Open today
Rocca delle Caminate
The castle is located on a hill, 356 metres above sea level, in the municipality of Meldola in Romagna: you can experience the cultural, historical and educational itinerary consisting of 23 information points thanks to the Rocca delle Caminate app, compatible with IOS and Android systems, which you can download onto your smartphone.
The app turns your smartphone into an audio guide that accompanies visitors. At the end of the last information point, you can watch a 23-minute video that retraces the historical stages of the fortress with particular reference to the 20th century. What happened, in fact, between 1924 and 1927? The Rocca delle Caminate was demolished and completely rebuilt in neo-medieval style.
Two faceted brick ramparts on either side of a small curtain wall remained as evidence of the ancient fortress. It is located 4 kilometres from Predappio and 16 kilometres from Forlì. Its fame derives from the fact that it was the summer residence of Benito Mussolini in the 1930s. Two hypotheses have
been made on the origin of the name given to the fortress. According to the first, the Caminate could be the patrol paths that encircled the walls of the ancient fortress; according to another hypothesis, instead, the name could derive from the large number of rooms with fireplaces, i.e., heated.
Today, a palio is held every year to commemorate the battles between the Belmonti, Malatesta and Ordelaffi families, a medieval arts exhibition (e.g. archery, falconry, medieval
fencing) and the Rocca is the site of the arrival of the annual Predappio-Rocca delle Caminate hill-climb car race, valid for the Italian Mountain North Cup.