What is Cesenatico known for?

The Porto Canale was redrawn by Leonardo in 1502 on commission from Cesare Borgia, with his sketch preserved in the Codex L of the Institut de France. Pantani was born and is buried in Cesenatico; the annual Nove Colli ride in May covers nine of his training climbs in the Apennine foothills. The Museo della Marineria moors ten historic Adriatic sailboats in the canal, hoisting their patched coloured sails through the summer.

Cesenatico is a comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, about 25 kilometers from Rimini.

Emilia-Romagna · Forlì-Cesena

Cesenatico

An Adriatic fishing port whose canal was redrawn by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502, with ten historic sailboats moored as a floating museum.

25 km / 16 mi

Nearest hub (Rimini)

25,921

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Bandiera Blu

Why come

Cesenatico sits at three meters on the Adriatic, fifteen kilometers east of Cesena. The town grew around a canal port begun in 1302 by the Malatesta of Cesena to give the inland city its outlet to the sea. Leonardo da Vinci arrived in 1502 at the request of Cesare Borgia to survey and redraw the port; his sketch of the canal, preserved in the Codex L, still corresponds to the harbor layout today. Garibaldi embarked from this port in August 1849, fleeing the failed Roman Republic on commandeered fishing boats with about two hundred followers. The Porto Canale runs through the centro storico, lined with the pastel facades of fishermen's houses; the Museo della Marineria moors ten historic Adriatic sailboats in its floating section, with sails hoisted daily through the summer. Cesenatico is also the home town of Marco Pantani, the cyclist whose 1998 Giro-Tour double is commemorated at the Spazio Pantani near the railway station and at the annual Nove Colli cycling event in May. The beach carries Bandiera Blu.

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Gallery

10 photos · scroll →

Known for

Porto Canale Leonardesco
Canal port begun in 1302 by the Malatesta and redrawn by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502, with his sketch preserved in the Codex L and corresponding to the present layout.
Museo della Marineria
Maritime museum with a floating section of ten historic Adriatic sailboats moored in the Porto Canale, sails hoisted daily in summer.
Spazio Pantani
Museum near the railway station dedicated to Marco Pantani, the Cesenatico-born cyclist who won the Giro and Tour in 1998.
Spiaggia di Cesenatico
Bandiera Blu beach running seven kilometers from Valverde to Zadina, with the Porto Canale opening at the centre.
Chiesa di San Giacomo
Eighteenth-century parish church on the canal port, with the bell tower visible from the moored sailboats.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is the working season on the Cesenatico coast. June and the first half of July hold the best balance of warm sea and lighter crowds. Late July and August are the Italian beach peak, when the seven kilometers of sand fill up and the Porto Canale evening passeggiata runs until midnight. The Nove Colli cycling event in mid-May pulls twelve thousand riders into town for the long weekend, with the climbs of the Pantani route through Bertinoro and the Apennine foothills. October through April is quiet; the Museo della Marineria stays open all year, but many beachside hotels close from late October to Easter. The bagnoni, the fish-soup cookers, run their stalls in the harbor area on summer evenings.