Discover Cesenatico: culture by the canal and bike rides into the hills

Cesenatico reveals its history not only in individual museums, but also by the water: at the Porto Canale Leonardesco, you can experience historic boats, sails and colorful houses. Between culture, maritime tradition, pine forest, artisanal cuisine and a bike ride into the Romagna hills, it becomes a destination for a variety of interests.

Culture at the Porto Canale Leonardesco

Casa Moretti is an active museum and cultural center as well as a house museum on the western bank of the Porto Canale Leonardesco. It preserves original furnishings, books, documents and autographs that Marino Moretti and his sister Ines donated to the municipality. The canal itself was redesigned by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502 and, with its boats, sails and colorful houses, shapes the character of this area.

Museums with different perspectives

At Spazio Pantani, photographs, memorabilia and audiovisual materials trace the career of Marco Pantani. The Sala Alpe d’Huez there also includes a small gallery with more than twenty paintings created by Marco Pantani. Admission to Spazio Pantani includes a multilingual audio guide that can be used directly on a smartphone.

The municipal art collection is displayed at the Galleria Leonardo da Vinci in exhibitions that change every six months. The gallery is located in a building constructed in 1929 as Cesenatico’s first large fish market. The floating section of the Museo della Marineria focuses on maritime history: it consists of ten traditional Adriatic boats. Visitors can go aboard the boats, learn old navigation techniques and visit the hold of the Trabaccolo “Giovanni Pascoli” cargo ship.

Nature, cuisine and crafts

The Pineta di Zadina is part of the Riserva Naturale Pineta di Ravenna. It covers approximately 5 hectares of woodland directly in the coastal zone at the far northern edge of the municipality. For a culinary experience, the Corso di Pasta Fresca at Trattoria La Zucca Gialla teaches participants how to prepare tagliatelle, strozzapreti, cappelletti and tortelli by hand. The Laboratorio Artigianale di Stampa Romagnola is offered by reservation.

By bike from Cesenatico into the hills

The official cycling route “Itinerario Bike: dal mare di Cesenatico alla collina,” led by Dalia Muccioli, follows a 54 km route from Cesenatico to Cesenatico through the Romagna hills. It is suitable for cyclists of intermediate level. This allows you to add a longer active excursion to your stay without changing the starting and finishing point, Cesenatico.

Which accommodation suits your plans

When choosing your hotel, you can first organize your priorities: museums and the canal, maritime history, nature, artisanal cuisine or the bike ride into the hills. This keeps your accommodation decision focused on the experiences you actually plan to enjoy in Cesenatico. Those interested in culture will find several independent museums and collections, while active days by the water, in the forest or on the cycling route offer different possibilities.

More destinations in Italy

Premilcuore, Meldola, Dovadola, Quarto, Rocca San Casciano, Cento, Santa Sofia, Fratta Terme

To the higher-level travel overview: Forlì-Cesena.