old town from Santarcangelo. Built when Poggio Berni was the administrative centre of a vast agricultural area, it is one of the best-preserved fortresses in the seignory and has magnificent 14th-century walls.
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Tourist information
Poggio Berni Town Hall via Roma, 25
tel. +39 0541 629701 fax +39 0541 688098 [email protected]
www.comune.poggio-berni.rn.it Poggio Berni Pro Loco Association Via Roma, 7
tel. +39 340 8915247 fax +39 0541 629683 [email protected]
www.prolocopoggioberni.rn.it
don’t miss
Palazzo Marcosanti 13th century Now a prestigious hotel and
restaurant, it was once known as the “Tomba di Poggio Berni”, a mediaeval name given to fortified country residences. The bastions at the corners of the building are proof of its former role. It is one of the best-preserved Malatesta sites and dominates the Uso and Marecchia valleys. It has two 14th-century Gothic portals; the internal one has a
chessboard, the Malatesta coat of arms.
Palazzo Tosi 14th century An interesting noble residence once owned
by the Malatesta. Over the centuries it has undergone extensive renovation without losing its defensive nature, evident thanks to its compact and solid walls with characteristic openings
Palazzo Borghesi The noble Marcosanti family turned this into a
sumptuous villa. Today it has an 18th-century chapel, a large park
and precious 19th-century frescoes.
Palazzo Astolfi 18th century A charming residence built at the end
of the 18th century by a high-ranking prelate who left his archbishop’s
insignia on its walls. Its mediaeval foundations can be seen in the cellar, where there is also an olive press. The rooms are decorated with authentic frescoes and the kitchen has a large oven. Today it is an elegant accommodation facility and holiday farm.
Church of Sant’Andrea Apostole 16th century On the right as the
on the previous page
courtyard of Palazzo Marcosanti
on the right
milling room at the Sapignoli Mill Museum
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road climbs towards the centre, it boasts a 17th-century altarpiece by
the Romagna school with Our Lady and Saints and other pieces by contemporary local artists.
Piazza San Rocco In the heart of the old town it is worth visiting if
only for the fountain by local poet Tonino Guerra. It is called the “Fountain of Memory” and recalls ammonite fossil deposits, like the one reconstructed at the base of the monument.
Sapignoli Mill Museum Recently renovated it is now a museum
celebrating the art of milling and it can even be seen in action. The museum narrates how important the area was for the Malatesta as a reserve for their economic power and in particular, as the breadbasket of the seignory. A splendid building and gateway to the “Marecchia Valley Mill Route” it has several exhibition rooms in the former storerooms and stables, as well as a large millstone room. It also has a beautiful park covering over 5,000 m².
Moroni Mill In an area with a wealth of buildings linked to the art of
milling this mill, which is situated along the river, is still in perfect working order.
Cava Park Dedicated to the fossil deposits that came to light in the
Marecchia river bed this is a theme and educational park that has also made it possible to recover the quarry. The thousands of artefacts found here include fish fossils dating from 3 million years ago, including some species now only found in the tropical part of the Indian Ocean.
don’t forget
The waterway that produced energy
Thanks to its position, with hills descending to the river, Poggio Berni has the peculiarity of boasting some ancient mills that are fortunately still in working order. Once extremely common, many mills have been turned into residential buildings or have been destroyed, but the area still has more than elsewhere. Two are still in working order and one has recently been turned into a museum narrating the history of places that were once so important to the local community. These buildings were powered by water drawn from ditches adjacent to the Marecchia river and used to mill wheat and other grains to obtain various types of flour. As mentioned, they were once fundamental not only from an economic point of view, but also in anthropological and social terms as many farming activities and rites were linked to them. In order to understand just how much of an architectural and technological masterpiece mills are, suffice to visit Sapignoli Mill,
which is now home to the Molinology Museum and houses a children’s
library. It is surrounded by a delightful park designed to host visits and parties. Seeing the water push through the gear mechanism, the millstone turn and the flour fall is like taking a journey into the past, whilst the large portico and thick walls remind us that what was produced here gave the community its livelihood and had to be well protected. Moroni Mill can also be visited, subject to booking at the municipal offices. It has a fully-functioning mechanism that has been operational since 1955. The water from the river that once powered five mills comes along what is known as Viserba canal. Although, as mentioned, few mills are in working order, the signs of their presence or what remains of them, indicate recurring types throughout the Marecchia valley.