Castel Sismondo

Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta laid the first stone on 20 March 1437, at 18.48: the day and minute had been chosen by court astrologers using a horoscope. He declared himself the architect of the castle in the great marble inscriptions, but he had help from several experts: in 1438 Filippo Brunelleschi also came to Rimini for a consultation.

It was conceived as a palace, barracks and symbol of power over the city all at once. What remain are the great square towers and sloping walls, once overlooking a deep moat. Above the entrance you can see the Malatesta coat of arms with its chequered shield and elephant-head crest, and the inscription Sigismondo Pandolfo.

After the Malatestas the castle became a papal fortress, then a barracks, salt warehouse and in the 19th century a prison. Sigismondo died here on 7 October 1468. Since 2021 its halls have housed the Fellini Museum, the museum dedicated to Federico Fellini, who was born in Rimini in 1920.

The museum continues in the nearby Palazzo del Fulgor, the cinema from Amarcord, and in Piazza Malatesta with Fellini-inspired installations. A single ticket is valid for both sites, and is free for those up to 30 years old.