholy atmosphere.

Mondaino
Fortified walls and gates and a mighty fortress all bear witness to a past which is brought to life every summer in wonderfully evocative pageantry, one of the most spectacular festivals in the whole region. Successive centuries too left their mark on Mondaino:a beautiful and unusual circular market place, fine mansions and churches.
A big scientific interest has the Paleantology Museum, that contains a fine collection of fossils found in and around Mondaino.

Montefiore
Once the medieval capital of the Conca valley, it remains one of the best-preserved towns in this region. It has a special atmosphere: perhaps it is the mighty fortress with its severe outline, visible even from the coast, or perhaps it is the wood and countryside around the town, the craftsmen in their workshops, the flowers along the streets or the view of the Apennines and the Romagna coast, or perhaps it is a combination of all these which give the town its charm.

* Information from:
A guide to the Malatesta seignory – Journey in the Rimini Hills, Rimini Province Tourist Office, Rimini 2005