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Riviera Romagnola The nine coastal resorts
Torre Saracena in Bellaria seen from the garden, with its battered brick base, brown shutters and historic sails on either side

Monuments in Bellaria Igea Marina

Torre Saracena and Museo delle Conchiglie

Torre Saracena in Bellaria Igea Marina combines a 17th-century defensive stronghold with Museo delle Conchiglie. It is at 75 Via Torre: the collection occupies the upper floors, while the garden displays sails and small boats linked to local fishing.

Coastal defence

The Camera Apostolica commissioned the tower in 1673 as part of the defence system of the Stato Pontificio against raids from the sea. According to the Comune, it is the only one of the six towers between the Tavollo and Bellaria retaining its original features.

The building has three vaulted floors connected by a spiral staircase. It housed a garrison of five soldiers and a commander: its coast-monitoring role preceded its present museum use.

The collection and garden

The collection includes shells and remains of marine organisms from around the world, including madrepores, echinoderms, crustaceans and turtle shells. Part comes from the Desideri collection in Roma, purchased by the Comune and arranged by the Istituto di Zoologia dell'Università di Bologna.

Giardino delle Vele preserves lug sails in fishing families' colours and batanicci, small boats once used for daily fishing.

The museum opens in summer and for special openings: in summer 2026, every evening except Mondays from 9pm to 11pm, with temporary exhibitions. Other cultural sites are in the Bellaria Igea Marina guide.

Images

Torre Saracena in Bellaria: a sloping dark-brick base, arched doorway, windows with red shutters and a stone coat of arms
Photo by Stefano Bolognini, Wikimedia Commons, Attribution only
The Comune plaque on the Torre Saracena gate and, at the end of the garden path, the tower with a boat and sails The open gate onto the Torre Saracena garden path, with boats, yellow and red sails and the tower at the far end Torre Saracena at the end of the garden path, among trees, a sailing boat and yellow and orange lug sails A propeller, a wooden boat rudder and a wire cage, fishing equipment displayed in the Torre Saracena garden A fisherman mannequin seated in a boat with nets and a sail in the Torre Saracena garden, in front of old photographs

Images without credits come from the site's previous version.

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