Cesenatico () is a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

town with about 26,000 inhabitants on the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

coast of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It is located in the

province of Forlì-Cesena The Province of Forlì-Cesena () is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capitals are the cities of Forlì and Cesena. The province has a population of 394,273 as of 2016 over an area of . It contains 30 '' comuni'' (: ''comu ...

in the region of

Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...

, about south of

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

. Cesenatico's port canal was surveyed and drawn by

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

at the request of

Cesare Borgia Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was a Cardinal (Catholic Church)#Cardinal_deacons, cardinal deacon and later an Italians, Italian ''condottieri, condottiero''. He was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI of the Aragonese ...

, as part of his plans to fortify the nearby town of

Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...

History

Cesenatico was founded in 1302. It was considered part of the city of

until it was incorporated at the beginning of the 18th century. Its port and canal were built in 1314, with the canal originally planned to reach

, some inland. At the request of

the canal was later surveyed by

. It is often erroneously claimed that da Vinci designed the canal. In 1722

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

(the 'Old Pretender' to the British throne) stayed in Cesenatico's Capuchin

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

1860–present

The Republican vocation of Cesenatico is evident in the elections of the following years, but this did not naturally prevent it from escaping fascism. The war damages were so enormous that it had to be rebuilt almost entirely. The municipal building, the aqueduct tower, the lighthouse, the pier and all the boats, the fish market, the schools as well as the villages of Villalta, Sala, Cannucceto, Villamarina, Bagnarola practically razed to the ground. The nightmare vanished on October 20, 1944, with the entry of the New Zealand allies. The restoration and reconstruction work was immediately restarted. In 1945 the fishermen's cooperative was founded and a new impulse was given to the tourism that will lead Cesenatico to excel in this field. Many of the old "villas" were converted into hotels, new

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

were started (one of the first was the 12 Star Colony, aimed at children from the

autonomous province of Bolzano South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The provinc ...

, without language distinctions), and the construction of the famous

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

gave launching a new era focused on mass tourism. Today Cesenatico has about 22,000 hotel beds, with 3 million admissions per season. In 1966 the municipal library was founded; in the same year the coastal city was one of the first municipalities in Europe to start twinning projects with other cities. In 1977 a project of historical-archaeological recovery was brought to light and in the eighties the guidelines were introduced that launched Cesenatico from a global and European perspective.

Monuments and places of interest

Museums

* Seafaring Museum: it is the most famous museum in the city and the only floating museum in Italy, which allows tourists to visit the most important moored ships, called "Bragozzo" and "Trabaccolo". Both boats had a transport and fishing version. The museum is located in the oldest part of the historical port-canal, which has a long maritime history behind it. * Marino Moretti's house museum: Marino Moretti was a famous poet who was born in Cesenatico. * Spazio Pantani: it is a structure directly managed by the Pantani family to keep alive the memory of the cycling champion

Marco Pantani Marco Pantani (; 13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as one of the greatest climbing specialists in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and record ...

Municipal library

The municipal library, founded in 1966, is now located in a building of fascist era in Piazza Ciceruacchio. The book collections currently amount to about 60 000 books and the library has around 100 places for study, consultation and reading.

University

Cesenatico hosts one of the seats of the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences (

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

), for the bachelor's degree in "Aquaculture and Fish Production Hygiene".

Religious architecture

* Parish church of San Giacomo Apostolo. Dating back to 1324, the current structure was defined in 1763, designed by Pietro Bastoni. Inside, there are some interesting works, among others by Guido Cagnacci. The external façade sees the historic boats of Leonardo's canal port. * Church of San Giuseppe. * Church of San Pietro Pescatore. * Church of the Capuchin friars, or Church of Saints Nicola di Mira and Francesco d'Assisi. It dates back to 1611, while the convent is three years later. Inside, there is a painting of

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

by the painter of

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

school .

