Welcome to
Faenza
From
Jesse's Journeys in
Italy
Population: 54,749 (2004)
Official website:
Faenza
Wikipedia:
Faenza
Map:
MapQuest
Since time immemorial, Faenza has been
an important center for the production
of a beautiful majolica pottery,
which, even in
Etruscan
times was exported far and wide.
Today,
faience
(in English) or favence (in
French) pottery is shipped around the
world to high end shops for discerning
buyers. Today there are over 60
factories and workshops, most in the
city's center, producing different forms
of Faenza pottery.
It is not surprising, therefore, that
Faenza boasts many businesses,
institutions and events dedicated to its
best known industry, including ceramic
manufacturers, schools, and most
famously, the
International Museum of Ceramics,
whose collection consists of
historically important pottery and
ceramiche from every corner of the
world, including stunning works from the
Renaissance
and the works of artists like
Chagall and
Picasso.
Faenza sits on the banks of the
Lamone River in a fertile
agricultural zone just 30 kilometers
south of
Bologna and 50 kilometers east of
Ravenna. The soil in and
around the city contain the clay
deposits that are the basis of Faenza's
ceramic industry.
Originally settled by
Celtic
tribes people, by the 2nd century BC it
had become a
Roman town, which they
called Faventia, along the
Via Aemelia. Like other
northern towns it suffered during the
barbarian invasions, settling for a long
period under
Longobard
control. During the medieval
period it followed the usual pattern,
evolving first into a more or less
independent comune, but ultimately
finding itself, by 1313 AD, under the
domination of a despotic family, the
Manfredi.
The Manfredi's ruled until Faenza was
captured by the Pope's son,
Cesare Borgia, in 1501. At
that point the town was absorbed into
the
Papal States, and remained there,
except for a brief period during the
Napoleonic conquest, until the
Unification of Italy
in 1860.
The centro storico -
historical center - of Faenza has very
little to show of Roman times. The
town walls, its main piazzas and and
principal building originated, for the
most part, during the medieval period.
The facade of the Cathedral - or Duomo -
faces the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele.
The church, started in 1474 and
completed in 1511, was designed in the
Florentine
Renaissance style
by Guiliano da Maiano. His
father,
Benedetto, may
have done the carvings on the tombs of
St. Terence and St. Emilian
inside.
The Piazza della Liberta',
hosting an interesting, monumental
fountain with bronzes, is on the west
side of the church, giving the area
around the cathedral a pleasant
immensity. Across the piazza from the
cathedral is double porticoed building,
erected in the 17th century, known
as the Goldsmith's portico,
where, not surprisingly, artisans
working in gold and other precious
metals plied their trade.
The other main piazza, Piazza Popolo,
has a torre di orologio - or
clock tower - at its entrance,
and at its center an ornate fountain on
a polygonal base. The clock
tower stands at the intersection of what
were the original Roman crossroads
running through the city. The Via
Aemelia ran from the main city gates of
the old city, the Porta Cardo to
the Porta Decuman.
The Palazzzo Milzetti, built
between 1792 and 1805 is
considered one of Italy's best
examples of neo-classical architecture.
Its interior features intricate tempera
and stucco work. Faenza's
most important theater, the Teatro
Masini, on the Corte della
Molinella, was also built in this
period and is itself a good expression
of neo-classicism.
The municipal painting gallery - the
Pinacoteca comunale - has, with the
exception of a piece by
Donatello, some good, but not
great art representing the period
from the 13th to the 19th century.
Other artists whose works are in the
collection include
Palmezzano,
Cignani
and
Dossi.
Other Faenza museums open to the public
include the
Diocese Museum, the Bendani Museum and the Manfredi
Library.
The area surrounding Faenza is a rich,
rolling agricultural area, with gorgeous
landscapes that are very much worth an
unhurried, meandering exploration.
In the valleys of the Lamone and
Samoggia Rivers, one finds
well-kept farms and stately homes, many
of them dating to the 18th and early
19th century. Of particular
interest are the Villa Rotonda
and Villa Case Grande dei Ferniani
which has a fantastic collection of
Faenza ceramics.
Another recommended drive through the
upper Sintria valley from
Croce San Daniele to Ca' Malanca
will take you by a number of ruins of
medieval forts. At Ca' Malanca
there is a small Museum of the
Resistance, honoring the sacrifices
of local partisans who fought the Nazis
during WW2.
When you are ready for a good lunch or
dinner, take note that the products and
produce of the region - the olive oil,
wines, vegetables, grains and meats find
their way into a plethora of delicious
dishes served up at local restaurants:
try the strozzapreti with a rich Romagnol meat sauce,
or the lasagna, tagliatelle, or cappelletti.
Enjoy!
By Vian Andrews, September 4, 2006 |
