Cesena - Main Sights

Main Sights

Cesena's monuments include:

• the Abbey of St Maria del Monte.
• the Malatestian Fortress (Rocca Malatestiana), built by Cardinal Albornoz (from 1380) over a pre-existing edifice which had hosted, among the others, Frederick Barbarossa and his nephew Frederick II. It was completed by the Papal governor Lorenzo Zane in 1480, and was used by Cesare Borgia as jail for Caterina Sforza. It is octagonal, with two main towers, the higher maschio and the lower foemina
• the Piazza del Popolo
• the Biblioteca Malatestiana, the first public library in Europe, listed in UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
• the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.
• The Pinacoteca Comunale is housed in what was once a Benedictine monastery.
• The Galleria dei dipinti antichi della Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena is housed in what was once a Celestine monastery.
• The Teatro Alessandro Bonci.