Society

Traditions and folklore

From 1986 on the boats of the Maritime Museum the Nativity of the Marineria was set up. During the Christmas period, from the first Sunday of December until the Epiphany, the boats of the Floating Section of the Maritime Museum become the stage of the Marine Nativity Scene. The crib was born in 1986 and is the work of the artists Tinin Mantegazza, Maurizio Bertoni and Mino Savadori, from an original idea by Guerrino Gardini. The first sculpted statue was that of San Giacomo, patron saint of Cesenatico to whom many others have been added over the years. These are not just traditional statues that can be seen in the cribs, but glimpses inspired by the life of the common people of a fishing village: fishermen, carpenters, puppeteers. Every year the crib is enriched with a new statue and a new character. From the seven figures with which they debuted in 1986 today the sculptural heritage is about fifty statues. This is how the project of the artists Bertoni and Savadori was carried out in order to equip each of the boats of a helmsman and a crewman over the years. The figures are thought of as elements of a representation, to be seen from the banks of the Leonardesco Canal Port as well as from an audience; illuminated, because in the crib are the lights that give life to the figures and mark the story.

Main sights

Today Cesenatico is a

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

resort. It is home to the Museum of Seafaring ( Museo della Marineria di Cesenatico), where historic fishing boats are displayed in the canal. There are also

trabucco The ''trabucco'' (), known in some southern dialects as ''trabocco'' or ''travocc'', is an ancient fishing machine typical of the Adriatic shores of Abruzzo — famously dubbed the Costa dei Trabocchi ( Trabocchi Coast) and the Gargano coast ...

, or fishing houses. In the coastal city of Cesenatico, the port canal (in Italian Porto Canale Leonardesco) has always been the leading element of the historical city centre: it was the engine of the economy of the city, which relied on maritime trade and fishing and nowadays it is an outstanding point of interest for tourists, which are also attracted by the floating exhibit of the Museum of Seafaring. The town also features a high

, which for a few years was among the 30 highest buildings in Europe.

Notable people

* Marcella Hazan (1924–2013), cookbook author *

Emilio Pericoli Emilio Pericoli (7 January 1928 – 9 April 2013) was an Italian singer. He was born in Cesenatico, Romagna, Italy. Pericoli's success was closely tied to the Sanremo Festival. He recorded a cover version of the song, " Al di là", by festiva ...

(1928–2013), singer * Giorgio Ghezzi (1930–1990), football goalkeeper and manager, 447 caps * Maurizio Delvecchio (born 1962), painter, lives and works in Cesenatico *

(1970–2004), road racing cyclist *

Mattia Graffiedi Mattia Graffiedi (born 26 May 1980) is an Italian former footballer who played as a forward. He first played for Cesena, later moving on to more prestigious clubs such as A.C. Milan. However, most of his career has been spent at teams in Seri ...

(born 1980), footballer, over 350 caps * Dalia Muccioli (born 1993), racing cyclist

Events

Cesenatico hosts every year the final stage of the Italian Mathematics Olympiad, a mathematical ''battle of wits'' between the best 300 high school students in Italy. It is usually held in the week-end following the first Thursday of May. Cesenatico holds the Annual "Marco Pantani Nove Colli" cycling road event across nine of the Apennine foothills in May of each year. Other events associated include the Nove Colli Off Road and Junior Event in September each year.

Suburbs

Bagnarola, Borella, Cannucceto, Sala, Valverde, Villalta, Villamarina, Zadina.

Twin towns – sister cities

The town is twinned with: *

Aubenas Aubenas (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southern part of the Ardèche Departments of France, department in Southern France. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation ...

, France * Schwarzenbek, Germany *

Sierre Sierre (; ; ) is the capital municipality of the district of Sierre, located in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. It has a population of 18,020. Sierre is nicknamed City of the Sun () for its average of 300 days of sunshine a year. It is t ...

, Switzerland *

Zelzate Zelzate () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Zelzate proper. In 2021, Zelzate had a total population of 13,124. The total area is 13.71 km2. Zelzate is divided in ...

, Belgium

Sources

{{authority control 1302 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Italy Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Populated places established in the 1300s