The cities in Romagna that have obtained UNESCO World Heritage site status are Ferrara and Ravenna, custodians of magnificent works of art with extraordinary historical, cultural, artistic and natural value.
Located a short distance from the Adriatic Sea, Ravenna is the homeland of mosaics. Its glorious past has left behind an exceptional mosaic legacy; it is no wonder then that its eight early-Christian monuments (fifth-sixth centuries AD), became UNESCO heritages sites in 1996.
This impressive list includes the Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare in class, the Aryan Baptistery, Neonian Baptistery and Chapel of Sant’Andrea.
Moving up the coast to the north, we encounter Ferrara. The city was included on the list of UNESCO heritage sites in 1995 as the City of the Renaissance, a title celebrating the flourishing intellectual life in Ferrara in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. At that time, Ferrara underwent significant urban redevelopment, such as the Herculean Addition, and was filled with creative activity from artists such as Piero della Francesca and Andrea Mantegna.
In the area around Ferrara, there are two other UNESCO sites: The Delizie Estensi, the monumental residences of the Este dukes, and the nearby wetland area of the Po Delta.
Among the other sites recognised by UNESCO we find the International Ceramics Museum (MIC) in Faenza, called a “testament to a Culture of Peace”; and then there is the Malatestiana Library, dating from the fifteenth century AD, in Cesena, added to the UNESCO “Memory of the World” register.
Romagna has finally received recognition from UNESCO for its important natural heritage: the Ancient Beechwoods of the Casentinesi Forest National Park and the Sasso Fratino Nature Reserve for their ecological and biological uniqueness.
