Cesenatico Canal Harbour

The real commercial and tourist heart of Cesenatico is the Porto Canale.

The harbour is one of the most picturesque spots in the town; you can see the many boats that make up the town’s fishing fleet moored there, as well as Cesenatico’s prestigious restaurants and hotels overlooking the harbour.

It was precisely around the harbour and its importance that the entire town developed; its origins date back to around the year 1300, but it was in 1502 that the project for the present-day Cesenatico Canal Harbour was realised, designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

In the notes from the notebook of the greatest master of all time, one can read the details relating to this design; Leonardo was commissioned by the Borgias for this work, and his notes contain all the drawings of the area produced by the master from various vantage points.

The most serious problem for Leonardo was to resolve the silting up of the channel’s mouth, a problem he solved by enlarging the basins connected to the channel and constructing palisades that allowed only water to pass through.

In 2005, renovation work was carried out on the Cesenatico Canal Harbour, and ‘Vinciane gates’ were installed to close off the canal in the event of high tide.

The Cesenatico Maritime Museum is now based at the Canale harbour.

Hotels near Cesenatico’s Porto Canale are waiting to welcome you with holiday packages centred around the flavours of the sea, entertainment and culture.