The hill Garampo has always been occupied by a military building, which has been erected more and more close to the town till the present Fortress. After a Roman building, two more castles have been settled, but later dismantled. After the horrifing 'Sack of the Bretons' (1377), eventually, the present fortress took its place. The works lasted quite a hundred years and were not over yet when Malatesta Novello died (1465). After the Malatesta, the Rocca was centre of power under Cesare Borgia and also a military building under the Popes. The Malatesta Fortress has to be considered a monument of great value, especially as a military one. It has an irregular pentagonal shape, with five towers at the corners and two more, all of different shapes and sections. The visit begins at the entrance door, placed in a wall of 12 meters. The "corte" is today only a simple meadow and is dominated by the two inside towers, the highest 'mastio' or 'maschio' (=man) (which hosts an exposition of Malatestian Ceramics) and the lowest 'palatium' or 'femmina' (=woman)(seat of Museum of Agriculture). Of great interest also the track on the walls and inside them.
Since the Romans the hill Garampo has hosted a defensive building, which has changed throughout the centuries and has moved towards the plain until the present position, almost a precipice on the town.
Following a legend which unfortunately no reports can suffragate, a Roman “arce” should be located about three hundred meters south. However the first castle is known since 565, but already around 900 it should have been dismantled. At those times a new fortress, which today we know as Old Fortress (Rocca Vecchia), is erected, more or less between the old castle and the present one, beside the ancient Cathedral of St John. This building (of which today some remains are still visible and are called "owl's eyes") hosted Frederick Red Beard (who gave it a massive tower) and, in 1241, Frederick II of Svevia (who enlarged it).
In 1357 the Old Fortress saw one of the most famous events in the history of Cesena, when the brave Cia degli Ordelaffi, wife of the Lord of Forlì, defended heroically the stronghold from the assaults of Cardinal Albornoz, later winner.
After the awful “Sack of the Bretons” (1377), which almost destroyed it and forced the new Lords, the Malatestas, to build a new one. The architects choosed a position closer to the town and, around 1380, Galeotto Malatesta declared the works open. His successors (Andrea Malatesta, Carlo and then Malatesta Novello) carried on the construction and made it the last defense of Cesena (thanks to a passage, today a ruin, the lords could reach the fortress and be safe). Novello made debts for finishing the fortress, but when he died (1465) the works (which were directed by Matteo Nuti from Fano) were not over yet. They came to an end only in 1480, under the Pope. The new fortress became seat of the power of Cesare Borgia and in 1502 Leonardo controlled it. It defended Cesena from pope Julius II, but was conquered in 1504 and then in 1527 when the Lansquenets of Charles V passed here on their way to Rome. For centuries the fortress continued to make its duty of defensive baluard of Cesena (with lord and soldiers) and its entrance followed a winding path coming up from the Piazza Maggiore (now disappeared).
During the French time the fortress underwent a lot of modifications: the crenellations were cut, the spheristery was open and the "female" tower ("palatium") was turned into a prison (until 1970).
After the First World War, the bare slopes of Garampo hosted the Thanksgiving Park (Parco della Rimembranza), the ideal access to the stronghold. In 1974, then the former prisons hosted the Museum of the Country Life, later Museum of Agricultural History, whereas the "male" tower ("mastio") is seat today of an interesting exhibiton of ceramics.
Today, with the recover of the walkings inside the walls and of the air-raid shelters along Viale Mazzoni, the Fortress maintains its peculiarity of amazing place of culture, and of show and art as well: e.g., in Summer, it hosted the greater concerts of Cesena.
The ways you can reach the entrance to this monument of great artistic and militar interest, whose shape is pentagonal but irregular, with five towers at the corners (plus two smaller ones along the walls and a third, hypothetical) having different shapes. Coming from Piazza del Popolo, after passing the arch of access to the citadel one called "Murata", and climbing Salita Matteo Nuti and Via Malatesta Novello, you get to Porta Montanara, which was open here in 1625 (the ancient is still visible on the wall of the spheristery). On the gate, a tablet remembers Renato Serra (1884-1915), great writer who dedicated some wonderful words to this part of his home town. Beside you can see the so-called “owl's eyes", i.e. the ruins of the Rocca Vecchia. Then, the spheristery. This space hosted once the ancient Cathedral, before being given a high wall and being levelled during the French time. In 1800's it was used for matches of "palla al bracciale" (sort of "pelota basca"). If you get closer to the wall, you will admire another tablet with Serra's words and the place where some partisans were shot during the War (3/9/44).
The main entrance to the stronghold is the part of it which had more to be defended; so the wall is 12 meters broad in this point! When you come in, you can see the “court” on your left, today a meadow, with the two central towers in the middle. The one called “mastio” or “maschio” ("male") is high and should be the residence of the lord of the castle and his family. The “palatium” or “femmina” ("female") is shorter and hosted rooms for receiving appointments.
This stronghold detains some features which make it hugely interesting as far as military life is concerned. For example, of great interest the way in which “mastio” and “palatium” were linked in the past, together or to the walls, by little bridges: this allowed the two towers to be defended also in the case of conquest of the court, or to reach the walking on the walls, in the same case. The walls are cave inside and the soldiers could try an ultimate defence from there (the walkings inside are today open to visitors). After having seen, as the only element which breaks the linearity of the walls inside, an amazing lodge and, on the right, the old entrance to the fortress, you can reach the top of the walls and admire the terrific view that it offers.
The track begins on the tower of south-west, circular; from here the look goes from the first hills of the Appennine to Bertinoro and Monte Maggio. Walking to the right, you reach the western tower, poligonal, and then the north-western one, which has circular shape and is smaller than the others. From here you can see both the centre of the town and the sea-line, with the skyscrapers of Cervia and Milano Marittima, and Cesenatico to help you in finding the directions. The tower of north-east is due to Matteo Nuti and is the most recent and better preserved of all. The best way to appreciate it is coming from the Park, thus noting the coat of arms of pope Paul II and of the Governor Lorenzo Zane (1460-70), as well as the tablet recalling Matteo Nuti. The eastern walking allows an amazing view of the Abbey of S. Maria del Monte and leads to the tower of south-east, pentagonal, over the modern entrance to the monument.
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