Historic town is now a popular seaside resort
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| A copy of the plan for the new Cervia that was commissioned by Pope Innocent XII in 1697 |
It was the second time in its history that Cervia had been moved and rebuilt and therefore it has become known as ‘the town of three sites’.
Present day Cervia, in the province of Ravenna, is a popular seaside resort with a 9km (5.5 miles) stretch of sandy beaches along the Adriatic coast, about 30km (19 miles) north of Rimini.
The town was originally known as Ficocle and was probably of Greek origin. It lay near the coast halfway between what is often referred to as New Cervia and the city of Ravenna.
However, the town of Ficocle was completely destroyed in 709 as punishment for being an ally of Ravenna and therefore against Byzantium. It was later rebuilt in a safer location.
Cervia became a strong city with three protected entrances, a Prior’s Palace, seven churches and a fortress. It was during this period that the name of the city was changed from Ficocle to Cervia.
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| Cervia's Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta was built in accordance with the 1697 plan |
Cervia’s coat of arms has an image of a golden deer kneeling on the ground, which is an indication that the story of the bishop and the deer is the most popular theory.
By the 17th century the salt pans had turned into marshland and the air had become unhygienic, killing off many of Cervia’s inhabitants.
Therefore, on 9 November 1697, Pope Innocent XII signed a document containing the order and regulations for the building of a new Cervia in a location that would be healthier for the residents at a cost of 40,000 scudi.
The document stipulated the exact number of houses to be built, and the position of the Cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace and the prisons. There were also plans for huge silos for the storing of the salt produced in the town.
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| Cervia boasts a long stretch of wide, sandy beaches extending for 9km |
Cervia has grown from being just a fishing and salt producing town into one of the major seaside resorts on the Adriatic coast, with excellent beaches at outlying Milano Marittima, Pinarella and Tagliata. All building in the town has been governed by strict regulations in order to conserve the natural pine forests. Nightclubs and outdoor dance venues have been banned from the historic centre out of consideration for the residents. A typical local dish served in the restaurants is Tortelli Verdi stuffed with ricotta and served with butter and sage.
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| Cervia's San Michele Tower, next to the salt museum, predates the new town |
In the centre of the town, the Duomo di Cervia, or Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, is a Baroque building begun in 1699 and consecrated in 1702. It was designed by Francesco Fontana, son of the Roman architect, Carlo Fontana, but the marble veneer he had planned for the façade was never added. The San Michele Tower in Via Arnaldo Evangelisti dates back to 1691, before the rebuilding of the new Cervia, when it was erected to defend the town from Turks and Saracens. Its design was based on an old drawing by Michelangelo, who had sketched a prototype for a defensive building to protect the coastal areas of the Papal States. You can also visit an old tower housing a Salt Museum, (MUSA) in Via Nazario Sauro, which was founded by the Salt Workers Association to keep the memory of working in Cervia’s salt pans alive by displaying old tools, documents and photographs.
Also on this day:
1383: The birth of military leader Niccolò III d’Este
1877: The birth of Enrico De Nicola, the first president of Italy
1921: The birth of football stickers pioneer Giuseppe Panini
1974: The birth of footballer Alessandro Del Piero
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