Walls in the historic core
THINGS TO KNOW Numerous Roman remains have been found in and around San Giovanni, and there are many traces of the Middle Ages, when much of the land around the river Conca was reclaimed. But here, as in all the other towns in the area, it was in the age of the Malatestas that San Giovanni developed, taking on the features which still distinguish it today. San Giovanni was know as “the Malatesta granary�, which immediately tells us what role and what significance the town had in the context of the Seignory. It was an extremely valuable agricultural centre, and this is evident from the traces of walls and fortifications dating from the 12th and 13th centuries, and from the huge number of underground grain stores found throughout the town. Over the centuries, the vocation of San Giovanni as a producer of plentiful, highquality cereal crops has given rise to a lively community which nowadays draws its wealth in part also from avant-garde industries in the high-fashion sector and in other up-to-date sectors of productivity.
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