At 142 metres above sea level rises Gradara, theatre of the tragic love story of Paolo and Francesca, mentioned by Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio and D’Annunzio.

The first construction dates back to 1150, the same date as the medieval tower. Later, the Malatesta made the entire castle build around the tower, incorporating it into two tall and towered city walls. Then Sforza’s epoch came which gave the castle the typical atmosphere of the Renaissance. With the premature death of young Constanzo, the Sforza dynasty ceased, and in 1513 Francesco Maria Della Rovere became lord. In 1631 the mannor, along with the Dukedom of Pesaro and Urbino, became part of the Papal State. These were years of decay. In 1920 Zanvettori, an engineer from Miland, bought the fortress and restored it.