Cervia
Encyclopedia
Cervia is a town and comune
(municipality
) in the province of Ravenna
(Emilia-Romagna
), central Italy
.
Later the centre was rebuilt in a more secure position, in the Salina
. This medieval city grew until it was provided with three fortified entrances, a Palaces of Priors, seven churches and a castle (Rocca) which, according to the legend, was built by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The name also changed from Ficocle to Cervia, probably referring to the Acervi, great amounts of salt left in the local evaporation pods. After a long series of events, it became part of the Papal States
.
As the time passed, the salt pod turned into a marsh, and on November 9, 1697 Pope Innocent XII
ordered it to be rebuilt in a safer location. The new city had huge silos for storage of salt, containing up to 13,000 tons.
Cervia is also mentioned in Dante
's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XXVII, lines 40–42).
Nowadays Cervia is a seaside resort
on the Adriatic Riviera thanks to its 10 km shore characterised by sandy beaches.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
) in the province of Ravenna
Province of Ravenna
The Province of Ravenna is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Ravenna.It has an area of 1,858 km², and a total population of 365,369 . There are 18 comuni in the province , Comuni of the Province of Ravenna. As of May 31, 2005, the main comuni by...
(Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
), central Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
Originally called Ficocle, it was probably of Greek origin and was located midway from current Cervia and Ravenna. It is known that this originary settlement was destroyed in 709 by patrician Theodore for its alliance with Ravenna against the loyal Byzantines.Later the centre was rebuilt in a more secure position, in the Salina
Saltern
Saltern is a word with a number of differing meanings. In English archaeology, a saltern is an area used for salt making, especially in the East Anglian fenlands....
. This medieval city grew until it was provided with three fortified entrances, a Palaces of Priors, seven churches and a castle (Rocca) which, according to the legend, was built by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The name also changed from Ficocle to Cervia, probably referring to the Acervi, great amounts of salt left in the local evaporation pods. After a long series of events, it became part of the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...
.
As the time passed, the salt pod turned into a marsh, and on November 9, 1697 Pope Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII
Pope Innocent XII , born Antonio Pignatelli, was Pope from 1691 to 1700.-Biography:He was born in Spinazzola to one of the most aristocratic families of the Kingdom of Naples, which included many Viceroys, and ministers to the crown, and was educated at the Jesuit college in Rome.In his twentieth...
ordered it to be rebuilt in a safer location. The new city had huge silos for storage of salt, containing up to 13,000 tons.
Cervia is also mentioned in Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XXVII, lines 40–42).
Nowadays Cervia is a seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
on the Adriatic Riviera thanks to its 10 km shore characterised by sandy beaches.
Main sights
- The Cathedral (Santa Maria Assunta), built in 1699–1702.
- The Museum of Salt
- The Communal Palace
- St. Michael Tower