Forte di San Leo
Forte di San Leo
4.5
10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Monday
10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Wednesday
10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Thursday
10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 4:15 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Admission tickets
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£8.47
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,618 reviews
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SerenoCostante
Aggius, Italy176 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Majestic fortress located on a rocky spur overlooking the village of San Leo. From its stands you can enjoy a wonderful view of Montefeltro.
The fortress is excellently restored and for the ten euro ticket it really deserves to be visited.
Famous for having hosted illustrious prisoners such as the Count of Cagliostro and Felice Orsini, you can visit the cells and many other rooms including the dungeons where a real torture museum is set up.
The video in which a cat narrates the history of the place is very beautiful, mentioning the three most famous characters who passed or stayed in San Leo (San Francesco, Dante and Cagliostro).
Absolutely worth seeing.
Google
Written 14 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gaya1974
Piacenza, Italy66 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023
Certainly the most beautiful stage of my tour of Romagna.
First of all, visiting it in winter free parking and few tourists.
The village is delightful and both the Cathedral and the Parish Church are worth a visit.
To go up to the Fort you have to follow a slightly bumpy uphill path, but nothing difficult if you don't have particular health problems. Otherwise there is a shuttle but in winter the runs are not very frequent.
The visit to the castle can be done independently, purchasing the ticket from an automatic machine (cards only, no cash!) and then visiting the various rooms following the arrows and reading the signs. The most interesting part is Cagliostro's cell and the museum dedicated to him to delve deeper into his biography and the themes of alchemy and freemasonry.
In the internal courtyard there is a small shop with a café.
The visit, village + fortress, requires a good half day.
Google
Written 20 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mrc282
World9,372 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Solo
there is a 5 min steep hike up to the fortress, as cars are only allowed to park at the base.

once there, you can buy your ticket from the vending machine.

you should allocate around 90 min for the visit and come on a clear day so that you can see the surrounding valleys.
Written 12 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FrancescaM
Lido di Ostia, Italy3,190 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2024 • Couples
Imposing structure overlooking the village from above. You can go up on foot in 10 ‘through a path or by shuttle that would have left 1h later.
The fame of the fort is certainly linked to the figure of Giuseppe Balsamo, known as Count of Cagliostro, who died here as a prisoner on 26 August 1795. I found the visit very interesting, as well as the museum section with the stories of the alchemist and, no doubt, the cell where he died (the ‘cockpit’).
Ticket at 10€, in my opinion a bit high, purchased by totem at the entrance (payment only by card). The visit is autonomous, you can turn freely and takes about 1h.
Automatically translated
Written 9 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

21308Michela
Province of Padua, Italy118 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
The history of this fortress is very interesting, it is suggestive to visit the prison cells and the torture rooms. Also suitable for children. We did the ascent with the shuttle while the descent can easily be done on foot. The village at the foot of the fortress is also very nice and the cathedral is very beautiful. A place that exudes history, fascinating and mysterious.
Google
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Learco A
Verrua Po, Italy214 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Couples
In a strategic position, you can enjoy an exceptional view over the valleys to the sea. Path, for the view, well signposted, rooms with exhaustive captions, not to forget the part dedicated to the patriots, and of course to the mysterious Count "Cagliosto". It's definitely worth the visit!
Google
Written 24 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

melefranco
Cagliari, Italy200 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Family
Suggestive manor located on top of a rocky spur, I couldn't find any negative aspects, even under torture. Beautiful, charming, well-kept, organised. it feels like going back in time and immersing yourself in the Middle Ages, forgetting the frenzy of modern life. It alone is worth a visit to the village of San Leo. Visit it, you won't regret it.
Google
Written 22 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

carla65_11
Milan, Italy132 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Couples
The climb is challenging and must be tackled with comfortable shoes (alternatively there is a shuttle service).
At the entrance you buy your ticket at a vending machine on the spot then you enter the routes independently, without encountering any staff but only arrows and rather detailed signs.
Suitable for those interested in armor, weapons, strategies and even torture instruments.
The rooms are bare and visiting the cells makes you shiver a little.
Ample space is given to the (ambiguous and disturbing) figure of Cagliostro who was imprisoned here and died.
At the end some interesting videos, but the rooms that host them are a bit claustrophobic.
The view of the beautiful Montefeltro area surrounding the Rocca di San Leo is noteworthy.
Google
Written 26 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kathleen S
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Family
The village is charming and, from there, accessing the San Leo Fort is a matter of overcoming a steep but short climb. It is worth it. Ramp with handrail, but without paving for most of the stretch. Difficult for people with mobility difficulties, who can stay in the village and enjoy a good meal in one of the charming restaurants on site. Outside the standard tourist circuit, it was a pleasant surprise.
Google
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ambassador11594
New England1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
San Leo is a tiny medieval town at the edge of the Appenines with something for everyone. Don't let San Leo's star attraction at the top of the hill overshadow its other charms. Within the little town is a liquor distillery run by a really old guy that is really cool to talk to. There is a nature preserve, local hiking and as always the trademark italian food/gelato that we all crave. There is also a pair of small, gothic churches, the older of which dates back to 800 AD. The old tower next to the main square also dates back to that period and was the original keep when during that period San Leo was for a short while capital of what was left of the Italic peninsula after the collapse of Rome.

The castle itself has many delights and various art forms, and both pro and anti religion people will find a lot to cherish. You see, after castles became obsolete, it became a prison for the inquisition. The most famous prisoner here was Cesare Cagliostro, a mason who was imprisoned for heresy and "forecasting the french revolution". Check out his former cell, adorned with flowers by his admirers. You will find that if you look out of the window and through the strangely contorted bars, you can only see the church. This was by design, as to allow Cesare Cagliostro to only see the church in the scope of repentance.

In the bowels of the castle, you will also see the murky torture chamber, where it was pitch black and the condemned sat on hard stone and a few inches of water polluted by their own excrement so that after a few days their skin would macerate and they would slowly die of sepsis.

Castellans and medieval military buffs will marvel at the complicated defenses, bunkers, evidence of an old drawbridge/moat, killing pits, murder holes with overlapping fields of fire, false entrances, keeps, towers with cannonproofing etc. It is THE quintessential renaissance fort, perhaps one of the strongest fortresses ever built and one of the few castles capable of resisting cannon-fire. From the back courtyard, you have breathtaking views of the countryside; check out the view of San Marino, another much more commercialized medieval town (San Marino is actually an independent country of its own). It's ironic that San Marino looks so pretty from San Leo, while if you see San Leo from San Marino you can hardly tell what it is.

Unfortunately, know 1/3 of the mountain collapsed in a mudslide a few hundred years ago and as a result, part of the castle to the right of the gatehouse is no longer there. You can get an idea what it was like by some of the period paintings. (you mean it was even MORE impressive???)

What really sets it apart is that its really small, easy to navigate, accessible and lacks the crazy crowds of other Italian locations. I speak italian, but if you don't you can still enjoy. You will notice other foreigners; it is no accident a number of them are "repeat" tourists. I myself have been going every few years since I was a kid and have brought numerous close friends. This summer maybe I will bring my inlaws. I hope to bring my grandkids there someday (I am 27) and make repeat toursits of this educational, charming little jewel.
Written 30 March 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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FORTE DI SAN LEO (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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