What today is the E45, the road that connects Rome with Cesena (from Cesena to Ravenna the E55) and which in its Romagna stretch runs parallel to the Savio river, bears evident traces of the splendor of the Romans, who built a large part of the their Empire along this stretch of road. With this itinerary we take you to discover three of the historical places most dear to the Romans: make yourself comfortable driving your four-wheeled chariot and follow us!
We start from the sources of the Tiber, the sacred river of the Empire, which flows from the slopes of Mount Fumaiolo, in Romagna, on the border with Tuscany, and then descends towards Umbria and travels over 400 km before flowing into the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The excursion to the sources of the Tiber can be more or less long, depending on how much you want to walk: we suggest the "Ring of the Fumaiolo", a circular itinerary of medium difficulty, about 13 km long, which can be covered on average in 5 hours. The route passes by the following locations: Valico Monte Fumaiolo, Sorgenti del Tevere, Waterfall of the Tiber, Lakes, Monte Aquilone, Rifugio Biancaneve, Valico Monte Fumaiolo.
We can imagine the Romans, tired from the journey from Rome to Sarsina, the flourishing center and homeland of Tito Maccio Plauto, or to Ravenna, the strategic port of the Empire, while taking a break to soak in the hot thermal waters of Balneus, today Bagno di Romagna . Let us then allow ourselves a day of health, relaxation and well-being, in this splendid village, blessed by the thermal waters that flow naturally warm at 45 °. Indoor and outdoor pools, Roman wellness paths between calidarium and tepidarium, saunas and Turkish baths, therapeutic massages with beneficial mud or simple pampering to regenerate.
There are many side activities related to the world of spas and we suggest at least not to miss the path of the Roman baths proposed by the Terme Sant'Agnese and the walk to the Chiardovo, a tree-lined avenue of a couple of km that leads from the village to a spring of thermal water, which should of course be tasted.
A visit not to be missed is the Bosco del Benessere, a true oasis of peace and relaxation where you can immerse yourself in a real "forest bath".
Sarsina exudes Romanism from all pores. Here, around 250 BC, the Latin playwright Tito Maccio Plauto was born, to whom the main square and an important Festival are still dedicated today. The alleys of the charming old town are sprinkled with artifacts, combined with wonderful examples of Romanesque architecture, such as the warm red brick facade of the Basilica Santuario di San Vicinio, frequented by thousands of pilgrims for the laying on of the thaumaturgical "chain" of San Vicinio.
But above all, Sarsina houses the National Archaeological Museum, undoubtedly one of the most important Archaeological Museums in northern Italy for the richness and variety of finds, still too little known. The collections of the Museum, of almost exclusively of local provenance, although covering a chronological span extending from prehistory to late antiquity, concern in particular the Roman age. The funerary epigraphs are interesting, offering a social cross-section of the ancient Sassina; the large polychrome floor mosaic called the "Triumph of Dionysus", found in the city; the group of statues representing Phrygian and Egyptian deities, which constituted the most important sanctuary in northern Italy dedicated to these cults; as well as various furnishings, furniture and the reconstruction of the dining room (triclinium) of a domus of the time.
If you do this itinerary in summer, do not miss one of the evenings of the Plautus Festival, the theatrical festival with guests of international importance organized every year since 1956 to remember Tito Maccio Plauto.
