Rocca dei Conti Guidi di Modigliana

For centuries Modigliana was the domain of the Guidi counts, one of the most powerful families of the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines. Above the town stand the ruins of their fortress, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, which the people of Modigliana call 'la Roccaccia'.

The east side is still imposing; on the west side the central tower has collapsed halfway down and shows its interior as if in cross-section: four vaulted rooms one above the other. It is a unique sight, which you see as you climb towards the fortress. The interior is fenced off and cannot be visited, but the view is worth the walk.

In the town, on the outskirts, the Ponte della Signora spans the River Tramazzo with three arches and a very high central humpbacked arch: it was built in 1640 on the remains of a Roman bridge swept away by a flood.

Modigliana is also a land of the Risorgimento and wine. Don Giovanni Verità was born here, the priest who in 1849 helped Garibaldi escape after the fall of the Roman Republic. And its hills produce one of the most prized Sangiovese wines in Romagna.