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Visiting the province: a short guide
This is a land full of history, enjoyment and traditions. On the coast is Cesenatico, a town with many centuries of fishing and maritime trading traditions, with the canal harbour designed by Leonardo da Vinci, home to the Seafaring Museum, the house where poet Marino Moretti was born, and the characteristic piazzetta delle conserve, wells in which fish was stored up until the 1930s.
On the plain are the cities of Cesena, Forlė, Forlimpopoli and San Mauro Pascoli. During the Renaissance period, Cesena was governed by the Malatesta who left the city many great monuments, such as the mighty fortified fortress and the public library, a precious example of humanist culture; today, the Malatesta Library is among the most beautiful and best-preserved in Europe.
Forlė is the other provincial capital. Here visitors can admire the San Mercuriale Abbey, documentary evidence of which dates back to the 4th century. The bell-tower, the building of which terminated in 1180, is 76 metres high. The city was dominated by the Ordelaffi family, who built the imposing Ravaldino Fortress.
Especially dear to gourmets is Forlimpopoli, the birthplace of Pellegrino Artusi, author of La scienza in cucina e l'arte del mangiare bene (Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well), which helps us understand why the people of Romagna have a taste for good food. At San Mauro Pascoli stands the house in which Giovanni Pascoli, the melancholic and impressionist poet of small things, was born. |
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In the hills, along the roads that run across the six valleys of the province, vineyards, olive groves and wonderful scenic views abound. Along the valleys of the Montone and Tramazzo rivers are Castrocaro Terme, an elegant and renowned spa centre, Terra del Sole, the city fortress built by Cosimo de' Medici and Dovadola with its old Florentine centre, which in autumn is full of the fragrance of precious white truffle.
Other pleasant encounters await visitors in the valleys of the Bidente and Rabbi rivers: Bertinoro, "the balcony of Romagna", famous for its wines and for the Colonna delle anella (ring column), the symbol of natural Romagna hospitality; Meldola defended by the fortress, located in a strategic position between the two rivers; Cusercoli with its mighty castle; Civitella, on the road to Santa Sofia, the access door to the centuries-old Campigna Forest. And Predappio, with its agricultural traditions that makes it a major producer of fine wines.
In the Rubicone Valley lies Longiano, a Malatesta stronghold and Sogliano well known to gourmets for its "formaggio di fossa" cheese.
In the Savio valley lie Sarsina, the birthplace of Latin playwright Plautus, Bagno di Romagna, with its warm spa waters, much enjoyed by the ancient Romans, and San Piero in Bagno, where good food is a deep-rooted tradition. |
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