Forlì

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Description

Town visit 

The itinerary starts with a visit to Campanile di San Mercuriale (Bell Tower of San Mercuriale) giving a possibility to the visitors to enjoy a panoramic view of Forlì and Romagna. It is followed by a visit to “Museo Civico di Palazzo Romagnoli - Collezioni del '900” where visitors are introduced to the artistic heritage of Forlì and Romagna. Rich collections of the renewed painters and artists from Italian history provide an overview of the creative processes present in Italy in the 20th century. This palace hosts the Verzocchi collection, a unique exhibition on the national and international level, both for the high artistic value of the works present and for the motivation that inspired the creation of this selection of paintings.

From this museum, the traveller proceeds with a visit to the “Museo Civico di San Domenico - Collezioni D'Arte”, another splendid art collection. This palace, too, hosts important works of Forlì artistic history, like the collection of illustrations and sculptures from XIII and XIV c., with notable works like “Madonna with a child” by Vitale da Bologna, “Prayer in the garden” and “Nativity” by Beato Angelico, among others.

As visitors pass from one attraction to another, they have an opportunity to enjoy other influential locations and buildings in the city centre, namely the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Gaddi Palace, “Apollo” theatre, marvellous Post Office and Aurelio Saffi Square.

After beautiful art collections, travellers reach more recent historical monuments and representative places of the architectural heritage of the 1900s. Firstly, they are welcomed at Ex-ATR, a former bus deposit from the ’30s and classical building from this era. On a short walking distance is the next 20^th century “stop” in this programme – the former Aeronautical College, one of the most representative buildings of the “rationalist” architectural style.

In both buildings are currently present restoration works and they are not open for the public, so only external visits are possible.

The last stop in this itinerary is the peak of this tour – the theatre “Odeon”, our revived treasure.

With a guided tour, visitors learn about the history of the place, artistic value, its former purpose and importance for the cultural life of Forlì in the 20^th century. Through 3D projection and video presentation, guests can visualise events and the atmosphere present here in the past, enriching the overall experience with this unique and authentic content. In periods when there are live events and shows, visitors are welcomed to participate in these events as spectators.

We recommend that visitors dedicate at least one and a half an hour for the visit to the “Odeon” to completely get immersed in this place and experience all its features.

We suggest that travellers bring a reusable bottle of water with them, long sleeve shirt, sun protection in the summer days or a rain jacket in spring/autumn.

Stops:

1^st stop: BELL TOWER OF SAN MERCURIALE - Located in the southern part of Piazza Saffi, the imposing Basilica of San Mercuriale, is the symbol of the city. This basilica has ancient origins, as it was constructed on the remains of the parish church of St Stefano, existing as early as IV c. It was destroyed in 1173, but soon after it was rebuilt in the Lombard Romanesque style between 1176 and 1181. Its bell tower is more than 70 meters tall and surmounted by the conical spire on the top, added probably in the 1300s.

2^nd stop: MUSEO CIVICO PALAZZO ROMAGNOLI – A restored noble palace dating back to the XVIII century that has housed the 1900 collection since 2013. On the ground floor, it hosts the Verzocchi collection, a unique exhibition on the national and international level, both for the high cultural value of the works present and for the motivation that inspired the creation of this selection of paintings.

3^rd stop: MUSEO CIVICO SAN DOMENICO - This convent is home to diverse artistic collections from various periods, that increase the attractiveness and the overall experience for a visitor. Some of these showcase the artistic history of Forlì, like the collection of illustrations and sculptures from XIII and XIV century, where notable works like “Madonna with a child” by Vitale da Bologna, “Prayer in the garden” and “Nativity” by Beato Angelico are present.

4^th stop: EX_ATR - a former bus deposit from the ’30s and classical building from this era.

5^th stop: FORMER AERONAUTICAL COLLEGE – The building preserves untouched mosaics about the history of flying, whose design is based on the work by painter Angelo Cannevari from the end of the 1930s. These mosaics tell the story of flying and of the Italian air transport companies, following a continuous and linear timeline on white marble and black limestone combined in duotone technique.

6^th stop: ODEON THEATRE- It was part of the Cesare Valle’s Casa del Balilla (nowadays Ex Gil), an innovative instrument of propaganda, that combined various functions with the aim of controlling leisure time of young people. It was designed as a multipurpose building articulated in distinct functional blocks containing the library, the cinema, the gymnasium and indoor pool, and an outdoor sports field.

Today the building, once the expression of Fascist propaganda, continues to try, together with the City and its citizens, to rethink itself, not forgetting its history, to give new meanings and new inclusive uses to cultural and architectural heritage of the city