There are so many monuments to visit in Cesena: in a 24 hour trip you can visit the Biblioteca Malatestiana – the Ancient Malastestan Library; the Rocca Malatestiana – the Malatestan Fortress; the piazza del Popolo with Fontana Masini; the Duomo – Cathedral of St. John The Baptist and many other churches of great artistic value, and the Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte.
The town centre is quite small, so the short distance allows it to be visited on foot. Besides, the Bus Station and the Train Station are less than one kilometre from the city walls.
If you arrive by car on Saturday or Sunday, with a slight detour a few kilometres away from the town centre you can visit the eighteenth-century Villa Silvia-Carducci.
A tour of Cesena simply must begin at the Malatestan Library a splendid example of a monastic-Renaissance library. The first public library in Europe, founded at the behest of the Lord of Cesena, Domenico Malatesta Novello, the Malatestiana still looks today just as it did when it was inaugurated in 1454: a veritable time machine, capable of transporting us straight back to the splendours of the Renaissance!
After the Library you can visit the Palazzo del Ridotto, dominated by the bronze statue of pope Pius the sixth and nowadays a venue of art exhibitions. The church across the street is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Suffragio: the exterior is undecorated, whereas the interior is rich Baroque style and you can admire the beautiful painting The Virgin’s birth by Corrado Giaquinto (1703-1765).
Curiosity
Next stop is the Rocca Malatestiana: the Malatestan Fortress is a fine example of defensive architecture, built on the Garampo hill, dominating the town.
Surrounded by the Parco della Rimembranza (Memory Park), this impressive fortress is characterized by striking walkways built within the curtain walls – partially reinforced in the early Fifteenth Century after Leonardo Da Vinci’s suggestions – and by panoramic battlements from which you can enjoy a characteristic landscape of the entire region, that sweeps over the plain down to the sea. The court also hosts a citadel that includes two imposing buildings, the Main or Male tower (Mastio), where some genuine tournament armours and saddles are on display, and the Palatium or Female tower, were the Museum of Agricultural History and the ancient prisons are located.
Must-see
The battlements of the Rocca, accessible only via a guided tour, offer unrivalled views: the vista stretches across the entire plain, all the way to the Adriatic Sea.
From the Fortess you can easily get to piazza del Popolo, heart of the city, a charming cobbled square dominated by the Townhall and by the church of the Saints Anna and Gioacchino. Every Saturday and Wednesday a great street market takes place in the square and in the surrounding streets.
After taking a couple of pictures of the Fontana Masini, a beautiful manneristic sculpted fountain, a jewel of Italian Mannerism, you can enjoy a good meal in one of many restaurants overlooking the square and the streets nearby.
A detour will lead to the Eighteenth Century Church of San Domenico, which rises with its imposing size. It’s characterized by simple and harmonic lines with a typical local Domenican convent-like style. Many valuable paintings are preserved inside the church.
Down to viale Mazzoni, back to piazza del Popolo, through via Zeffirino Re with its distinctive portico and corso Mazzini, you will reach piazza Giovanni Paolo II - former piazza Pia - where the Duomo of San Giovanni Battista stands.
To see
During your visit to the Cathedral, it is well worth taking a moment to admire the Chapel of the Madonna del Popolo, frescoed in 1750 by Corrado Giaquinto (1703–1766). The Cathedral Museum is also well worth a visit.
Our tour stops at the thousand year old Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte, rising on the Spaziano Hill. It can be reached on foot also, within about 20 minutes following the evocative via delle Scalette path.
Curiosity
If you are in Cesena by car, with a slight detour a few kilometres away from the town centre, you can visit the 18th-century Villa Silvia-Carducci with the astounding Musicalia, a museum entirely dedicated to mechanical music.
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the villa was a popular cultural salon in Cesena, brought to life by its long-standing owner, Countess Silvia Pasolini Zanelli: it was a meeting place for intellectuals and artists from the Romagna region, including Nazareno Trovanelli and Balilla Pratella.
To know
Villa Silvia was the regular residence and a place close to the heart of Nobel Prize Italian poet Giosuè Carducci, a close friend of the countess. It was here that the poet wrote his Ode to the Church of Polenta. Carducci’s personal bedroom can still be visited during the villa’s opening hours.
If you still have time to spend in Cesena, or if you don't have a car, we recommend to go on exploring more areas of the old town: the ancient Valdoca neighborhood, with its brightly-coloured houses; via Chiaramonti, one of the finest streets of Cesena, famous for its centuries-old buildings and vivid-colored low houses adorned with climbing plants, and with the church of Santa Cristina, designed by the famous architect Valadier in neo-classical style – a sort of a miniature Pantheon.
Finally, corso Garibaldi with the Teatro Comunale “Alessandro Bonci”, a 19th-Century Italian-style theatre, with a beautiful neo-classical facade, and the Giardini Pubblici – green and relaxing Public Gardens. The area is full of cafes and pubs and a very lively one, especially on weekends.
