What is Portico e San Benedetto known for?

Portico e San Benedetto is a three-tier medieval borgo at 309 meters on the Montone river, capital of Florence's Romagna territories from 1386.

Where is Portico e San Benedetto?

Portico e San Benedetto is a comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna.

When is the best time to visit Portico e San Benedetto?

Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.

Is there a sagra or a festival in Portico e San Benedetto?

Yes. Sagra della Tagliatella. August is when the first of them falls.

Which other towns are like Portico e San Benedetto?

Montegridolfo, Guardialfiera and Corfinio.

Emilia-Romagna · Forlì-Cesena

Portico e San Benedetto

A three-tier medieval borgo on the Montone river, capital of Florence's Romagna territories from 1386.

Known for

DANTE'S BEATRICE
Palazzo Portinari preserves the tradition that Beatrice's family lived here, on the medieval road between Florence and Romagna.
ACQUACHETA
Waterfall on the Acquacheta torrent, named by Dante in Inferno XVI, twelve kilometers up the Montone from Portico.
FLORENTINE CAPITAL
Capital of the Republic of Florence's Romagna territories from 1386, the reason for the three-tier medieval urban structure.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

J9°
F12°
M13°
A16°
M20°
J26°
J30°
A29°
S24°
O20°
N13°
D11°

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Giacomo il Maggiore, 25 July

Why come

The Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines place the borgo forty-five kilometers north of Florence and sixty southeast of Bologna, on the Montone river. The upper part holds the castle and the parish church, the middle the noble palazzi along Via Roma, the lower the artisan houses built vertically over four floors: a layout that follows the slope down from fortress to workshop. Twelve kilometers upriver, the frazione of San Benedetto in Alpe holds the ruins of the abbey and the waterfall, joining the seat of Florentine administration to a stretch of the same valley given over to monastic settlement and to the poem that named its sound.

The municipality lies inside the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi and carries the Bandiera Arancione. What holds the two ends of the valley together is the Montone itself: one town built in tiers to govern the river's lower course, one abbey and one waterfall marking its upper reaches, twelve kilometers and several centuries apart but read here as a single territory.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Portico e San Benedetto’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.

How to get there

From Bologna (BLQ), about 1h 35m by car.

Rimini (RMI) is about 1h 38m away.

By car from the centre of Florence 1h 12m.

Coming by train into Forlì? Portico e San Benedetto is about 40 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Bologna airport.

What to see

Centro storico di Portico
The slope divides into castle quarter above, noble palazzi along Via Roma at mid-level, and artisan houses built vertically below.
Palazzo Portinari
Fourteenth-century palace on Via Roma, by tradition the residence of Folco Portinari's family.
Cascata dell'Acquacheta
The torrent falls among rocks near San Benedetto in Alpe, the muffled roar the detail Dante fixed in Inferno XVI.
Abbazia di San Benedetto in Alpe
Tenth-century Benedictine abbey at 485 meters in the upper Montone valley, where San Romualdo stayed before founding Camaldoli.
Ponte della Maestà
Stone bridge over the Montone at the entrance to Portico, medieval in origin and rebuilt several times after Apennine floods.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Portico e San Benedetto fits in a slow Italy circuit.

Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.

Plan your trip

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Sagra della Tagliatellafood festival
usually held in August. Sagre in Romagna

Living here

Population 723
In-betweeni
Pharmacy in town
Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
Nearest airport Bologna, 1 h 35 min drive
Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 37 min drive

Common questions

What is Portico e San Benedetto known for?: Portico e San Benedetto is a three-tier medieval borgo at 309 meters on the Montone river, capital of Florence's Romagna territories from 1386.
Where is Portico e San Benedetto?: Portico e San Benedetto is a comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna.
What is the nearest airport to Portico e San Benedetto?: Bologna (BLQ), about 1h 35m by car.
How long is the drive from Florence to Portico e San Benedetto?: About 1h 12m by car.
When is the best time to visit Portico e San Benedetto?: Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 30 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 16 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Portico e San Benedetto?: Yes. Sagra della Tagliatella. August is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Portico e San Benedetto?: Montegridolfo, Guardialfiera and Corfinio.
How many people live in Portico e San Benedetto?: 723 at the 2023 count.

Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

Recognised as

The numbers

Elevation: 309 m
Population: 723
Surface area: 61.05 km²

On the map

Google Maps Apple Maps Directions from Forlì

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.

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