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The ranking, zone by zone

Historical monuments of Romagna

We have ranked the 173 most important monuments of 9 zones, from Romagna to Bologna, from San Marino to Montefeltro: Byzantine mosaics, fortresses, abbeys, Roman bridges, towers and ideal cities. Every zone has its own ranking; for each monument you find the history, opening hours, phone number, official site and where to book.

  • 173monuments
  • 9zones
  • 66towns
  • 34UNESCO
  • 86free

Zone

What interests you

Only the monuments

Province of Forlì-Cesena 40 monuments

Humanist libraries, hilltop fortresses, abbeys and the Medici ideal city: the 40 monuments not to miss between Forlì, Cesena and the Apennines.

Province of Ravenna 33 monuments

Eight UNESCO monuments of early Christian and Byzantine mosaics, Dante's tomb, and around them the squares of Faenza, hilltop fortresses and lowland towns.

Rimini, Riviera and Conca Valley 17 monuments

Two thousand years in a few kilometres: the Roman arch and bridge, the Malatesta Temple, Gradara Castle, and in the Conca valley the fortresses of Montefiore and Mondaino.

Marecchia Valley 16 monuments

The Marecchia valley from Santarcangelo to Casteldelci: San Leo fortress, the Malatesta strongholds, the oldest wooden theatre in Italy, the sulphur mine and the places of Tonino Guerra.

Marecchia Valley or Montefeltro: what is the difference?

The two names often point to the same towns, but they mean different things: the Marecchia Valley is a valley, Montefeltro is a land with its own history.

Marecchia Valley: the river valley

It is the valley carved by the Marecchia, which rises in Tuscany on the Alpe della Luna and reaches the sea at Rimini. It is shaped by the rocky crags that rise out of the clay, like San Leo, Verucchio and Pennabilli, fortified in the Middle Ages mostly by the Malatesta of Rimini. Today almost all of it lies in the province of Rimini: from Santarcangelo and Verucchio up to Novafeltria, Pennabilli and Casteldelci.

Montefeltro: the land of the dukes

It is a historical region, larger than a valley. It takes its name from Mons Feretri, the ancient name of San Leo, where tradition places a temple of Jupiter Feretrius. It was the domain of the counts of Montefeltro, later dukes of Urbino, and today it is split between the Marche (province of Pesaro and Urbino), Romagna and San Marino: it also includes Urbino and Carpegna, which are not on the Marecchia.

Where they overlap

The upper Marecchia Valley, with San Leo, Pennabilli, Talamello, Sant'Agata Feltria and Casteldelci, is both: watered by the Marecchia and Montefeltro by history. These towns belonged to the Marche until 2009, when they joined the province of Rimini, and the cathedral of the diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro is still in Pennabilli. For centuries two families fought over these lands, the Malatesta and the Montefeltro: San Leo went to Federico da Montefeltro in 1441.

On this page: the Marecchia Valley zone holds the monuments of the valley in the province of Rimini, including those of the Romagna side of Montefeltro such as San Leo and Pennabilli; the Montefeltro zone holds the Marche side, from Urbino to Carpegna.

Republic of San Marino 15 monuments

The oldest republic in the world on Monte Titano: the three towers, the Palazzo Pubblico and a historic centre on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Province of Bologna 18 monuments

The towers, the UNESCO porticoes and the great basilicas of the city, and in the province Imola's Rocca Sforzesca, Dozza, the Rocchetta Mattei and the Etruscan city of Marzabotto.

Comacchio and the Delta 14 monuments

The little Venice of the lagoons: bridges, canals and churches of Comacchio, and around it Pomposa Abbey and Mesola Castle in the Po Delta Park.

Tuscan Romagna 11 monuments

The Romagna towns of the metropolitan city of Florence, Marradi, Palazzuolo sul Senio and Firenzuola: abbeys in the woods, captains' palaces and pietra serena stone.

Montefeltro 9 monuments

The land of the dukes of Urbino: the Ducal Palace and the UNESCO historic centre, Raphael's house, the fortresses by Francesco di Giorgio Martini and the palace of the princes of Carpegna.

Marecchia Valley or Montefeltro: what is the difference?

The two names often point to the same towns, but they mean different things: the Marecchia Valley is a valley, Montefeltro is a land with its own history.

Marecchia Valley: the river valley

It is the valley carved by the Marecchia, which rises in Tuscany on the Alpe della Luna and reaches the sea at Rimini. It is shaped by the rocky crags that rise out of the clay, like San Leo, Verucchio and Pennabilli, fortified in the Middle Ages mostly by the Malatesta of Rimini. Today almost all of it lies in the province of Rimini: from Santarcangelo and Verucchio up to Novafeltria, Pennabilli and Casteldelci.

Montefeltro: the land of the dukes

It is a historical region, larger than a valley. It takes its name from Mons Feretri, the ancient name of San Leo, where tradition places a temple of Jupiter Feretrius. It was the domain of the counts of Montefeltro, later dukes of Urbino, and today it is split between the Marche (province of Pesaro and Urbino), Romagna and San Marino: it also includes Urbino and Carpegna, which are not on the Marecchia.

Where they overlap

The upper Marecchia Valley, with San Leo, Pennabilli, Talamello, Sant'Agata Feltria and Casteldelci, is both: watered by the Marecchia and Montefeltro by history. These towns belonged to the Marche until 2009, when they joined the province of Rimini, and the cathedral of the diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro is still in Pennabilli. For centuries two families fought over these lands, the Malatesta and the Montefeltro: San Leo went to Federico da Montefeltro in 1441.

On this page: the Marecchia Valley zone holds the monuments of the valley in the province of Rimini, including those of the Romagna side of Montefeltro such as San Leo and Pennabilli; the Montefeltro zone holds the Marche side, from Urbino to Carpegna.

All the monuments on the map

One colour per zone, the number is the place in the zone ranking: tap a point to open its page. The zone buttons above filter the map too.

  • Province of Forlì-Cesena
  • Province of Ravenna
  • Rimini, Riviera and Conca Valley
  • Marecchia Valley
  • Republic of San Marino
  • Province of Bologna
  • Comacchio and the Delta
  • Tuscan Romagna
  • Montefeltro

6 ready-made days out

We have grouped nearby monuments into relaxed days out. You enjoy the sights, Romagna Transfer takes care of the journey: book a car with driver for the whole day.

Informative texts written by our editors from the facts of Wikipedia articles and official sites. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, with author and licence.

See the monuments without worrying about the car

From the airport, the station or your hotel: Romagna Transfer takes you to the monument and picks you up when you are done.

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