Parla l'italiano, vivi l'Italia 
Parla l'italiano, vivi l'Italia 
Beyond Rimini there is its hinterland, with two valleys that mustn’t be missed, the Marecchia and the Conca. Let’s start with the first one; in the last years new villages have become part of this area among which San Leo, attached to a huge calcareous rock, dominated by the stronghold that was erected in the town centre and it’s featured by an excellent architecture: the Town Hall – the residence of the Montefeltro -, the Nardini palace – where Saint Francis was a guest and the palace of the Mediceo, the seat of the Museum of Sacred Art today.
From the top of the cliff, the stronghold hosts the different sections of the Museum, the Art Gallery and the Contemporary Art Gallery. Santarcangelo deserves to be discovered as well, it is a medieval village with narrow streets and a staircase where the lines from the local poet’s works are shown, the wall, the Arch, the Romanesque Parish Church and the tuff caves, a sort of catacombs made of tuff under the historical centre. Everything is dominated by the huge Malatesta Fortress. From Santarcangelo you can go up and in ten minutes you reach Poggio Berni, a tiny village that is split into two parts, the lower one and the upper one that is the oldest one. Among the noble palaces Palazzo Marcosanti is the most famous one, it dates back to the XIIIth century and the Mulino Moroni also deserves a visit: it doesn’t work anymore but it is still perfectly functioning and it can be visited. From there you can reach Torriana and Montebello: two rocks where two strongholds with their fortified towers are located. The surrounding environment is a protected valley, it is a wildlife oasis, and the two tiny villages must not be missed. The shrine of the Madonna di Saiano is perched on a rock in the riverbed of the Parecchia river. Another stronghold is Verucchio, one of the first places where the family of Malatesta lived. The landscape from the castle is amazing as well as the Archaeological Civic Museum and the whole fortified historical centre featured by a sequence of churches, tiny squares, old water sources and parish churches.
In the area around Rimini there is the Conca Valley featured by the hills that approach the Appenines and never become rugged where the cornfields are followed by the vineyards, the sea is always there in the distance and the mountains draw the skyline. Three places deserve to be mentioned: Montefiore Conca, Mondaino and Montegridolfo. Montefiore Conca is entirely fortified and it is one of the most beautiful and best kept villages in this valley around thirty minutes by car from Rimini. Its castle featured by straight geometrical shapes was erected on a high hill and it can be seen from every corner of the valley. Its present frame is due to the Malatesta family’s interventions while the medieval village is surrounded by the ancient walls and it is made of a walled circular centre and all the streets reach the castle that proudly stands out. On a clear day the view is amazing and your sight can even reach Marche and San Marino.
Another castle belonging to the Malatesta family is in Mondaino, a historical centre that stretches along the main street that reaches piazza Maggiore where a number of interesting historical parades are held. Finally Montegridolfo must be visited too, its core is surrounded by the walls and it has recently been restored. In a word? It is a kind of outdoor museum. The walls are huge and protected by the fortified towers and a door dating back to the XVIth century enables you to get into the village that is featured by a panoramic terrace that looks out on the valleys..
Web content manager
▶ destination Italy
Luciana Francesca Rebonato
All Rights Reserved
Perhaps you can be interested in...:
▶ Italy of art cities
▶ italian dream
▶ Italy of regions
▶ studying italian
Booking.com