The Natural Park of San Bartolo is mainly characterized by its stretch of steep coast, as the crag of Mount San Bartolo is a rare rocky formation throughout the whole length of the Adriatic seashore. The inland section of the protected area, instead, consists of rural lands. Up to the 1950s, most of this area was actively cultivated, even in places that are unthinkable today, right on the edge of the sea. Mount San Bartolo
therefore includes two distinct environments: the cliff at sea and the gentler slope facing the countryside.
The coastal crag emerges from the shallow water of the Adriatic Sea like an undulating succession of spurs and valleys, interspersed with rocky walls dropping right into the sea. The rocky formation comprises picks as high as 200 meters above sea level, allowing visitors to enjoy a wide view over the Adriatic Sea and the sandy beaches of Romagna and Northern Marche. At the base of Mount San Bartolo, a narrow strip of pebble beach was formed as a result of material crumbling from the walls above.
As far as the inland is concerned, the mountain slopes gently towards the countryside and the main coastal route, conveying a sense of harmony and the vital bond between the cultivated fields, the stretches of abandoned farmland converted to reforestation and the rows of trees and hedges.