Crossing the Canal Port by ferry: a small exciting experience

This is the story of a particular means of transport “the Cesenatico ferry”. Have you ever taken a ride from one bank to the other of the Leonardo Canal Port with the ferry? It's a small, particular experience, brief but intense, because during the journey, which lasts about 20 seconds, the view of the city center is very “open” and you get a “deep” perception of the length of the Cesenatico Canal Port.

There are two ferries that cross the Canal Port: the “Mirko” is located in the squero area of Cesenatico and is based in the central Piazza Ciceruacchio, while the “Giovanna d’Arco” is located near the entrance to the Cesenatico pier, at the height of the Port Authority.

Both are important for traffic because Cesenatico's one-kilometer-long canal port “cuts the city in two”; hence the distinction between Cesenatico east and west. Currently there are two bridges that allow pedestrian and vehicle crossing, but they are located upstream, so, over time, the ferry has become an important transport service for the public, given that it is not always easy to walk the entire port to get from one bank to the other if you are an elderly person, if you have heavy shopping, if you have children who don't want to walk, or simply if you want to save time.

The history of the first ferry began in the late 1940s when, with the increase in tourist flows, the need arose on the coast to easily cross from one bank to the other; it was Bartoli Aldo, whose family still manages the “Giovanna d’Arco” ferry, located between Piazza Spose dei Marinai to the west and the Miramare hotel to the east, who had the simple yet useful idea of transporting people with a small wooden boat, a lancia (launch), using a single oar. The launch was then replaced by another rudimentary means, a larger boat called a batana, adapted for passenger transport thanks to a wooden platform that served as a deck, two side benches for passengers, and a thick rope in the center that Bartoli laboriously pulled with his hands to cross the canal.
In 1957, a second ferry, “Il Mirko”, was built, which was purchased in 1978, after various changes of ownership, by Aldo Bartoli's brother, Aristodemo, who then sold it to his son Elviro Bartoli. Even today, this ferry, which shuttles between Piazza Ciceruacchio and Lo Squero to the west, is managed by Elviro's heirs: his daughter Sabrina, son-in-law Alfiero, and grandson Michele.

Over time, improvements have naturally been made to the vessels to make the work less strenuous, including the replacement of the hand-pulled rope with an electric chain system. The ferry – a paid public service – as the citizens of Cesenatico call it, or also “boat”, “raft”, or “barge” as it is affectionately called by tourists and visitors, arouses curiosity because it is a particular and almost unique means of transport in Romagna and generates great fascination in children, who feel like they are getting on a carousel and get excited when they make the “crossing”. A small tip: during the transfer, when you are in the center of the canal port with the colorful sails and the bell tower in the distance, the view is so beautiful that taking a photo is a must!