Montebello rises on a calcareous cliff, typical of the landscape of Valmarecchia, 436 m above sea level.
From the top of the mountain the imposing fortress of the Guidi di Bagno dominates the valley.
The legend of the ghost of Azzurrina, albino little girl who mysteriously disappeared in the basement of the fortress in the Middle Ages, attracts thousands of tourists.

In the province of Rimini, hamlet of the commune of Torriana, and a few kilometers far from there, it is on the border with the Marche.
Within the walls the village keeps intact the medieval structure.
Crossed by foot the only gate, you will have the feeling that time has stopped for enchantment.
Another incomparabile sensation is offered by the beautiful view of the scenery of the surroundings.

The settlement, of the third century b.c., is of Roman foundation.
The erection of a lookout tower and the name of Mountain of war, from the Latin Mons Belli, underlined its strategic-military fonction.
Hard fought by the local potentates, it belonged to the Malatesta since 1186 and was by them fortified.
Captured by the Montefeltro in 1393, it became property of the Malatesta again in 1438 thanks to an assault that was led by Sigismondo Pandolfo.
The Montefeltro and the hostility of Pope Pius II Piccolomini decreed the capitulation of the family of Rimini in 1462.
In 1463 the Castle of Montebello was enfeoffed to the family of Guidi di Bagno, that still today is the legitimate owner.
The military fort built by the Malatesta around the year 1000 was by the Guidi transformed into elegant building.

Today the Fortress offers tourists the alternative of visit during the day or night.
The valuable furniture, the collection of coffers and chests (including a painted cash dating back to the Crusades), the mysterious tunnels, fascinate.
What fascinates the most is “Azzurrina’s Gallery” where the legend of Guendalina and of her ghost is told.
The small daughter of Ugolinuccio Malatesta in an afternoon of storm in the summer solstice in 1375 vanished in the mystery running after her ball.
The recording of “laughters, child games, 12 tollings of bells, the fast beat of a heart” gives the shivers.
These are the sounds that here would be heard in the summer solstice of the years ending for 0 or 5 and that nourish the legend.

Sights: the Civic Tower and the “Armeria dell’Albana”, an ancient Roman church that has been used for a lot of different functions and is used today as a wine shop.

To visit: the Museum of the fortress exhibits works of art, furniture and the important jewellery collection of the family Guidi di Bagno.

Places of worship: the Church of St. Peter Apostle, the ancient church of the castle, keeps an organ, a frontal and paintings of the eighteenth century.

For people who love nature: ancient paths around the walls (Passo Volpe, Passo del Sasso, Torricini).
You cannot miss the oasis of Montebello, established in 1993 to protect a landscape that is rich in flora and in numerous species of wild animals.
Extended over 1200 hectares the oasis houses the Naturalistic Observatory of Valmarecchia.
Three trails along the road between Montebello and Torriana lead to the rock of Saiano, also reachable by the river bed.

For gourmets: renowned restaurants and inns with traditional or elaborate menus.

Curios: the residents of Montebello are thirty and they only are allowed entering to the village with motorized means.
Comfortable parkings outside the walls are available to visitors.
Much less comfortable was the access to the village for people that, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, had the misfortune of running up against the bandit Tommaso Rinaldini, better known as “Mason dla Blona”, then beheaded in Ravenna by papal troops.

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