Discover Il Monte: culture and countryside around Bertinoro

Il Monte is a cluster of houses within the municipal area of Bertinoro. Its name thus leads into the wider context of Bertinoro, where religious history, historic buildings, art and rural landscapes each offer a different perspective. When planning your trip, you can decide whether you would rather explore culture and traditions or focus on the landscape and activities. These options offer practical guidance when looking for a holiday rental in Il Monte.

Churches, the Rocca and artistic traces

The area around Bertinoro includes historic sites from different periods. The first reliably documented historical mention of the Santuario della Madonna del Lago dates from 1181. The Pieve di San Donato in Polenta, meanwhile, is associated with Dante and Carducci: Dante visited the Lombard church, and Carducci praised it. The first documentary mention of La Rocca dates to 995. These dates give the buildings and religious sites their own historical context, rather than reducing them to a single period.

The spaces and artworks around Bertinoro also bring together a range of themes. The Museo Interreligioso’s exhibition is housed in the medieval dungeons and the 16th-century cistern of the Rocca Vescovile. The Cattedrale di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria is a late-16th-century church in the Bramantesque style. The grounds of La Rocca include the Giardino del Revellino and the Corte interna – Belvedere di Dante. The Palazzo Ordelaffi houses the Sala del Popolo and the Sala Quadri.

The streets and their paintings offer another way to make the town’s history visible. The Strada della Vendemmia is about 100 metres long; since 2001, seven canvases created by local painters have been on permanent display there. In Bertinoro’s historic centre, the Strada dei Mestieri Scomparsi runs along Via Dolcini and Via delle Mura. The paintings, created since 2003, recall the town’s work, traditions and typical skills. Taken together, individual canvases and a series of street paintings represent two distinct artistic approaches.

Faith, wine and landscape

The Madonna del Lago tradition links a specific date with a procession: the feast is celebrated on the Sunday after Ascension Day, and the procession carries the image to Bertinoro Cathedral. A separate occasion is also documented for the Festa dell’Ospitalità 2025: the Rito at the Colonna degli Anelli was traditionally held on the first Sunday in September. These dates belong to different celebrations and should not be understood as the same event.

The wine tradition also has a clear historical milestone. In 1987, Albana became the first Italian white wine to receive DOCG recognition. Those more interested in the rural side of the area can find vineyards, olive groves and orchards, as well as ridgelines with sea views, on the Bertinoro Tour. In this way, urban culture and open countryside offer different focuses for a holiday.

For active days, guided cycling tours with local guides are available in the municipal area of Bertinoro, as are mountain bike and e-bike rentals. If these activities are important to your plans, confirm their availability before your trip. The Via Romea Germanica also passes through Fratta Terme, forming part of a European cultural and pilgrimage route through several countries and cities. The thermal baths of Fratta Terme are set in a 13-hectare park and have seven different thermal spring waters; check separately to confirm current operations.

When looking for a holiday rental in Il Monte, you can use these differences to help decide: would you rather focus your stay on churches, historic interiors and townscapes, or give greater priority to the landscape and cycling options? These themes are part of the area around Bertinoro or its municipal territory, and offer different possibilities without forming a single, unified programme.

Discover more destinations: Rocca San Casciano, Premilcuore, Longiano, Montiano, Gambettola, Civitella Di Romagna, San Mauro Pascoli, Forlimpopoli

For the main travel overview: Forlì-Cesena.