Cotignola between History, Museums and River Landscape
Accommodation in Cotignola
Cotignola between the Senio and History
Cotignola lies in the green hinterland of Ravenna on the banks of the Senio River. Its location combines a river landscape with cultural themes ranging from medieval history to a wide variety of events. For your journey, you can take two different reference points into account: Cotignola is located on the Lugo–Faenza railway line, and there is also a Cotignola motorway exit on the A14dir. This allows you to consider arrival by train and by car separately when planning your trip.
File:Girolamo Marchesi detto il Cotignola, Fuga in Egitto, 1522-24.jpg
Photo: Mongolo1984 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Towers, Bell and Palazzo Sforza
The Torre di Giovanni Acuto was built in Cotignola in 1376 by the English captain Sir John Hawkwood. The reconstructed Torre di Giovanni Acuto houses the town bell known as “E’ Campanòn”.
Palazzo Sforza houses the Museo Varoli and the historical archive. The Museo Civico Luigi Varoli includes an art gallery and an archaeological section with artefacts ranging from the Roman era to the late Middle Ages. Culture enthusiasts in Cotignola can choose which museum to visit based on paintings or archaeological periods.
The Museo Civico Luigi Varoli is spread across Palazzo Sforza and the Casa-Studio Luigi Varoli; the two are connected by the Scuola Arti e Mestieri. The house museum includes Luigi Varoli’s library, his photographic archive and rooms dedicated to his love of music. The Casa-Studio Luigi Varoli reopened to the public in 2024 with a new design.
Remembrance and Architecture
Palazzo Sforza preserves original architectural elements, including the terracotta rosette bearing the Sforza coat of arms and the columns of the loggia. The memorial stele in the Giardino dei Giusti lists the Jews who were taken in in Cotignola and the people who gave them refuge. The two sites offer different, tangible points of reference for engaging with Cotignola’s history.
Festivals, Stage and Leisure
The Festa della Segavecchia takes place every year during the third week of Lent and culminates in the burning of an effigy of a witch. The Arena delle balle di paglia hosts concerts, theatre, storytelling, land art, explorations and poetic encounters. Parco Sandro Pertini also has a pond called “Nino Grilli”, where fishing is possible. The range therefore extends from a firmly established annual event to different forms of culture and leisure. When planning events, you can choose between the annual tradition and the various formats offered by the Arena.
Lago dei Gelsi and Birdlife
Lago dei Gelsi, also known as Lago della Fornace, is an artificial lake created after the closure of a clay extraction site and covers approximately four hectares. Since 2011, Lago dei Gelsi has been part of the ecological compensation area “Lago della Fornace, Canale del Molino e Fiume Senio”. Its current classification combines its origins in a former use with an ecologically focused landscape theme.
Seasonal migratory bird species occur at Lago dei Gelsi, including mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Eurasian wigeons (Anas penelope). Grey herons (Ardea cinerea) and little egrets (Egretta garzetta) can also be found there regularly. At Lago dei Gelsi, nature observers can distinguish seasonal migratory birds from regularly occurring herons.
More Destinations
Santerno, Russi, Area Industriale, Milano Marittima, Conselice, Faenza, Lido Del Savio, Ravenna
To the higher-level travel overview: Ravenna.
