The food and Wine Route of Forlì-Cesena

The itinerary goes into that middle land, Tuscan Romagna, which the Florentines administered with captaincies and podestàs. The signs of this Florentine history have remained in the architectural features of fortresses and palaces, in the flavours of the cuisine, and today are part of the distinctive cultural trait of the area, so much that it has become a resource to be exploited for tourism. Starting from the bottom of the valley and travelling from Forlì along the State Road 67 Tosco Romagnola in an up and down hill landscape, one comes across the municipalities of Castrocaro Terme - Terra del Sole, Dovadola, Rocca San Casciano and Portico San Benedetto. From one of the passes at Dovadola, Rocca and Portico, at will, one can glide into the Tramazzo Valley to visit Modigliana and Tredozio.

Wineries associated with the Food and Wine Route:
AZIENDA AGRICOLA BALDUCCI ALESSANDRO; AZIENDA GUARINI MATTEUCCI GUIDO; AZ. AGR. FIORENTINI VINI; TENUTA PENNITA; AZIENDA MARTA VALPIANI; VILLA BAGNOLO

Forlì deserves a walk along an urban pedestrian route that encompasses the city's most representative monuments and places, from the mediaeval to the contemporary age. The majestic, central Piazza Saffi represents an exceptional point to capture the history of Forlì, in which the Romanesque-style Basilica of San Mercuriale and its very tall bell tower stand out. Interesting itineraries in the city are linked to the urban and architectural interventions carried out during the Fascist period.The complex in Piazzale della Vittoria, with the Aeronautical College flanked by a majestic statue of Icarus, is in purely Littorio style.The redevelopment of the San Domenico monumental complex has given Forlì a splendid museum venue where the collections of the Civic Art Gallery have also found a home.The San Domenico Museums host prestigious art exhibitions every year.

Travelling up the valley of the Rabbi river, amidst precious gullies, we reach Predappio, an urban complex created in the 1920s and 1930s to represent an 'exemplary' city having been the birthplace of Benito Mussolini. The true emblem of the town is the Casa del Fascio, an impressive building from 1934 surmounted by the monumental Littoria tower. Palazzo Varano (1927), now the town hall, is also valuable. Three kilometres uphill from Predappio is Predappio Alta, in whose small square stands the Ca' de Sanzves, today an Osteria with kitchen, where the ancient Wine Museum is housed in the underground Cantine Zoli cellars.

From the pass dripping with history at Rocca le Caminate, we plunge into the Bidente Valley, Meldola. The mighty town fortress is one of the best-preserved fortresses in the whole of Romagna, currently being restored. The heart of the town is Piazza Orsini, overlooked by the charming 17th-century Loggiato Aldobrandini, the house where Felice Orsini was born and the elegant Dragoni Theatre (1826). The beautiful Museum of Ecology and the Silkworm Museum are worth visiting. From Meldola, continue along the S.S. 310 Bidentina and at the point where the valley begins to narrow there is Cusercoli, a characteristic village standing on a rocky spur dominated by the majestic medieval castle and the church of San Bonifacio.

Continuing along the state road, we arrive at Civitella di Romagna, a characteristic fortified village that still retains its medieval urban structure on a cliff.

The precious and ancient finds from the Abbey of Sant'Ellero and the nearby necropolis of Mevanìola are today kept in the Archaeological Museum in the beautiful Convent of the Conventual Minor Fathers of Pianetto.

Wineries associated with the Food and Wine Route: FATTORIA CASETTO DEI MANDORLI; IMPRESA AGRICOLA ZANETTI PROTONOTARI CAMPI CARLO; LA PANDOLFA; AZ. AGRICOLA ROCCA LE CAMINATE; AZIENDA VITIVINICOLA CONDE'; CANTINA DI FORLI' E PREDAPPIO; AZIENDA GIOVANNA MISSIROLI; AZIENDA AGRICOLA RAVAGLIA S.S .; PODERI DAL NESPOLI; LA CANTINA DEL PONTE DI SIBONI

Within a radius of five kilometres, the temple of gastronomy and the historic capital of Romagna wine meet in the heart of Romagna. Today, Forlimpopoli is in fact famous above all for its illustrious citizen Pellegrino Artusi, a recognised master of good Italian cuisine, to whom the great gastronomic festival Festa Artusiana is dedicated every year in June. Also named after Pellegrino is Casa Artusi, an innovative centre of gastronomic culture dedicated to Italian home cooking that offers a complete food-related itinerary through a library, a restaurant, a cooking school and an events space.

On the hill in view, Bertinoro, the Colonna delle Anella is the official symbol of the city, and the very emblem of traditional Romagna hospitality. The soaring Rocca, which dominates the town, houses the Interfaith Museum, which bears witness to the desire to compare and study three great religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Today, the Rocca is also home to the Ceub, a Congress Centre and University Residential Centre.

Wineries associated with the Wine and Food Trail: FATTORIA PARADISO; CELLI; FATTORIA CA' ROSSA; CAMPODELSOLE; AZIENDA AGRICOLA COLOMBINA; CASA VINICOLA SANT' ANDREA; TENUTA DE' STEFENELLI; AZIENDA BISSONI; AZIENDA AGRICOLA BUDELLACCI; PODERE BARATTA DI SATTA GIROLAMO; AZIENDA AGRICOLA AMADUCCI MASSIMO; AZIENDA AGRICOLA VALMORRI