Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Cesenatico

Emilia-Romagna · Forlì-Cesena

Cesenatico

An Adriatic fishing port whose canal was redrawn on commission from a Borgia patron, with ten historic sailboats moored as a floating museum.

Known for

  • LEONARDO'S CANAL

    The Porto Canale was redrawn by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502 on commission from Cesare Borgia, with his sketch preserved in the Codex L of the Institut de France.

  • MARCO PANTANI

    Pantani was born and is buried in Cesenatico; the annual Nove Colli ride in May covers nine of his training climbs in the Apennine foothills.

  • MARINERIA

    The Museo della Marineria moors ten historic Adriatic sailboats in the canal, hoisting their patched coloured sails through the summer.

  • PESCA E NETTARINA DI ROMAGNA

    The commune lies inside the Pesca e Nettarina di Romagna IGP production zone.

When to visit

Best · May–Sep

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

The festa: Giacomo il Maggiore, 25 July

Why come

Cesenatico sits at three meters on the Adriatic, fifteen kilometers east of Cesena. The town grew around a canal port begun in 1302 by the Malatesta of Cesena to give the inland city its outlet to the sea, and the canal still runs through the centro storico as the town's working spine. Leonardo da Vinci arrived in 1502 at the request of a Borgia patron to survey and redraw the port; his sketch, preserved in the Codex L, corresponds to the harbor layout today.

Garibaldi embarked from this port in August 1849, fleeing the failed Roman Republic on commandeered fishing boats with about two hundred followers. The canal separates and joins the two halves of the old town, its banks lined with the pastel facades of fishermen's houses, and it is this same stretch of water that carries the floating section of the Museo della Marineria, sails hoisted through the summer. Cesenatico is also the home town of the cyclist Marco Pantani, marked inland by the Nove Colli ride each May.

The beach carries Bandiera Blu. What holds the town together is the canal itself: a fifteenth-century engineering commission that outlasted the port's original purpose and became the frame for everything Cesenatico later added, from Garibaldi's escape to the moored boats of the maritime museum.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Cesenatico’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

Cesenatico — photo 1
Cesenatico — photo 2

What to see

  • Porto Canale Leonardesco

    Canal port begun in 1302 by the Malatesta, running through the centro storico and lined with the pastel facades of fishermen's houses. Leonardo da Vinci's redrawn layout from 1502 still corresponds to the harbor as it stands.

  • Museo della Marineria

    Maritime museum with a floating section of historic Adriatic sailboats moored in the canal, their sails hoisted daily in summer.

  • Spazio Pantani

    Museum near the railway station dedicated to the cyclist, tracing his career including the 1998 Giro and Tour double.

  • Spiaggia di Cesenatico

    Bandiera Blu beach running seven kilometers from Valverde to Zadina, with the canal opening at the centre.

  • Chiesa di San Giacomo

    Eighteenth-century parish church on the canal port, with the bell tower visible from the moored sailboats.

The slow-trip planner

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We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • La BucaRistorante

    One Michelin star for La Buca, along with two Gambero Rosso forks (83/100) and a place in L'Espresso's Top 300.

  • AncòraRistorante

    Ancòra has one Michelin star and two Gambero Rosso forks (82/100).

  • MaréRistorante

    Maré has two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • VerandaRistorante

    Veranda carries two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100), plus a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • MagnoliaRistorante

    Magnolia holds a La Liste score of 87.5.

  • Osteria BartoliniRistorante

    A Michelin Bib Gourmand, at Osteria Bartolini.

  • Osteria ErbaluceRistorante

    Osteria Erbaluce has a spot in the Michelin Guide to its name.

  • TracinaRistorante

    Tracina holds one Gambero Rosso fork (78/100).

Living here

  • Population 25,921
  • Commuter belti
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Rimini, 52 min drive
  • Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 20 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

  • Elevation: 3 m
  • Population: 25,921
  • Surface area: 45.16 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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🟦 Bandiera Blu

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