More than a place, Santarcangelo is an idea that you only discover it once you are here. Every day we move across towns and landscapes, and the decision to stop is due to a sensation; almost like a memory, suddenly before us as is tangibly as the present. Santarcangelo is like that, a space that is alive and that attunes itself to our eyes, our thoughts, like something that makes you feel better just by smelling it.
The town transforms itself and its citizens transform objects and experiences, artistic and poetic workshops, excellent craftsmanship that connects the past and the present, a subterranean, mysterious heritage - long corridors, niches, cave churches, simple storehouses, refuges, a labyrinth that leads you to a dead end, resurfacing in a different space from the one you entered from; centuries of traditional fairs and fun traditions like the horns that are hung on the Ganganelli Arch once a year in November, traditions like the Contemporary Theatre Festival (almost 50 years old!) and the arrival of Mutonia.
And if it is true that we are all ‘what we eat’, then what could describe us better then our bread? Our bread is called piadina.
It is an unleavened bread - a Mediterranean flatbread, like Greek pitas and Turkish dürüms - and made with oil instead of lard, more characteristic of northern cuisines; a piadina is the encounter of different cultures with a delicious result!
It is said that the piadina of Santarcangelo is halfway between the traditional one from Rimini and those found in Ravenna and Cesena; and so, we can define ourselves as the in-between land in Romagna, open and welcoming. Romagna itself is a crossroads, where centuries old carefree spirit, la dolce vita and cultural avant-gards, coexist in few square kilometres that are transformed by tastes, feasts, stories and histories continuously seeking the poetry of life. From the top of the hill in Santarcangelo you can see the long stretch of the sea, the hills of the beautiful Marecchia valley, and at the bottom the calm and sleepy river; in front the imposing Malatesta castle and, soon, you discover you are in a place that satiates the soul and saturates the eyes.
Visit Santarcangelo is not a guide, but a prompt to live these experiences, memories of art and life, unexpected in this town that looks like a village, but that displays its best side in attracting modern tourists and is welcoming in its manners, services and the attention it gives to its guests. Welcome to Santarcangelo.