In one of our articles we have seen which are the orange flags of the Province of Rimini. Today we are dealing with Brisighella, a wonderful village in the province of Ravenna that is worth more than a visit. We remind you that the "Orange Flag" is the touring-environmental quality mark of the Italian Touring Club. It is assigned to the "most beautiful in Italy" villages, those in which particular historical and landscape conditions meet to offer visitors unforgettable experiences.
BRISIGHELLA, CITTÀ DELLE ROCCHE
Brisighella rises in the lower Lamone valley on the slopes of the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines. "Slow" City of Oil and Wine, it was awarded the Orange Flag of the Touring Club for the high level of its tourist services, the numerous cultural activities and, of course, the breathtaking landscape in which it is lucky enough to be inserted. Brisighella was built at the foot of three gypsum pinnacles on which the Rocca Manfrediana, the Clock Tower and the Monticino Sanctuary rest. The particular conformation of the landscape constituted a natural defense of the cities. Thus it was that in the fourteenth century the Manfredis, lords of Faenza, built the fortress of the same name, which still today has medieval features. The village develops in the plain below: a maze of cobbled streets, sometimes enclosed by ancient walls, which have their epicenter in the ancient Via del Borgo, called the Asini because it was suitable for the shelter of the birocciai, the "truck drivers" of the time .
Via degli Asini is really special. It is a covered and raised street that receives the light from arched windows that open onto a square below. It is located on the second floor of the buildings that were built inside the walls, but was originally uncovered and was a patrol road. It was mainly used for the transport of gypsum taken from the surrounding quarries, transported on donkey carts, hence the name of the road.
In Brisighella, numerous sacred buildings stand out, above all the Pieve di S. Giovanni in Ottavo, a Romanesque basilica with three naves, built around the eighth century.