The funniest thing I remember about Brisighella is the “donkey street”.
Whenever I hear someone mentioning this village in Ravenna province, I immediately think back on that peculiar street in the center, over the storehouses and surrounded by houses.
Brisighella is striking for the colored houses in its historic center.
We reached the village on a sultry summer afternoon and were immediately welcomed with a reinvigorating cool drink at the tourist office.
Here we discovered how the citizens of Brisighella worked together to find a way to promote their area. Reading the boards at the tourist office, I felt confident that we, Italians, hopefully understand the high potential tourims can have in our country. Most of us are making an effort so that our culture, our history and our treasures are not lost and neglected.
After the refreshing break we finally went to look at this famous donkey street It’s a raised, covered street that literally runs inside a group of buildings that was part of the fortified core of the village.
As we came out of the street we looked up and saw the amazing hills surrounding the village. On every hill there is a building that can be visited (it’s worth it!).
First, I was attracted by the clock tower, which was originally built as a defensive and lookout tower.
On the other hill you can see Rocca Manfrediana, built by the lords of Faenza when they conquered the Brisighella area.
We stopped there as we left the village. The fortress is perfectly preserved and has been reopened since short.
It now houses the permanent exibition “Rocca e Torre dell’Orologio – perle di Adristoricaland (Fortress and Clock Tower – Jewels of the Adristoricalands). Adristoricalands is a European Union cultural project covering the Adriatic coast organized by Ravenna province.
Leaving Brisighella you mustn’t miss a break in Parco della Vena del Gesso (Chalk Seam Park). Enjoy the views or walk the eroded hills where gypsum used to be mined.
Here is a piece of advice in case you want to buy wine and/or food as a souvenir: on the way into town, and in the central square next to the tourist office, there are shops run by Terra di Brisighella, a cooperative of producers that sells local products.
