Abounding with ancient traditions, enchanting scenery, and warm hospitality, Romagna is dotted with a great many small villages where time seems to have stood still.
From the hillsides to the sea, these towns conserve the age-old charm of the past, offering an authentic experience to anyone who comes to visit.
They are places filled with identity, age-old flavours, and conviviality, where the days seem to go by more slowly than anywhere else, and history goes hand in hand with scenic beauty.
Surrounded by olive trees, vineyards, and laurel, Montegridolfo, a small town in the Val Conca in the province of Rimini, is designated as one of “Italy’s most beautiful villages” (Borghi più Belli d’Italia).
Founded in the 13th century, in spite of destruction and restoration over the years, it has maintained its Medieval charm intact.
Enclosed by high walls, the small historic centre boasts narrow, cobblestone streets, small stone and brick houses, and a tower – now the clock tower – that dominates the landscape, offering spectacular views overlooking the surrounding countryside.
Geographically placed in a border territory, between the 13th and 14th centuries it was contended over by the Malatesta and Montefeltro families that ruled Rimini and Urbino respectively. During the 20th century, it played a fundamental role for its position on the border (the eastern Gothic Line) marking the defensive front in Italy during the final stages of the Second World War.
Montefiore Conca is a small village of just over 2,000 inhabitants in the heart of the Val Conca, one of the Emilia Romagna region’s most delightful valleys.
Awarded Touring Club Italiano’s orange flag (Bandiera Arancione), it fully conveys, in the collective imagination, the impression one has when referring to the Medieval period.
Boasting no fewer than three circuits of city walls, the village stands on a hill, conserving, almost intact, its urban plan of narrow alleyways, workshops, and an imposing castle.
Particularly splendid is the Rocca Malatestiana fortress, the most potent symbol of the power that the House of Malatesta wielded over the entire valley. On the clearest days, its uppermost terrace offers views of the mountains in the Marche Apennines, the cliff of San Marino, and the blue waters of the Adriatic.
Moreover, travellers must not miss a visit to the Ospedale della Misericordia Church, the monumental Porta Curina gate, and the parish church of St. Paul.
Just 20 km from Castrocaro lies the small town of Modigliana. This town boasts very ancient origins and a history rich with important events that often go beyond local boundaries.
Modigliana stands out for the beauty of its historic centre and some of its buildings, starting from the ancient Rocca dei Conti Guidi fortress, called “La Roccaccia”.
Visitors must not miss enjoying a stroll in Piazza Pretorio, perhaps the most beautiful Medieval civic space in the province of Forlì-Cesena.
Accessed through the arched gate leading into the Old Village, it is lined by several buildings, including the ancient parish church of Santo Stefano in Juviniano, the Cathedral, and Palazzo Pretorio; built in 14th- century Tuscan-style exposed stone, it became the Podestà’s seat in 1377 and is now home to the City Art Gallery (Pinacoteca).
A true jewel in the heart of the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines the village of Castrocaro Terme boasts a considerable heritage of history, culture, wine, food, and excursions.
Its historic centre is still mostly enclosed by Medieval walls, providing an evocative setting abounding with Renaissance buildings and ancient monuments.
The town is dominated by the imposing fort, one of the most interesting specimens of Medieval Italian fortified architecture, which may be dated to the late 9th century. Travellers must absolutely pay a visit to the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Bell Tower, the 18th-century Palazzo Piancastelli, and the Santi Nicolò and Francesco church, which houses a prized work by Palmezzano.
However, what makes Castrocaro Terme truly unique is the presence of its spas, famed for their mineral-rich waters and their therapeutic and aesthetic benefits, used in a variety of wellness treatments.
Romagna’s northernmost village is Brisighella, an ancient Medieval centre in the province of Ravenna, surrounded by a landscape rich with olive groves and vineyards.
Art, nature, and wellness, plus high-quality wine and food: these are the credentials that Brisighella presents to its visitors and to anyone who wants to make its acquaintance.
Framed by three hills, its historic centre is a maze of cobblestone alleyways, stairways carved into the plaster, colourful buildings, and artisanal shops, creating a welcoming atmosphere.
Prominent among its beautiful features is its ancient and renowned Via del Borgo, a raised and covered thoroughfare lit by arches of different widths, better known as Via degli Asini for its long-ago use as a shelter for donkeys driven by cartmen.
