Town of Cesena

I have been going to Cesena for years due to family connections and over the years it's been "duty visits" but as I've got older I have learnt to appreciate this medieval walled city and all she has to offer.


Cesena offers many different things to a variety of travellers so I will go through the list I have and hopefully something will appeal to you.


If you're a "culture-vulture" the ...
...(tourist information office) on the Piazza del Popolo where you will find all the leaflets, booklets and maps you could want - and they're in English, French, German, Spanish and (of course) Italian. The other thing you may find is an extremely helpful guy called Paolo - if he's working on the day you visit.


Places to visit and things to know about Cesena. Cesena is built on three hills and can boast the oldest public library ... more

I have been going to Cesena for years due to family connections and over the years it's been "duty visits" but as I've got older I have learnt to appreciate this medieval walled city and all she has to offer.

Cesena offers many different things to a variety of travellers so I will go through the list I have and hopefully something will appeal to you.

If you're a "culture-vulture" the first place you should head for is the I.A.T. Office (tourist information office) on the Piazza del Popolo where you will find all the leaflets, booklets and maps you could want - and they're in English, French, German, Spanish and (of course) Italian. The other thing you may find is an extremely helpful guy called Paolo - if he's working on the day you visit.

Places to visit and things to know about Cesena. Cesena is built on three hills and can boast the oldest public library in Italy. The Malatesta Novello Library (Biblioteca Malatestiana on the Piazza Bufalini) was completed in 1452 by architect Matteo Nuti - the original idea coming from Novello Malatesta. Because Malatesta was a humanitarian the Malatestiana Library is classed as "humanist" and has preserved the "structure, fittings and codex's since it opened more than 550 years ago" and is the only "humanist" library in the world.

A short walk from the library you will find "La Rocca". "La Rocca Malatestiana" was built in 1380 by Cardinal Albornoz and completed in 1480 by Lorenzo Zane who was the Papal Governor. Its octagonal shape has two main towers - the higher tower being male (maschio) and the lower tower being female (femina) - which houses the Agricultural Museum. There are two ways of getting to "La Rocca" - you can either use the steps (and there's quite a few of them) or the other option is taking a gentle stroll uphill. I've done both and my preference is the gentle uphill stroll followed by walking down the steps. I have taken the "gentle stroll" up to "La Rocca" recently - please note - the gradient uphill is steeper than I remembered and I would suggest taking a bottle of water with you if, like me, you're not the fittest person in the world. Once you get over the first part though you'll turn a right-handed corner and the uphill walk is a lot easier. You can walk around the outer walls of "La Rocca" and during the summer months you can go inside the building though it is closed on a Sunday morning (it opens for a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon). If you come down the steps from "La Rocca" - turn right when you come through the gate you will find yourself heading towards the Piazza del Popolo again and you will find the Masini Fountain - another gem from Renaissance Italy - and nearly opposite the I.A.T. office.

The Alessandro Bonci Theatre is a must see as it has been totally refurbished inside - the theatre is absolutely stunning and according to my grandmother - "totally different from when I acted there when I was younger". The refurbishment has taken quite a few years to complete and it has been interesting to watch the changes happen and see the difference the refurbishment has made. The outside of the theatre is now being refurbished so all you can see at the moment, from the outside, is a covered building though the doors are uncovered as the theatre is in use. You can go into the theatre for a tour during the day. The theatre produces operas and dramas and I remember Lucianno Pavarotti has even appeared there (though I didn't see him). To the right-hand side of the theatre (as you're looking at it) there is a bar called Bar Degli Artisti run by a very friendly couple who make great cappuccino's. It's a small bar and is open during the day only but it's a great place to stop for your morning coffee.

If you take a walk around the city you will find plaques on the walls of buildings that are in Italian, German and English that explains the significance of the building - I have come across these over the years though I couldn't tell you the street names as I know where the buildings are but not the streets they are on. This is where the local tourist information office will come in handy.

Historically - Cesena has produced three Popes - these were: Giovan Angelo Braschi who became Pope Pious VI (1800-23), then Pious VII Chiaramonti (1823-29) and finally Pious VIII Castiglioni (1829-30) who was actually born in Marche but was a former Bishop of Cesena.

