Art in Romagna is a journey through different eras and styles that have contributed to the history of this land.
In the city of Ravenna there are eight UNESCO World Heritage monuments among Paleo Christian and Byzantine buildings and mosaics.
Among these are the Baptistery of the Orthodox and Aryans,
the complex of the Basilica of San Vitale with the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilicas of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare in Classe.
For art lovers who want to know the extraordinary treasures of Romandiola (“little Rome”, hence the name Romagna) Ravenna, capital of the Western Roman Empire and of the kingdom of the Ostrogoths, is the main door, but not the only.
Along the Via Emilia a series of small and medium-sized cities, all of Roman origin, share the same story. Leaving the High Middle Ages as free Municipalities and then as Lordships fighting each other, they experienced the glories of the Renaissance and bear traces of this period of splendor. Fortresses, historical centers, squares and important churches date back to this period, which saw great artists such as Marco Palmezzano and Melozzo da Forlì operate as well.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with Romagna returned under the dominion of the Church, the artistic experiences of Mannerism and above all of the Baroque date back, diffused in art and sacred architecture as a reflection of the Rome of the Popes and the Counter-Reformation.
The Napoleonic period brought, together with political and social upheavals, the Neoclassical style, which took root wonderfully in this land: in particular in Faenza, which still preserves, within the splendid Palazzo Milzetti, the “Neoclassical Age National Museum in Romagna “. During the Risorgimento the Romagna dialogued with the national and European artistic currents and developed an extraordinary capacity for production and artistic interpretation.
During the twentieth century, the architecture of the twenty years, called “Rationalist”, connoted many cities in Romagna. The most notable example from an artistic point of view is, however, perhaps the monument to Francesco Baracca, in Lugo, by the sculptor Domenico Rambelli.
Cradle of great works of art and craftsmanship, Romagna is home to Faenza, worldwide synonymous with ceramics and today home to the International Museum of Ceramics and Ente Ceramica Faenza.
Already five centuries ago, Faenza factories were a fundamental reference for European ceramics production. The majolica ceramics par excellence is majolica, which is made by coating the object in biscuit (ie the clay shaped and subjected to cooking at a temperature of about 950 degrees) with a glassy white glaze based on tin known as majolica.
The characteristics of the types of clays found in the waters of the Lamone river have favored the production of ceramics.
LAlong the Lamone River, in the territories between Bagnacavallo and Mezzano, an important craftsmanship has developed over time, linked to the interweaving of marsh grasses and to the creation of artifacts linked to the nature and culture of the river environment. The Ecomuseum of marsh grasses in Villanova di Bagnacavallo tells about this important form of craftsmanship that became between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries one of the main economic enterprises of the area.
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