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.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Cesenatico is on our list
It holds Bandiera Blu.
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Visiting
- Best time
- May–Sep
- By car
- 28 min from Rimini
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 26,060
- J10°
- F13°
- M15°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- J31°
- A30°
- S26°
- O21°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. The sea is warmest in August at 29° and coldest in January at 8°. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Going to the sea? How to find the free beaches in Italy.
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.
How to get there
From Rimini (RMI), about 52 min by car.
Bologna (BLQ) is about 1 h 18 min away.
By car from the center of Ancona 1 h 39 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Bologna or Florence?
Coming by train into Rimini? Cesenatico is about 28 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Rimini airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
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 center.
Chiesa di San Giacomo
Eighteenth-century parish church on the canal port, with the bell tower visible from the moored sailboats.
From the guides
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.
5 more places the guides name in Cesenatico
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).
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Cesenatico meets 1 of our 2 rules for a small town.
- 26,060 people, above our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: big enough that it can split into neighborhoods.
- Cesena, a city of 95,730, is 22 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 26,060, down 0.1% since 2015
- Nearest city Cesena, 22 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €2,900 to €4,000 per m² to buy, €9.80 to €13.30 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 88% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Forlì airport (FRL), 42 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 20 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
9% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Romania and Bangladesh, against 9% across Italy. 53 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany, France and the United Kingdom. There are 244 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 41% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Forlì-Cesena province ranks 11th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Cesena, 15 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 21 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.7% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Emilia-Romagna spends about €2,500 a month, €560 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €604 a year for water, on the Emilia-Romagna average. In Forlì, the provincial capital, in September 2026, a meal in a pizzeria €12.18 and a man's haircut €22.59.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 38% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 100% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
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 colored sails through the summer.
PESCA E NETTARINA DI ROMAGNA
The commune lies inside the Pesca e Nettarina di Romagna IGP production zone.
Common questions
- What is Cesenatico known for?
- Cesenatico is an Adriatic fishing port whose canal was redrawn on commission from a Borgia patron, with ten historic sailboats moored as a floating museum.
- Where is Cesenatico?
- Cesenatico is a comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna, at 3 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Cesenatico?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Forlì (FRL), about 42 min by car.
- Can you get to Cesenatico without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Ancona to Cesenatico?
- About 1 h 39 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Cesenatico?
- Best in May–Sep. July is the warmest month, averaging 31 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Cesenatico?
- Cervia, Giulianova and Giovinazzo.
- How many people live in Cesenatico?
- 26,060 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Cesenatico a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Cesenatico is a small town that meets 1 of our 2 rules. The nearest city, Cesena, is 22 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 88% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 3 m
- Population: 26,060
- Surface area: 45.16 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Cesenatico appears in
- The best towns known for what they grow within an hour of RiminiNear Riminiwithin 60 minproduce zone9 towns · smallest 6,505 residents · closest 17 min away
- The best towns known for what they grow within two hours of AnconaNear Anconawithin 2 hoursproduce zone9 towns · smallest 926 residents · closest 91 min away
- The best coastal towns within two hours of BolognaNear Bolognacoastalwithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 4,856 residents · closest 62 min away
- The best towns with a serious restaurant that eat well within 90 minutes of RiminiNear Riminiwithin 90 minserious restauranteats well10 towns · smallest 996 residents · closest 17 min away
Featured on
Cesenatico appears on this themed pick from our Collections:
Similar
Towns like Cesenatico
What all six share with Cesenatico: on the Adriatic coast · over 10,000 people · near sea level · have a railway station in the comune
The letter
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Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
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