Castello Malatestiano di Longiano

Longiano is a compact village on the hill between Cesena and Rimini, and its castle dominates from above. The first records date from the 12th century; it then belonged to the Malatesta family, who transformed it into a fortress with towers and walls, and later passed to the Church and various families. Since 1989 it has belonged to the municipality.

Inside the castle is the Fondazione Tito Balestra, dedicated to the poet from Longiano who assembled a major collection of 20th-century art: paintings, drawings and prints by many Italian and foreign artists, including works by his friend Mino Maccari. The restored rooms of the castle provide the setting for a collection that is remarkable for such a small town.

Beneath the castle runs an air-raid shelter tunnel dug during the Second World War: a piece of recent history hidden in the hillside.

Take a walk around the village: the Teatro Petrella, the churches, the local museums and, in December, the nativity scene and Christmas lights that have made Longiano one of Romagna's most beloved Christmas villages. From the square the view stretches all the way to the sea.