Tour of Ravenna and Brizighella.
This tour is conducted by car
Firstly the “Wonderful Ravenna” tour is conducted, then transfer by car to the town of Brizighella – 30 km from Ravenna. The first settlers here date back to the Neolithic period. In Roman times, the Via Faentina passed through Brizighella, along which salt was transported from Cervia to the Eternal City. Maginardo Pagani, a condottiere and politician who lived in the 13th century, gave birth to the settlement as it is today.
The tiny Italian town of Brizighella is a fascinating little town at the foot of the Apennines, not far from the Vena del Gesso Regional Park. The town’s silhouette is defined by three hills, each crowned with a symbol of a distant but not forgotten past:
The imposing Rocca Manfrediana (14th century), or called Rocca dei Veneziani, or simply Rocca di Brisighella, is a late medieval fortress perched on the second of three rocky peaks in Brisighella. Dating from 1310, the fortress is characterised by cylindrical towers, the tallest of which dates from 1503.
The Shrine of St Mary in Montichino (18th century) – inside houses a 16th-century terracotta image of Mary revered in these parts
The Clock Tower (19th century). The latter was built on the ruins of a 13th-century defensive settlement, an era when the city was in its infancy.
Brisighella is a maze of small alleyways, remnants of ancient walls and plaster staircases leading to the main local attraction – the 14th-century Via del Borgo, known as Donkey Alley. It was once a passageway in the city wall, used to guard the city.
Later, people built their dwellings over it, and the passageway was covered and used to bring gypsum (from nearby caves) into the city, for which donkeys were used – hence the name.
There is also the ancient church of Pieve di San Giovanni in Ottavo, built in the 7th century and rebuilt between the 11th and 12th centuries.
The narrow, winding streets lead gently upwards to the fountain built in 1490.
Brisighella is officially listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
Brisighella is a unique, beautiful, medieval town with a castle.
In your free time, there is the opportunity to do a tasting of the famous Brizighello olive oil with sausages and Sangiovese wine.
