Pennabilli and the poet Tonino Guerra

Distance from Riccione: 55 km
By car: ~60 minutes via SS258 Marecchiese, following the Valmarecchia
By public transport: limited connections, car recommended
Recommended duration: half a day (1.5-2 hours for the open-air museum + village)
Entry to the Places of the Soul: free, every day 9:00-19:00
Ideal for: couples, lovers of poetry and art, those seeking silence and beauty
Directions: Open route on Google Maps

Pennabilli is the place where the poet and screenwriter Tonino Guerra chose to spend the last thirty years of his life, transforming a small village in the upper Valmarecchia into his "paradise lost and then found again." At 55 km from Riccione, an hour's drive along one of the most beautiful roads in the Romagna hinterland, Pennabilli is the opposite of the Riviera: silence, stone, forgotten fruit trees and poetic installations hidden among narrow lanes. Its open-air museum "I Luoghi dell'Anima" (The Places of the Soul), 7 outdoor installations scattered through the village and the valley, is free and open every day. It is the perfect destination for anyone who wants to step away from the beach entirely and immerse themselves in something different, slow and unexpected.

How to get to Pennabilli from Riccione

From Riccione, Pennabilli is reached in about 60 minutes by car along the SS258 Marecchiese, the same road that leads to San Leo. From Rimini you follow the Valmarecchia through Verucchio, Pietracuta and Novafeltria, a scenic route through hills, villages and rock formations that is an integral part of the experience. Pennabilli lies 20 km beyond San Leo, which makes combining the two destinations natural and convenient.

Parking is free in the lower part of town. The old town is small and entirely pedestrian, everything can be reached on foot in 15-20 minutes. Public transport is limited, a car is strongly recommended.

Tonino Guerra: the poet who chose Pennabilli

Tonino Guerra (Santarcangelo di Romagna, 1920 – Santarcangelo di Romagna, 2012) was one of the greatest screenwriters in Italian and international cinema. He worked with Federico Fellini (Amarcord, And the Ship Sails On), Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow-Up, Red Desert), Andrei Tarkovsky (Nostalgia) and Theo Angelopoulos (Ulysses' Gaze). But he was also a poet, painter and ceramicist, a total artist who always maintained a deep bond with his native Romagna.

At seventy, after a life spent between Rome, the capitals of cinema and the world, Guerra chose Pennabilli as the place to settle. In his Casa dei Mandorli (Via Tonino Guerra 1, built against the rocky outcrop of the Penna castle) he lived and worked until his death. From here came the Places of the Soul, his most personal and poetic legacy, an open-air museum that transformed an unknown village into a unique cultural destination.

The Places of the Soul: Tonino Guerra's open-air museum

The Places of the Soul are an open-air museum made up of 7 installations winding through the old town of Pennabilli and two hamlets in the Valmarecchia. This is not a traditional museum with a ticket desk and walls: it is an outdoor trail where art, poetry and nature intertwine in the corners of the village. Entry is free and the installations are open every day from 9:00 to 19:00.

The Garden of Forgotten Fruits (Via San Filippo 1, in the Missionary Friars' convent) is perhaps the best-loved spot: a garden-museum that gathers species of fruit trees that have disappeared from the Apennine countryside, including the biricoccolo, the azarole, the limoncello apple, the verdino fig, the marasca cherry, the jujube and many more. Among the trees stand installations by local artists and artisans. The most significant presence is the Mulberry of Peace, planted personally by the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet on 15 June 1994 during his visit to Pennabilli.

The Sanctuary of Thoughts (Via San Rocco), within the walls of the ancient Penna castle, is a garden with seven mysterious stones, sculptures that Guerra described as "seven opaque mirrors for the mind, seven mute confessors, waiting to hear your beautiful words or your ugly words." It is a place of silence and reflection, unexpected and moving.

The Street of Sundials runs through the old town with 6 artistic sundials painted by Mario Arnaldi, framed by reproductions of works by famous artists. The Angel with a Moustache, in the small chapel of the Fallen, is a multimedia work by Luigi Poiaghi inspired by a poem by Guerra about a clumsy angel who manages to make stuffed birds fly. The Refuge of the Abandoned Madonnas gathers sacred images rescued from rural roadside shrines in the Valmarecchia. The Petrified Garden, at the foot of the Bascio tower (a hamlet), hosts installations by Guerra and Giò Urbinati. The Madonna of the Rectangle of Snow is a small church in the hamlet of Ca' Romano.

Along the entire route you will also encounter "Words on Walls": ceramic plaques designed by Tonino Guerra with phrases commemorating well-known and lesser-known figures connected to these places.

