Plautus's birthplace with the Roman mausoleum of Obulaccus and St Vicinio's chain, then the Tuscan spa town.
You drive up the Savio valley towards the Apennines. Sarsina is the birthplace of the Latin playwright Plautus, with one of the region's most important Roman museums and a basilica where pilgrims have received blessings with the saint's chain for centuries. Further up is Bagno di Romagna, Tuscan for centuries, with its hot springs and the woods of the Foreste Casentinesi.
Times are a guide: driving times are worked out without traffic, then come the visits and ten minutes at every stop to park. In summer towards the coast and at rush hour allow extra time.
An 11th-century Romanesque stone basilica dedicated to St Vicinio, the town's first bishop. His iron chain is preserved here: priests place it on the shoulders of the faithful to bless them, a tradition that has been alive for centuries. In the square stands a statue of Plautus, who was born here.
Free admission; at the end of August, for the saint's feast day, many pilgrims visit.
Sarsina was a wealthy Roman municipium. The museum's most spectacular piece is the mausoleum of Aulus Murcius Obulaccus, from the 1st century BC, in white marble, about nine metres high, found in pieces in 1929 and reassembled like an enormous puzzle. Around it are mosaics from Roman houses, statues of Cybele and Attis, and inscriptions of citizens.
Tuesday to Thursday mornings only, Friday to Sunday afternoons only; closed Mondays. Free on the first Sunday of the month.
Documented since 861, this is one of the most important religious monuments in Tuscan Romagna: inside are works from the Florentine school, including an Assumption attributed to Neri di Bicci.
Open for worship every day.
Along Via Fiorentina stands the palace of the Guidi counts and later of the captain of the Republic of Florence, from 1454: today it houses a visitor centre for the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi. The stone-built town has an unmistakably Florentine character; the hot springs, known to the Romans, emerge at over 40 degrees.
The thermal pools belong to the town's establishments: if you want to bathe, bring your swimming costume and book ahead.
How long it takes from each town, the drive back included. Tap a town to see the plan from there.
Almost every old town has a limited traffic zone (ZTL) with cameras: park outside and walk in. The fine reaches your home, abroad too. ZTL and car parks town by town
Romagna Transfer picks you up at your hotel, drops you in front of every stop and brings you back: no parking, no ZTL, and the wine is yours to enjoy.
The Musei San Domenico with Melozzo and Canova, the Rocca di Ravaldino, Piazza Saffi and the bell tower of San Mercuriale
4 h 35 from Castel San Pietro Terme Half day
The plan
Europe's first civic library, the Masini Fountain, the Malatestiana Fortress on Garampo hill and the ex-votos of the Madonna del Monte.
5 h 25 from Castel San Pietro Terme Half day
The plan
Casa Artusi and the fortress of Forlimpopoli, the parish church of Polenta celebrated by Carducci, the Column of Hospitality and the Rocca of Bertinoro.
5 h 20 from Castel San Pietro Terme Half day
The plan
The city founded by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1564, the Fortress of Castrocaro on its rocky outcrop, and the Art Deco Festival Pavilion at the spa.
5 h 35 from Castel San Pietro Terme Half day
The plan
The Malatesta castle of Longiano, the Roman bridge over Caesar's Rubicon, Giovanni Pascoli's birthplace and Villa Torlonia.
5 h 35 from Castel San Pietro Terme Half day
The planTrips written by our editors from the facts of our monument pages and the official sites. Opening days and hours change: the note under every place tells you what to check before you leave. No prices: you find them on the museums' sites.
