Brisighella Travel Guide - Travelers Information for Brisighella, Italy

Brisighella is a spa center and an interesting medieval town, known for its good cuisine. The medieval quarter has an unusual silhouette, surrounded by three rocky pinnacles topped by the rocca, an unusual clock tower, and a sanctuary.

Brisighella makes a good base for exploring the countryside and nearby larger cities like Faenza (famous for ceramics), Ravenna (city of mosaics), Bologna, and the seaside town of Rimini that can easily be reached by train. It's even possible to take the train to Florence. Although the town has a lot to offer, it's not crowded with tourists and offers a relaxing vacation.

Brisighella sits on the Lamone River in the Lamone Valley of the Emilia-Romagna region. It's about 50 km from Italy's northeast coast. Faenza is 12 km to the west and Ravenna is 42 while Florence is 88km to the east. (See the Emilia Romagna Map for Faenza and Ravenna locations)

Brisighella is easy to reach by car. It's about 12km off the A14 autostrade and parking is easy. Brisighella is on the Faenza - Florence train line. (Faenza is on the Bologna to Ancona and Milan to Lecce train lines). Some trains also continue to Ravenna. The train station is right in town (the railroad tracks are between the old town and the baths) and there's a free parking lot next to it. The closest airports are in Rimini and Bologna. (see Italy Airports Map)

I recommend the restaurant in the Gigiole' Hotel. We had a great, reasonably priced meal with regional specialties. (See Europe Travel's hotel photo and information). There's another good restaurant in Piazza Marconi, one of the few open on Mondays.

Besides the 4-star Gigiole' Hotel (above) there's La Rocca in the center, Tre Colli by the main road, and three hotels near the baths - Hotel delle Terme, La Meridiana, and Valverde. (see hotel list) For those wanting to stay in the countryside, the Farm Home Relais Varnello (book direct on Venere) is 3km from town on a panoromic road amongst vineyards and olive groves.

The baths, terme, are near the river surrounded by a large park for walking and jogging. The area is known for sulphurous and sodiobromidiodic waters, especially good for affections of the respiratory tracts, and the first spa was opened there in the nineteenth century. Today there's a historic open air swimming pool and the baths offer a variety of services including mud baths, inhalations, aesthetic cures, massage, and reflex therapy. They're open from April through November.

Brisighella holds a huge medieval festival, Feste Medioevali di Brisighella, on weekends starting in late June and going through mid-July. The festival includes lots of entertainment, jousting, fireworks, and medieval food. Here's a good description of the festival on Brian Burton's blog and the official festival web site (in Italian).

Europe Travel's pictures of Brisighella include the clocktower, the rocca, Via degli Asini, views of the town, and even the fresh milk dispensing machine.

For a small town, there's a lot to see in Brisighella.

• Historic Center: Piazza Carducci is the main square in the historic center and home of the 18th century collegiate church of Saints Michelle and Giovanni Battista with some interesting art work. Above the square in Piazza Marconi are the neoclassical Palazzo Maghinardo (now the town hall)and the information office. Descending Via Roma from the main square, one comes to the Church and Convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli. There are several intersting buildings throughout the center and there's even a map of Brisighella by the fountain (see photo) on Europe Travel). At the edge of the town, across from the station, is Giuseppe Ugonia Park. The town holds a market on Wednesday mornings and an antique market on Friday evenings in summer.
• Via degli Asini, or Antica Via del Borgo, with its porticos and lanterns, is the most unique part of the medieval center. This raised, covered passageway was built in the 12th century to protect the donkeys carrying chalk from the quarries. (see photo on Europe Travel)
• La Rocca Manfrediana, the fortress, dominates the town from atop a chalky hill. It was originally built in 1310 and restored and completed by the Venetians in the early 16th century. You can walk up the hill to visit or there's a parking lot if you prefer to drive.
• Torre dell'Orologio, the clocktower, on a pinnacle across the gorge from the fortress, was built in 1290 and restored in 1850. It has a six-hour clock that strikes every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day. Inside is the Museum of Time. There are stairs leading to the tower from town and a roadway connecting the tower (where there's also parking) to the fortress.
• Sanctuary of the Madonna, atop the third hill known as Monticino, is a small 18th century church.
• Civic Museum Giuseppe Ugonia has works of the lithographer as well as other 19th and 20th century prints. There's also a museum of traditional country occupations and life.
• Pieve del Tho is a Romanesque church first recorded in 909 built on remains of a Roman building. It's just outside town and open only by appointment.
• Carne' Park, also outside town, is a natural reserve with guided tours of the chalk veins and grotto. There's a hostel in the park.