The World of Tonino Guerra: the indoor museum

In addition to the outdoor open-air museum, Pennabilli is home to The World of Tonino Guerra, a museum space in the underground rooms of the 14th-century Oratory of Santa Maria della Misericordia (Via dei Pensieri Sospesi, formerly Via dei Fossi). This is where the artist's works are preserved: paintings, ceramics, sculptures, alongside a video library, photo library and book collection that offer a complete picture of Guerra's world. The space is also the headquarters of the Tonino Guerra Association and hosts cultural events. Info: associazionetoninoguerra.org.

What to see in the village of Pennabilli

Beyond the Places of the Soul, Pennabilli has an old town that deserves a slow stroll. The village developed around two ancient castles, Penna and Billi, which merged in the 14th century to give the town its name. From Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, narrow stone lanes lead to panoramic viewpoints.

The Roccione del Montefeltro, nicknamed "Landscape of the Mona Lisa" for its resemblance to the background of Leonardo's famous painting, offers views of Monte Billi, the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Natural Park and the Messa river valley. The MATEUREKA Museum is a museum of mathematics and calculation with antique instruments and artefacts, an unexpected curiosity in a mountain village. The Natural History Museum of the Sasso Simone and Simoncello Park completes the offer with dioramas of local wildlife.

Where to eat in Pennabilli

Pennabilli is small but has a solid gastronomic tradition rooted in the peasant cuisine of the Romagna and Marche Apennines. Typical dishes include tortelloni filled with chard and ricotta, strozzapreti with sausage and courgettes, tagliatelle with wild boar ragù, rabbit in porchetta and wild field herbs in spring. Cheese takes centre stage: pit cheese (aged in underground caves, with an intense aroma and unique flavour) and pecorino from the upper Valmarecchia. Do try the spianata dolce, a crisp biscuit-like bread typical of the area.

There are only a few restaurants, but they are authentic. In the village: Il Piastrino (refined cuisine with local produce), Osteria Il Peschio (trattoria with traditional dishes), and a handful of simpler trattorias along the streets of the centre. For a quick lunch there is a bakery and a piadineria.

Pennabilli with children

Pennabilli is a peaceful destination that suits families well. The Garden of Forgotten Fruits appeals to children for the chance to see unusual trees and walk through an enchanted garden. The hunt for "Words on Walls", the ceramic plaques scattered around the village, can become a game to explore the lanes. The village is small, flat in the centre and safe. For older children, the MATEUREKA Museum with its antique calculation instruments is a curious experience.

The entire route is outdoors and on easy terrain, manageable with a pushchair too, although some installations require short uphill stretches.

💡 Pro Tips for a Stress-Free Visit

1. Combine with San Leo. San Leo is just 20 km from Pennabilli, on the same road. San Leo in the morning (fortress + village) and Pennabilli in the afternoon (Places of the Soul + lunch) makes the perfect hinterland day.

2. All free, all outdoors. The 7 installations of the Places of the Soul are free and outdoors: no booking needed, no queues. Allow 1.5-2 hours to see them all at a relaxed pace. The only indoor museum is The World of Tonino Guerra.

3. The journey is part of the experience. The SS258 Marecchiese following the Valmarecchia is one of the most beautiful roads in Romagna. Don't rush: the hills, hilltop villages and rock formations you will see from the window deserve a few stops.

4. Bring a book by Tonino Guerra. Reading his poems sitting in the Garden of Forgotten Fruits, surrounded by the silence of the valley, is an experience you won't forget. His books can also be found in the village shops.

5. Artisti in Piazza. The international performing arts festival is held every year in Pennabilli (traditionally in June). 50 international companies, 350 shows, workshops and street food: if it coincides with your holiday, it is unmissable.

Useful information

The Places of the Soul (open-air museum): 7 outdoor installations, free entry, every day 9:00-19:00
The World of Tonino Guerra: Via dei Pensieri Sospesi (Oratory of Santa Maria della Misericordia) - associazionetoninoguerra.org
Open-air museum: museoiluoghidellanima.it
Parking: free in the lower part of town
Can be combined with: San Leo (20 km, Cagliostro's Fortress) - the ideal hinterland day

Frequently asked questions about Pennabilli

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Pennabilli combines naturally with other destinations in the Valmarecchia and the surrounding area:

• San Leo - 20 km away: Cagliostro's Fortress on a rocky spur. San Leo + Pennabilli is the perfect hinterland day.
• San Marino - 50 minutes away: the world's oldest republic. For a different kind of day, hinterland and hilltop.
• Rimini - 60 minutes down to the plain: the sea, the Fellini Museum and Borgo San Giuliano for the next day.
• Gradara - 50 minutes away: the castle of Paolo and Francesca. Another Italian story, another enchanting village.