At a glance
- Municipality: Pesaro (hamlet)
- Altitude: 177 metres
- Distance from Vallugola: 3 km as the crow flies, 4 km by car on the SP 44
- Distance from Pesaro: 12 km
- Access to the historic centre: pedestrian, car park at the village entrance
- Recognitions: Borghi più Belli d'Italia (2023), beach among the 40 most beautiful in Europe per the Guardian (2019)
- Visiting time for the village: 1-2 hours
- Best period: spring and autumn for the village, summer for the beach
Dante's citation
In Canto XXVIII of the Inferno, Pier da Medicina foretells a murder at sea off Cattolica and recalls the Focara wind, known for centuries to Adriatic seafarers as a wind that could put poorly anchored vessels in trouble:
...al vento di Focara non sarà lor mestier voto né preco.
On the ancient castle gate at the village entrance, a plaque carries Dante's lines. It is one of Fiorenzuola's signature features and welcomes visitors arriving in the village.
What to see
The castle gate and the walls
The castle gate is the main entrance to the village, with the Dantean plaque on the arch. Substantial stretches of the original pentagonal walls survive, with three of the five original bastions still visible. Short stretches of the walls are walkable and look out over the cliff.
The ruins of the Church of Sant'Andrea
Of the original twelfth-century church, only the bell tower with its working clock remains today — one of the village's visual landmarks. The ruins of the nave open onto a broad belvedere over the coast, from which on clear days the view reaches the Ravenna coast to the north and the Conero to the south.
The Luigi Sorbini Palaeontological Museum
Housed in the former Town Hall of Fiorenzuola. It holds the fossils recovered from the San Bartolo cliff: fish, plants, insects, and a fossil dragonfly that won the national "Fossili Regionali" competition. Open with seasonal hours, it offers guided tours and educational activities.
The belvedere
Facing the ruins of the church, it is one of the widest viewpoints in the park. From this natural terrace the eye takes in the whole Fiorenzuola beach, the cliff in all its extent and the distant coastlines.
The beach of Fiorenzuola
Below the village, at the foot of the cliff, lies the pebble beach included by the Guardian among Europe's 40 most beautiful. It has no services and is reached only on foot via the Sentiero dell'Amore (177 m elevation change, 20-30 minutes down) or by the summer shuttle running in July and August.
For details on access, the shuttle, equipment and the best period, see the dedicated page: Beach of Fiorenzuola di Focara.
Annual events
Dantean readings (September). Each year the village hosts a marathon reading of the Divine Comedy, organised by the Associazione Focara per Dante, in the most evocative places of the castle.
Borgoprese (December). Display of nativity scenes along the streets of the castle, set inside buoys, fish-traps, shells, tree trunks and other elements of the local seafaring tradition.
How to get to Fiorenzuola from Vallugola
By car. Strada della Vallugola uphill to the SP 44 Panoramica, then the Panoramica southbound for about 3 km, turn-off for Fiorenzuola di Focara. Car park at the village entrance, pedestrian access to the centre. Time: 15 minutes.
On foot. From the harbour of Vallugola, path 151d uphill, path 151 southbound along the ridge, path 155 down to the village. Time: around 2 hours, total elevation 200 metres.
By bicycle. Along the SP 44 Panoramica. On Sunday mornings in high season the road is closed to traffic.
What to see nearby
- Vallugola at 3 km: harbour, bay and beach
- Casteldimezzo at 2 km: village with the Sanctuary of the Crucifix and the Devil's Peak
- Gabicce Monte at 5 km: belvedere and panoramic restaurants
- Pesaro at 12 km: Rossini's city, museums and Villa Imperiale
- Gradara at 11 km: medieval fortress of Paolo and Francesca
