Santarcangelo and its caves

Santarcangelo is an ancient village on the Via Emilia, ten kilometres from Rimini, at the entrance to the Marecchia valley. Above ground you'll recognise it by two landmarks: the Arco Ganganelli, the triumphal arch erected for local son Lorenzo Ganganelli who became Pope Clement XIV in 1769, and the Campanone, the 25-metre neo-Gothic bell tower built in 1893.

Higher up stands the Rocca Malatestiana: the keep dates from 1386 and the section with three towers was commissioned by Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta in 1447. It's privately owned and not currently open to visitors, but from outside it dominates the entire town. In the Collegiata you'll find the first signed work by Santarcangelo painter Guido Cagnacci, from 1635.

The real mystery, however, lies beneath your feet. The hill contains around 160 caves, with wells, tunnels and passages: another city beneath the visible one, and no one knows for certain who dug them or why. The guided tour takes you into the monumental public cave, a labyrinth where ancient rituals are imagined and where wine was later stored.

The tour lasts about 50 minutes and starts from the IAT tourist office in Via Battisti; inside, the temperature stays around 13 degrees, so bring a jumper. The route is not suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs.