of Emilia Romagna

History and Art
Forlì Cesena
Rationalism in Romagna
In the 30s, a new urban and architectural design
gave birth to the rationalist idea of the twenty-year
Fascist period. The new face of Forlì was designed
by Roman architects, like Cesare Bazzani (Postal
Building, State Offices Building, War Memorial of
Piazzale della Vittoria) and Cesare Valle (O.N.B. House
then G.I.L. and Aeronautical Academy), and local artists,
such as Arnaldo Fuzzi (Agricultural Station,
I.T.I.S., I.N.A. Buildings). The nearby Predappio is a real
Urban Museum. Commissioned in 1925 by Benito
Mussolini, who was born there in 1883, it develops
around Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Sant’Antonio. Not
to be missed are the Parish Church of St. Anthony of
Padua, the graveyard of San Cassiano in Pennino, the
native house of Mussolini and the so-called Rocca
delle Caminate, the summer residence of Mussolini
Family. In the 30s, Mussolini decided to build a big
thermal hotel in Castrocaro Terme in order to use
it as the guest quarters of Rocca delle Caminate. It
consisted of three main buildings: The bathing establishment,
the hotel itself and the entertainment
pavilion, that were all fully integrated with the surrounding
park. Forlì’s rationalist heritage was included
in the list of outstanding beauties identified by
the international project “Rotta Culturale Europea”,
that gathers the most representative architectures of
the totalitarian regimes of the XX century.
Malatesta Library: UNESCO
World Memory
Founded around the half of the fifteenth century, the
Malatesta Library is one of the most representative
landmarks of Cesena and Romagna, since it boasts
peculiar architectural patterns and an outstanding
historical and cultural heritage. In 1992, UNESCO included
it in the prestigious list of the World’s Cultural
and Natural Heritage Sites for its high historical value,
and it is currently part of the important “World
Memory” Register. The library gives visitors the possibility
to enjoy a mysterious medieval atmosphere
while admiring handmade codes, important coats of
arms and magnificent reading rooms.
San Domenico Museums and
Forlì Civic Art Gallery
Forlì is home to an outstanding museum, whose establishment
was made possible by the architectural renovation
works carried out around the monumental
Complex of San Domenico, that is now the seat of
the city’s Art Gallery and Civic Museums. The pride
of this exhibition area is the famous Hebe by Antonio
Canova. Other artworks worthy of mention are the
prestigious paintings by Guido Cagnacci, Guercino,
Carlo Cignani and Andrea Sacchi. Precious artworks
by Beato Angelico, Lorenzo di Credi, Antonio
Rossellino and Marco Palmezzano embellish the oldest
sector of the Art Gallery. Over the last few years,
the complex has been the venue for important international
exhibitions dedicated to Marco Palmezzano,
Silvestro Lega, Guido Cagnacci, Antonio Canova,
Melozzo da Forlì and Adolfo Wildt, the acclaimed
Swiss-Italian sculptor of the early twentieth century
whose artworks are extensively celebrated by
the museum. The great exhibition “Novecento. Arte
e vita in Italia fra le due guerre (Twentieth century:
Art and Life in Italy between the two wars)” is dedicated
to painting and sculpture in the interwar period.
Art disciplines: Painting, sculpture, architecture,
graphics, design and fashion. Artists: Picasso, Carrà,
Severini, Soffici, Casorati, Prampolini, Balla, Sironi,
De Chirico, Morandi, Funi, Campigli, Donghi, De
Pisis, Maccari, Manzù, Guttuso, Martini, Andreotti,
Fontana, Messina.
Tito Balestra Foundation,
Longiano
Longiano’s Malatesta Castle is the seat of the important
modern and contemporary art collection by the
local poet and writer Tito Balestra, whose more than
two thousand paintings illustrate peculiar elements
of the Italian figurative arts of the twentieth century.
Moreover, it possesses one of the most considerable
collections of artworks by Mino Maccari. The
rooms of the castle also gather important artworks
by famous Italian artists of the past century, such as
Morandi, Guttuso, De Pisis, Campigli and Sironi, and
an entire room is dedicated to international artists,
such as Chagall, Kokoschka, Heckel and Matisse.
1. Casa del Fascio, Predappio
Not to be missed
• Pieve di Polenta, Bertinoro
• Basilica of San Mercuriale, Forlì
• Ravaldino/Caterina Sforza
Fortress, Forlì
• Stoppioni Gallery, Santa Sofia
• Lega Art Gallery, Modigliana