The central part and beating heart of the old town of Cesenatico is with no doubt the canal harbour of Leonardo.
Designed already in the 1300, the canal harbour of this city of the Riviera was constructed only two centuries later, no less than by the ingenious Leonardo Da Vinci. The canal harbour was created on the order of the Borgia family that overruled the Romagna during that years.

Leonardo resolved an old problem that seemed to be irresolvable for the scholars of that times: the structure of the sea bed was causing the covering-up of the entrance to the harbour with sand and in consequence rendering it unusable.

Da Vinci changed the position and the length of the palisades creating big artificial basins and giving the canal the classic zig- zag shape. Historic notions aside, nowadays the canal harbour boasts the open-air Sea Museum and the presence of trendy restaurants and shops along its banks.
Looking at shop windows walking slowly long the quays of the canal harbour has alvays been the most common passtime during the weekends, especially in winter months.