Walkers/ramblers & cyclists - there is a walk called "Il Corso Di Jesu" where you have the option to walk 5km or 10km. I have walked the 5km circuit - you will find some steep hills and some not so steep hills and the views when you get to a higher level are amazing. To access the walk you have to walk down Via Don Giovanni Minzoni and halfway down, on the left hand side of the street you will find a signpost pointing you in the right direction. Also on this street is an ice-cream parlour - which is an ideal place to head after your walk and the bonus is there's no guilt because you will have just completed at least a 5km walk!!
Cycling is taken very seriously in Cesena with the hills and mountains offering challenges to all cyclists. There has even been a stage of the Giro di Italia starting here at least a couple of times in the past three years. Please note - I have checked the internet for this years stages and there won't be a stage starting in Cesena this year - 2007. If you're into mountain biking you will find both easy and difficult mountain bike routes on the outskirts of Cesena in the Forli-Cesena Province.

Food & Drink - If you like hot chocolate and/or ice-cream there is a bar called "ll Capitano" where you can try 32 different flavours of hot chocolate either in drink form or fondue. These flavours range from the classic hot chocolate through to hot chocolate with fruit - as my daughter is a chocoholic this is her favourite place to go. I prefer the ice-cream and I was able to eat ice-cream last October 2006 (as the autumn was extremely mild). I am slowly working my way through all the flavours they have at "Il Capitano" but my favourite so far is the nutella ice-cream - it is crema (cream flavoured) with nutella chocolate running through it. I expected the nutella to be frozen but in fact the chocolate was soft and melts in the mouth - delicious!!
My favourite restaurant is called "3 Papi" which is located on the Piazza del Popolo where you will find a choice of over 70 different pizza toppings or choose from the restaurant menu. Whichever you choose the food is great so you're in a win-win situation. The restaurant has a lunchtime menu called "Menu Turistico" costing EU15 - and for that you will get: first course, second course, vegetables, salad or potatoes, 1/2 litre of water. 1/4 litre of wine and coffee. Please note that there is a cover charge of EU1 Pizzeria and EU1.30 Restaurant and they are closed on Monday's.

Another good restaurant is called "La Stalla" on Via Lugaresi 81. If you're into fish this is the place to go as they serve a lot of fish dishes but they are not limited to serving just fish - they too have an extensive menu which includes pizza's. Though for me it's their desserts that are excellent - try their dessert called Mimosa - it is mascarpone cheese on a sponge base and small sponge cubes on the outside - it is absolutely yummy!! "La Stalla" is open everyday at lunchtime and in the evening though they are closed on Saturday lunchtime's only.

My favourite bar is called "Caffe Ina" on Via Garibaldi which has a Moroccan feel to it. The staff are very friendly and welcoming - they will even try to speak to you in English if they know you're English. Around lunchtime and in the early evenings there is usually food on the bar - which you help yourself to though they also sell panini's, sandwiches and sweet pastries which are freshly made daily. For any smokers - there is a covered seating area outside the bar where you can smoke and the staff will come to your table to take your order. Please note it is probably a good idea to get to the bar early in the evening (8.30pm-9.00pm) if you want a seat outside as this bar does get quite busy.

Shopping - not only will you find shops with names you have heard of such as Swarovski, Foot Locker and United Colours of Benetton but you will also find intimate little boutiques offering one off creations, jewellery shops where you have to ring the bell to gain entrance right through to a 99 cent shop. The best shopping days are Wednesday and Saturday as these are the days when the outdoor market is in full swing on the Piazza del Popolo. The busier of these markets is Saturday as there are more stalls and, of course, more people. You can buy everything from pots and pans to clothes to shoes to sweets and biscuits - and there are a few bars in and around the Piazza del Popolo so you can always take a break from going round the market. There is an indoor market as well which is on everyday bar Sunday where locals go to buy their produce, meat, cheese and plants. There are other shops inside including a bar so again you can take a break from shopping - how civilised!! You will find this market a few doors down from the I.A.T. office on the Piazza del Popolo.

How to get there - we fly from Stansted using a low cost airline direct to Bologna airport (year round) or Rimini airport (part of the year). Cesena is about an hour's drive from Bologna (dependant on the traffic) or you can get a train direct to Cesena and from Rimini it is about a 30/40 minute car journey though you can also get to Cesena by bus or train from Rimini. The other option from both airports is to hire a car.

I realise I have rated all the specific criteria as excellent but in all honestly I go to Cesena on average about 3 times a year and she is very close to my heart and although I believe I have been objective in writing this review I may have been a little biased.
 

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