Landscape memory in Bassa Romagna

Logo CC

Following the flood event that hit our region in September 2024, this route may be subject to closures or re-routing.
Please contact the relevant IAT - Tourist Office before setting off. 


In the heart of Romagna there is a strip of land that was strategic during the last part of the Second World War. Inland, the small towns of Bassa Romagna were victims of the harsh Nazi-Fascist repression, as witnessed by the memorial stones and plaques scattered along the embankments and in the countryside. Today, walking through these places, you can immerse yourself in a landscape that does not forget but spreads peace and serenity.

The route starts in Cotignola and continues along the embankment of the Senio river (or along adjacent roads if you are travelling by car) from which you can detour to Bagnacavallo, Fusignano and Villanova di Bagnacavallo, and then on to Alfonsine. From Alfonsine you cross the countryside to Conselice, reach Massa Lombarda and Sant’Agata sul Santerno, and then you arrive in Lugo, after a possible diversion to Bagnara di Romagna. Return to Cotignola.

You can travel either by bike or by car following the directions on the map available at this link.

  • Length
    72 hours
  • Interests
    Art & Culture
  • Target
    Everyone
  • First stop - Cotignola Cotignola

    In Cotignola, "The town of the Righteous Ones", there is Piazza della Pace located in front of the church of Pio Suffragio dedicated to the fallen of all wars. Next to this square, the Varoli Museum has a section dedicated to the Righteous. A few steps away we find the mural of the Non-automatic Distributor of Courage and in the Resistance Park there is the Monument dedicated to the New Zealand allied soldiers and the Memorial Plaque of the "Bandiera bianca" operation. In the Giardino dei Giusti there are: the Memorial stele, the trees symbolizing every saved life and a cedar from Lebanon. Along the Senio several Memorial stones in memory of the offensives, deminers and Martyrs.

    From here you can continue to Alfonsine or take the following detours:

    Bagnacavallo
    In the Giardino dei Semplici, you will find the Roses of Peace and the Rosa Bella Ciao. In the Parco della Pace, you will find the Stele to Jewish refugees and deportees.

    In Masiera a Memorial stone commemorates the Borgo Pignatta massacre and, beyond the bridge that leads to the center of Fusignano, stands the Monument to the Cremona Combat Group and to the 28th Garibaldi Brigade and to the Commonwealth fighters.

    Fusignano
    Fusignano hosts two museums of the "Romagna Air Finders" association, is a must for all aviation and military history enthusiasts, with its displays of finds discovered by the men of the R.a.F.
    Continuing along the embankment we reach the Stele in memory of the crossing of the Senio river.

    Villanova
    In Villanova di Bagnacavallo you will find the Canadian Cemetery, designed by Louis De Soissons, the Monument to the Canadian soldiers, the Stele of the Battle of the Rivers and the Memorial Stone dedicated to the Three Martyrs.

  • Second stop - Alfonsine Alfonsine

    In the center of Alfonsine there is the Monument to the Resistance, the Museum of the Battle of the Senio, which houses evidence of the final phase of the attack on the "Gothic Line" and the Historical Institute of the Resistance and Contemporary Age consisting of a library, a newspaper library, a photo library and a media library that includes films, documentaries, newsreels and recordings.

  • Third stop - Conselice Conselice

    In Conselice you will find the Monument to the Clandestine Press and Freedom of Press, the monument is a printing machine similar to those used during the liberation days and the Plaque dedicated to the partisan relay girl Ines Bedeschi.

  • Fourth stop - Massa Lombarda Massa Lombarda

    In the town centre you will find the Monument to the Fallen Partisans and in the countryside there are the Memorial Stones in memory of the Baffè and Foletti massacre.

  • Fifth stop - Sant'Agata sul Santerno Sant'Agata sul Santerno

    In Sant'Agata sul Santerno on the two sides inside the clock tower are the tombstones to the Fallen of Sant'Agata sul Santerno during the African Campaign, in the First and Second World Wars.

    From Sant'Agata, you can continue to Lugo or make a detour to Bagnara di Romagna

    Bagnara di Romagna
    In the city park near the Fortress, stands the Monument to the Bagnara Fallen of all wars plexiglass and bronze monument commemorating the civilian and military deaths of the two World Wars.

  • Sixth stop - Lugo Lugo

    In the Rocca di Lugo there are: the plaque in memory of the partisan Carlo Landi "Matto", the plaque to the deported Lughese Jews and the fragments of the Cippo in memory of the Martyrs of the Senio.

Last update 23/09/2024

Information offices

Ufficio Informazioni Cotignola
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, 31 - Cotignola (RA)
+ 39 0545 908826 + 39 0545 908871 urp@comune.cotignola.ra.it
Ufficio Informazioni Alfonsine
Piazza Antonio Gramsci, 1 - Alfonsine (RA)
+ 39 0544 299666 + 39 0544 299648 urp@comune.alfonsine.ra.it
Ufficio Informazioni Conselice
Via G. Garibaldi, 14 - Conselice (RA)
+ 39 0545 986910 urp@comune.conselice.ra.it
Ufficio Informazioni Massa Lombarda
Via Aurelio Saffi, 2 - Massa Lombarda (RA)
+ 39 0545 985890 urp@comune.massalombarda.ra.it
Ufficio Informazioni S. Agata sul Santerno
Piazza Garibaldi, 5 - Sant'Agata sul Santerno (RA)
+ 39 0545 919907 urp@comune.santagatasulsanterno.ra.it
Ufficio Informazioni Lugo
Largo Relencini, 1 - Lugo (RA)
+ 39 0545 299441 urp@comune.lugo.ra.it

You may also like...

OFFICIAL TOURIST INFORMATION SITE © 2024 Emilia-Romagna Region Tourism and Commerce Department