Street in Ferrara, Italy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nYou can otherwise move from Roman times to the 14th century and visit Este Ferrara – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/strong> – and its Palazzo dei Diamanti<\/strong>, the Este Castle<\/strong>, the Art Gallery<\/strong>, the Ghetto<\/strong> and its Museum, the Cathedral<\/strong>, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of the Risorgimento… walk along its walls<\/strong>, lose yourself among its many masterpieces.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The food<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Este brought several specific culinary traditions: salama da sugo<\/strong>, served with mashed potatoes, macaroni pie<\/strong>, cappellacci alla zucca<\/strong>, the typical bread called coppia, panpepato<\/em><\/strong> – made with chocolate: a luxury good at the time. The eel of Comacchio <\/strong>– a very evocative town full of canals – and the clams of Goro<\/strong> are worth mentioning.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Easter in Cesena<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\nCesena, Italy – July 2, 2017: Cesena (Emilia Romagna, Italy): the medieval castle in the main square of the city at evening<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn Cesena, you can visit the Malatesta Library<\/strong>, built between 1447 and 1452: it is the first civic library in the entire country and the only medieval monastic library still in existence; the beautiful Malatesta Fortress <\/strong>is coeval. You can visit the Historical<\/strong> Museum of Antiquity<\/strong>, where you will admire ancient Cesena artefacts, ranging from the Prehistoric period to Humanism. There are also two of the most important Italian avant-garde theatre companies of the last forty years: the Teatro Valdoca<\/strong>, founded in 1983 by Mariangela Gualtieri (playwright and poet) and Cesare Ronconi (director), and the Societas Raffaello Sanzio<\/strong>, founded in 1981 in Cesena by Romeo Castellucci, Claudia Castellucci, Chiara Guidi and Paolo Guidi.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Easter in Forl\u00ec<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\nForli, Emilia Romagna, Italy: landscape of the city park and view of the column with the monument to victory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nForl\u00ec is less well known but also offers exciting works and museums. The central Piazza<\/strong> Saffi<\/strong>, one of the largest in Italy, is overlooked by the Abbey of San Mercuriale<\/strong> and the Palazzo Comunale. Two neighbourhoods are worthy of mention: the Rione Schiavonia, full of narrow streets and stately buildings, and the Quartiere Razionalista<\/strong>, with its echoes of Fascist architecture. The San Domenico Museums<\/strong> – where internationally renowned exhibitions take place – and Palazzo Romagnoli, which offers an interesting 20th-century collection, are worth a visit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
The food<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe two cities are only 17 kilometres apart, so the cuisine is very similar. You can start with bartlaz<\/em><\/strong> (bartolaccio), a half-moon-shaped pastry tortello<\/strong> filled with mashed potatoes, bacon, aged parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Everything is cooked on a hot sandstone slab, and you can enjoy it at the table or stroll through the village streets. Then there is the tardura<\/em><\/strong>, made with eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg. Inevitable and excellent is the piadina<\/strong>, just as good as the Sangiovese wine<\/strong> in these parts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Easter in Piacenza<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\nIn Piazza Cavalli, the central square of Piacenza, overlooks the Palazzo Comunale (also called Palazzo Gotico), dating to the 13th century, and stand out the Cavalli dei Mochi, two bronze horses created by the Tuscan sculptor Francesco Mochi da Montevarchi and dating back to the seventeenth century.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe City<\/strong><\/h3>\nI will now propose an itinerary in the far north of the region. For many people, it’s more Lombard than Emilian, a city passing through on the Via Francigena<\/strong>, little considered on the tourist routes. Piacenza has a beautiful historical centre enclosed within the Farnese walls of the 1500s that replaced the medieval walls.<\/p>\nThe palaces<\/strong><\/h3>\nWithin a few hundred metres, you can admire the Basilica of Santa Maria di Campagna<\/strong>, the Church of San Sepolcro<\/strong> and the Church of San Sisto<\/strong>.<\/p>\nNoteworthy is Palazzo Farnese<\/strong>, one of the masterpieces of 16th-century Renaissance architecture: it was commissioned by Duchess Margaret of Austria, daughter of Charles V and wife of Ottavio Farnese, after whom it was named. In Piazza Cavalli, you can admire the medieval Palazzo Gotico<\/strong> and, opposite, the neoclassical Palazzo del Governatore. Very close by is the Gothic Church of San Francesco. Continuing along Via XX Settembre, you will reach Piazza Duomo, where you will find the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and Santa Giustina<\/strong>, among the most important works of Romanesque architecture in Italy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n