Strange to say, but even cities can give you quite romantic landscapes during the autumn. The wind lashing against the trees in the parks, the wide alleys turning into huge colourful carpets… In the historical centres, men and women of all ages go for a long stroll, seizing the warmth of the last rays of sun, while groups of children run after each other on the lawns of the public green areas, carefully monitored by an army of moms.
Right these moments, despite that jungle of horns, can give you a glimpse of peacefulness and self-talk, and you feel comfortable confiding secrets and thoughts in those leaves lying on the ground.
If you are authentic romantics, just like us, you will certainly agree that autumn turns out to be the perfect season to make a long journey, maybe looking for places you would have never visited before.
Here, you will find some of the most suggestive corners in the cities of art of Emilia Romagna, to try the autumn in all its endless colours.
Autumn Sea (Rimini) | Photo © Italo Giovannini
Let’s start from the sea. In autumn, the beach of RIMINI is deserted (or almost). The beach resorts are closed, the sunbeds and umbrellas are distant memories; there is just the sea, with its power, its breeze, and the long strolls, that vast sense of freedom, and the salty breeze caressing your hairs.
Renaissance walls (Ferrara) | Photo © Francesca Brancaleoni
It is right in these autumn days that FERRARA regains its real identity. Wrapped up in the fog, it becomes again “The city of silence”, as D’Annunzio wrote once. With its Renaissance past, the landscape exudes that melancholic charm, especially when the light faints and the street lamps along those 16th-17th century old walls pave the way.
Fortresses, defensive towers, and landscapes enrich, one after the other, the metaphysical landscape that artists like Giorgio De Chirico and Michelangelo Antonioni praised in their times.
Basilica di San Vitale (Ravenna) | Photo © Serena Onofri
There is a corner in RAVENNA of beguiling charm that turns even more magical in autumn: it is a tiny street in the city centre that bears the name of a very important Roman Empress, Galla Placidia. At the beginning, the street is quite narrow, but proceeding, it becomes wider, ending in a little square surrounded by some of the most important architectures in the city, two of which are part of the Ravenna Unesco World Heritage Site. That suggestive corner comprises the Basilica of San Vitale, in its octagonal shape; the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a tiny private building; the Church of Santa Croce and its archaeological area; the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore with its circular belltower.
Among these historical wonders, right in the middle, stands a gigantic plane, almost 33 m. high, protected by Emilia Romagna Region.
Cesena Fortress | Photo © leonardoelaromagna.it
With its outline of green hills decorated with vineyards and orchards, CESENA is a wonderful city to visit during the autumn months. Leaving behind all the surrounding territory, which is rich of suggestive little villages and landscapes, and passing via Malatesta Novello and Parco della Rimembranza, you reach Colle Garampo. From the top, leaning out of the old walls of the Malatesta Fortress, you will have a breathtaking view overlooking the valley of the Savio river.
Bucci Park (Faenza) | Pic © Elisabetta Mannelli
The green lung of the capital city of ceramics is right in the city centre. Eight hectares “stolen” from the urbanization of the 1970es have become a natural oasis in FAENZA.
In autumn, the park wears a bright coat, where the red, orange, yellow, and brown colours contrast with the pleasant sound of two enchanting ponds and the romantic maze of bridges, paths, and islets. As soon as you meet its little inhabitants, this magical place turns into a fairytale: people walk, do yoga, or just read a book among scampering bunnies, guinea pigs, and small hares, not to mention the large variery of ducks and birds.
A charming panoramic view of Bologna | Photo © Steffen Brinkmann, via Wikipedia
Famous for the warm colours of its crock and red-brick roofs, and for the façades of its buildings, BOLOGNA has its own authentic charm in autumn. The trees undress, the alleys get crowded with students, the clouds run fast over the valley, and the golden light that wraps up the entire city gets even cosier.
There are so many places to enjoy the vibe and from which you can enjoy the city from above: the amazing Portico of San Luca, from which, as soon as you get closer to the top of Colle della Guardia, you get a glimpse of the amazing city view; the big panoramic terraces of the city centre, such as the roof of the Basilica of St. Petronius, the Asinelli Tower, or the Campanile of St. Peter City Cathedral; the street that leads to the monastery Convento dell’Osservanza. Then, not to forget, there are the wide city parks and the surrounding hills, where autumn shines in its own light, dancing in its thousands of red and yellow shades.
Ducal Park (Parma) | Pic © Goethe100 (WLM 2014)
With its noble outline and elegant streets, PARMA is the perfect city to visit in autumn. This season offers many occasions to jump into the cultural life and participate in the culinary events that praise the surrounding territory.
If you want to see the autumn in all its colours, make a stop to the Ducal Park, and indulge yourself in a stroll along its alleys. It is a perfect Italian garden, built starting from the 16th century. Decorative statues, historical buildings, and, most of all, many plant species, such as tilias, horse chestnuts, and plane trees design the landscape with their warm colours.
Viale Facsal (Piacenza) | Pic © spreafotografia.it
On the city centre’s doors, on what remains of the old Renaissance walls, viale Faxhall (or Facsal) is the most famous alley in PIACENZA. With the century-old plane trees running along its track, in autumn it offers a unique spectacle. It’s here that the people of Piacenza come to have a stroll, ride their bikes or find some peace on one of the many benches spread along this 2 km long alley.
