Surroundings

Gabicce Mare is the the entrance to the protected area of ​​the Monte San Bartolo park. Several panoramic terraces make up the Gabicce Monte route, where you can admire a breathtaking seascape. A seaside town that offers delicious fish restaurants along its entire canal and not only. While inside it offers places with musical atmospheres that invite you to taste the gastronomic specialties of the place including the famous 'Rustida'. A suggestive panoramic road climbs up to Gabicce Monte; on the ruins of the ancient castle and the kilns of the famous Lanfranco who first decorated the ceramics with pure gold, there are welcoming typical rooms. The history of the territory is mainly linked to Gabicce Monte; the small nucleus of houses around Piazza Valbruna remains of the ancient village.

The Rocca di Gradara and its Fortified Village represent one of the best preserved medieval structures in Italy and the two walls that protect the Fortress, the external one which extends for almost 800 meters, also make it one of the most impressive and breathtaking. Gradara is located in an area rich in olive trees, vineyards and an ancient culinary tradition. The typical trattorias and restaurants of Gradara offer excellent Marche-Romagna cuisine, where you can enjoy dishes from both gastronomic traditions. The main event in Gradara is "Siege of the Castle", the historical re-enactment of the terrible siege of 1446, when Francesco Sforza and Federico da Montefeltro tried for 43 days to conquer the castle of Gradara. The re-enactment takes place on the penultimate weekend of July and is opened by a great pyromusical show.

Nowadays, San Giovanni in Marignano is the entrace of the Valconca, Gabicce Mare’s beaches are near and the city is surrounded by hills. Today, San Giovanni is still a living village all year long thanks to many famous events. First of all the most famous: “Notte delle Streghe”, the Ancient Fair of “Santa Lucia”, The New Years’ Eve of Wine and many other important events organised by twenty societies of the territory, sportive, cultural, musical and social organisations. San Giovanni also offers different options for its visitors: luxury brands outlets, but also natural routes, by foot, by horse, by bike and gastronomic experiences between the many cellars and mills of the village.

The village rises 420 meters above sea level, on the border between Romagna and Marche. Its location has influenced the structure and its history, characterized by a succession of different dominations between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries. The historic center mantains its sixteenth-century layout, when the walls were renovated and enlarged. Narrow and elongated on the ridge, it is crossed by a main street and two side streets, which start from Piazza Maggiore at the north-eastern end. In this square, in the nineteenth century, a portico was built; Behind it, there are the oldest buildings of the castle: the Malatesta fortress (14th century), a polygonal tower and the Porta Marina, which still constitutes the driveway. About halfway along the main street there is the Church of S. Michele Arcangelo, rebuilt in the eighteenth century and beyond, the convent of the Poor Clares, dating back to the early decades of the seventeenth century.

Montefiore is the medieval capital of the Conca Valley and one of the favorite villages of the Malatesti Lordship. It is no coincidence that Montefiore is part of the prestigious circuit of the "most beautiful villages in Italy". The fortress stands on a promontory from which the view can embrace the coast from Fano to Ravenna. Montefiore is proud of its oil production. The position of its olive groves is enviable and the oil that comes out is robust and with a well-defined taste. The production of cheeses with absolute respect for natural production by the “Buon Pastore” farm is also excellent. In autumn, local chestnuts can be bought at the town shops, a fruit to which the “Chestnut Festival” is dedicated every year on Sundays in October.

Going up the Valley, after a few kilometers from the sea, you can see a landscape of many hills, typical of this "extreme strip of Romagna". Gradually the hill becomes greener and richer in olive groves and vineyards, small rural areas and inhabited centers: from here the profile of the village of Saludecio appears clearly on a ridge of which the bell towers, the tower and the Malatesta walls surrounded by a thick band of lime trees and conifers. Saludecio, which from the 1500s to the 1800s became the most important town in this part of the Conca Valley, is a small capital where refined palaces and small village houses have created a popular and noble style at the same time, which it’s kept intact to this day. Every year in May, in addition to the celebrations of May 8th, the feast of the Blessed, patron Saint of Saludecio, an important event is organized dedicated to the figure of the Blessed and to Franciscan traditions: "The Pilgrim of the stars" with conferences, themed shows , itineraries for the Hospitale, the birthplace of the Blessed, which is now a Rest Home.Saludecio, che a partire dal ‘500 fino all’ ‘800 è divenuta la cittadina più importante di questa parte della Valconca, è una piccola capitale dove palazzi raffinati e piccole case di borgo hanno creato uno stile popolare e nobile allo stesso tempo, che si è mantenuto intatto fino ai nostri giorni. Ogni anno nel mese di maggio, oltre ai festeggiamenti dell’8 maggio, festa del Beato, patrono di Saludecio, si organizza un importante evento dedicato alla figura del Beato ed alle tradizioni francescane: “ Il Pellegrino delle stelle” con convegni, spettacoli a tema, itinerari per l’Hospitale, la casa natale del Beato, oggi Casa di Riposo.