Hinterland

Situated in the centre of Italy and well served by the principal European cities, Rimini is the symbol and the ideal place of diversified tourism. Rimini, ancient and modern, popular and cultured, spectacular and craftsmanlike was sung about and immortalised by the Maestro of Italian cinema, Federico Fellini, whose art brought the legendary place to the attention of the world.

At 750 m. above sea level, in the world's smallest and oldest sovereign state which has maintained its freedom and independence for centuries, you are already abroad. From Mount Titano, the profiles of the three towers (Guaita, Cesta and Montale) stand out, symbols of the Republic which boasts, among its other glories, a noteworthy history and tradition of stamp and coin collecting, much appreciated all over the world.

Ravenna stands close to a magnificent pinewood and boasts an extraordinary number of basilicas, baptistries and mausoleums. The harmony of the classical-style buildings blends together with precious marbles and the famous Byzantine mosaics. The city is also well known for its main street lined with fashion boutiques (55 km).

A portal to the past, a special place, a pearl in the Valmarecchia "of the poets": this is Santarcangelo! And it is here that the poets of the "Circal de giudeizi" meet, together with their movement's founder, Tonino Guerra. Don't miss Rocca Malatestiana, the Capuchin convent, the nineteenth-century fish hatchery, the Arch and Square dedicated to Pope Ganganelli, the mysterious tuff-stone caves and the wrought-iron and canvas rust-printing crafts shops.

In the heart of Valmarecchia, on a 600 m. hill, stands San Leo, the historic capital of the Montefeltro family. As well as its fortress, the Pieve, and the Duomo, San Leo is also famous for the mysterious and fascinating personage, Count "alchemist" Cagliostro, who was imprisoned in the fortress and died there in 1795.

From its strategic position it dominates the splendid panorama of Valmarecchia. Don't miss, apart from the Rocca, the Collegiata of Saints Martin and Francis of Assisi, and the Civic Museum of Archaeology.

Urbino is synonymous with art and culture. Famous is the Ducal Palace museum containing works of art from the 14th to the 17th centuries, but above all some of the most significant masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, a period also strongly reflected in the city's architecture. Very characteristic are the small workshops in the old-town centre where it is possible to watch craftsmen at work and buy articles of various kinds (60 km).

A classic old hamlet, enclosed within a long boundary wall where the imposing picturesque castle, a superb example of military architecture, completes the medieval centre. The Rocca was completed by the Malatesta family between 1307 and 1325, and subsequently renovated several times. Legend has it that in Gradara, the Malatesta household was the setting of the tragic love between Paolo and Francesca, sung by Dante: "My mouth she kissed, all a-tremble..."