Torre Saracena

The Torre Saracena in Bellaria was built in the seventeenth century to protect the coast from Turkish pirate raids. Five soldiers and a commander were stationed inside; it was their job to keep watch and warn the population if enemy pirates were sighted. Today it is one of the symbolic monuments of the Romagna town and the focus of the Festival dei Saraceni, a historical re-enactment of the Turkish landing.

Good to know

• Among the various roles the Torre Saracena has taken on over time, the most curious was as a quarantine site for merchants who, passing through Bellaria to unload goods, were suspected of carrying disease.
• It has three floors linked by an internal spiral staircase.
• The story of the pirates inspired the Festival dei Saraceni, a costumed event recalling the era of the Turkish threat in the town. It is held every year, in late July, in the Porto di Bellaria.

Other information

The top floor of the Torre Saracena houses the Museo delle Conchiglie. The collection includes an interesting array of shells, skeletons of marine organisms, molluscs, turtle shells and much more. The specimens come from several seas, not just the Adriatic.