| San Clemente is a small town set on the first hill
that rise inland from the coast, offering a tranquil view over cultivated
fields and the nearby sea. Infact, the pleasurable country life
is the most attractive feature of San Clemente, and one of the leading
local products is Sangiovese, an excellent red wine.
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|  The
first documentary mention of San Clemente, whose name seems to be
linked with Pope Clement I, the third successor to St Peter between
88 and 97 AD, appeared in 982, when the Holy Roman Emperor Otto
I gave the Castrum Sancti Clementis to the Counts Carpegna. In the
13th century the town came under the domination of the Malatesta
family, who extended their power by force and cunning throughout
the whole of the surrounding area. San Clemente remained under the
rule of this ambitious family until 1504, and in 1508 the Papal
State placedit under the authority of the City of Rimini. The folIowing
centuries were marked by frequent conflicts with the neighbouring
towns of Saludecio and Montefiore far control of commercial traffic
along the Conca Valley.
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|  With
its typical medievallay-out, the present town centre is similar
in many respects to several others in the area. The period of domination
by the Malatesta dynasty has left numerous traces in the buildings
of the town, and it is stilI surrounded by the originaI fortified
walls. At Castelleale, a few kilometres away, there is a rare example
of a fortified manor house, built in 1388 by Leale Malatesta, the
Bishop of Rimini. Over the centuries it was
partly destroyed and rebuilt several times, altering its structure
quite radically, but its medieval origins can stilI be discemed
quite clearly. The 19th-century Parish Church of San Clemente was
designed by Luigi Poletti, a favourite architect of the Pope who
was also responsible for the Opera Theatre in
Rimini.
The church has a
painting of the Holy Family by Giovan Battista Costa, an l8th-century
artist from Rimini who achieved a certain fame. San Clemente was
also the birthplace, in 1842, of Giustiniano Villa, a well-knowndialect
poet and balladeer, who narrated the lire and hardships of the local
country folk in his songs and verses.Villa is commemorated with
a monumet done e by the modern sculptor Umberto Corsucci, dedicated
to his memory by the town. The scenery
around San Clemente is peaceful and relaxing, with the industrious
countryside dotted with fields and farmsteads. Agricultural produce
plays an important role in the local economy, and the town is famous
far the quality of its Sangiovese, a rich,
full-bodied red wine in honour of which a festival is held annually
in May, with prizes being awarded to the best local producers of
the year.
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