Cesena, an art city in Emilia Romagna just 15 kilometres from the Adriatic Sea, has great food and a laidback lifestyle.
A UNESCO Memory of the World monument
Any visit to Cesena should include the magnificent Malatestiana Library, a time machine that takes us back to 1454. In 2015,for its extraordinary relevance – it was the first civic library in Europe and is the only 15th-century library that is still perfectly intact - it was added to the UNESCO Memory of the World listing.
Baroque churches and a massive fortress
Not to be missed are the Cloister of San Francesco with the Archaeological Museum and then the Palazzo del Ridotto, with the famous bronze statue of Pope Pius VI on the façade. Opposite the palace the Church of Santa Maria del Suffragio may seem plain from the outside, but it has an elaborate Baroque interior and Corrado Giaquinto's beautiful painting The Birth of the Virgin. The Rocca Malatestiana fortress is an admirable example of defensive architecture and dominates the city from the Garampo Hill and houses the Museum of the History of Agriculture, ancient prisons, and a collection of jousting weapons. The walkways and walls afford splendid views over the city, the coast and the Adriatic Sea.
The Rocca Malatestiana fortress
A charming piazza and a 1,000-year-old Abbey
From the Rocca you can descend into the Piazza del Popolo square, the heart of Cesena, with the Palazzo Comunale town hall and the Church of SS. Anna and Gioacchino. This is a typically charming Italian square with handsome residences, bars and restaurants and, in the centre, the beautiful Masini Fountain. The thousand-year-old Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte, a 10-minute walk from the centre, is famous for having one of Europe's richest collections of votive tablets, many dating back more than five centuries. The way up to the Abbey along the Via delle Scalette is an experience in itself, along an cobbled road to the top of the Spaziano Hill from which there are magnificent views.
An annual October food festival
Every year on the last weekend of October the town becomes an open-air showcase of regional gastronomic specialties with the Mostra Mercato dei prodotti alimentari tipici, exhibition of typical foods. Emilia Romagna, and other Italian regions, bring the best of their production to the food stalls and street-food outlets dotted around the city: mushrooms and truffles, wines, cheeses, cured meats, preserves, liqueurs, honey, typical sweets, chocolate and more...in short, all the ingredients for a sumptuous autumn banquet. For information: www.comune.cesena.fc.it.
