Dozza imolese Bologna - Brisighella - Faenza

Route: Bologna - Dozza imolese Bologna - Brisighella - Faenza - Bologna
Duration: 8 h
Firstly we will visit to Dozza imolese Bologna. The origins of Dozza, ancient or Ducia Dutia date back to ancient times. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, the site was first subject to the Gauls, then the Romans. In 1198, the Guelph Bologna managed to seize the castle, causing the exodus of Dozzesi of the Ghibellines who took refuge in Imola, where they found home on a street now called Via Homes Dozza. The castle was rebuilt in 1220 on the initiative of King John of Jerusalem, the papal legate in Romagna, in 1222 it was occupied again by the Allies with Faentini Bolognesi.  In 1310 the Bolognese initiative Romeo Pepoli, commissioner of the war, drawing on the work of the builders of Arpino Cantagallo and Bernard Montecatone, they provided to fortify the fortress was erected, reconstructed or more likely, by the same mid-Bolognesi sec. XIII, in memory of their work performed during the sovereignty of Bologna is still a tower of just said Bolognesi. Our next stop will be at the  Brisighella . Where you will see  the three distinguishing features which make Brisighella so well known : The Castle, the Clock Tower and the Monticino Church are. The castle was built in 1310 by the Manfredi family (Lords of Faenza), was under their dominion upto 1500 ac . From 1503 to 1509 it was ruled by the Republic of Venice who added the Great Tower and more defensive walls. It eventually ended up under the Lordship of the Vatican states. The Castle has still the usual characteristics of medieval fortresses: chain holes for the drawbridge over the main entrance, shelves and slots, guards’ alleyway on the walls. The Clock Tower was originally built by Maghinardo Pagani, with square blocks of chalk rock, to control the siege of the nearby Baccagnano Castle and until the 16th century it was part of the defensive structure of Brisighella, in 1850 was added the clock, working on a six-hours system.  The Sanctuary “Madonna del Monticino” includes is a polychrome terra-cotta plaque made by un unknown artist, dated 1626;  fist placed in a small tabernacle close to Porta Bonfante, in 1662 it was moved to a chapel over the hill where today is located the Sanctuary. Next we will visit to Faenza which is a beautiful artistic city of Etruscan-Roman origin, known throughout the world for its ceramics. Since 1300, Faenza has been an important political and cultural meeting point thanks to the ties that the local lordship of Manfredi was able to establish with Florence under the Medici’s domination. We will start from the squares – the heart of the city; one, a seat of administrative power, the other, of religious power. Both squares have ancient origins, in theory Roman, but in fact they were constituted in medieval times and have assumed their present features with a long series of successive transformations, among which the most important were the Renaissance and then neoclassical. We will visit the Town Hall ,  the adjacent “Freedom Square” , the Cathedral,  the Clock Tower, the Piazza del Popolo,  the great Podestà Palace, the Martyrs of Liberty Square,  the Milzetti Palace and the Teatro Masini. The Milzetti Palace is a museum in the museum as the building is of such importance that it outshines any of its contents. The appearance of the staid exterior does not envisage the real achievement of the subtlety hidden inside: the architecture and the decorations are united magnificently with frescoes, decorations and stucco, executed by a team from Faenza coordinated by Felice Giani from Piedmonte (1758-1823 ). Faenza also known as an international synonym of ceramics, the ancient artisanal tradition of which dates back to the 12th century, Faenza reached its splendour in the Renaissance period. Indeed, “faiance” is still the name of for majolica in many European languages. Here the art of ceramics has been able to combine the new with the old. Moreover, a lively feeling for art can be found in over sixty ceramic workshops where artisans and artists produce certified branded items, with forms and decorations ranging from historical reproductions to artistic experimentations. Plates, vases, mugs, tureens and albarelli are nowadays considered as refined souvenirs able to embellish every home. After free time we return to Bologna.
Price: per person