Ravenna ( / r ə ˈ v ɛ n ə / rə- VEN -ə ; Italian: [raˈvenna] , also local pronunciation: [raˈvɛn(n)a] ; Romagnol : Ravèna, Ravêna ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna , in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy . It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its collapse in 476, after which it served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom and then the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna .
79-859: The Bidente-Ronco is a river in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy . The first portion of the river is called the Bidente. Once the river passes under the Ponte dei Veneziani (Bridge of the Venetians) in Meldola , the river is called the Ronco. The source of the river is near the border between the province of Forlì-Cesena , the province of Arezzo , and the province of Florence in the Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park . The river flows northeast through
158-466: A -29.2% loss in holdings for the region. The total utilised agricultural area (UAA) was 1,114,590 hectares (2,754,200 acres) in 2000 and 1,064,210 hectares (2,629,700 acres) in 2014 for a loss of 4.5%, indicating a downturn of smaller farm ownership. During this same timeframe there was a 14.5% decrease in the farm labor workforce. The Regional Government ( Giunta Regionale ) is presided by the President of
237-712: A league of Romagna cities against the Emperor, and the Pope was able to subdue it. After the war of 1218 the Traversari family was able to impose its rule in the city, which lasted until 1240. After a short period under an Imperial vicar, Ravenna was returned to the Papal States in 1248 and again to the Traversari until, in 1275, the Da Polenta established their long-lasting seigniory. One of
316-601: A location in Emilia–Romagna is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Italy is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna ( UK : / ɪ ˌ m iː l i ə r oʊ ˈ m ɑː n j ə / , US : / eɪ ˌ -/ , both also / ɛ ˌ -/ , Italian: [eˈmiːlja roˈmaɲɲa] ; Emilian : Emégglia-Rumâgna or Emîlia-Rumâgna ; Romagnol : Emélia-Rumâgna )
395-545: A native of Bologna, shot numerous movies in the region, including the 1976 horror-thriller The House with Laughing Windows . Marco Bellocchio , a native of Bobbio, near Piacenza, directed many award-winning movies, such as his 2009 biopic Vincere . Liliana Cavani, a native of Carpi, near Modena, became internationally known after the success of her 1974 feature film The Night Porter . In addition, actor and filmmaker Vittorio De Sica shot in Ferrara his 1970 movie The Garden of
474-684: A non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities. The unemployment rate stood at 5.1% in 2022 and was lower than the national average of 8.1%. The region of Emilia-Romagna has a very good system of transport, with 574 km of motorways, 1,053 km of railways and airports in Bologna, Forlì, Parma and Rimini. The main motorway crosses
553-619: A situation similar to Venice several centuries later. The Romans ignored it during their conquest of the Po River Delta, but later accepted it into the Roman Republic as a federated town in 89 BC . In 49 BC, it was where Julius Caesar gathered his forces before crossing the Rubicon . Later Octavian , after his battle against Mark Antony in 31 BC, founded the military harbor of Classis . This harbor, protected at first by its own walls,
632-416: A very well balanced economy that comprises Italy's biggest agricultural sector as well as a long-standing tradition in automobile, motor and mechanics manufacturing and a strong banking and insurance industry. In spite of the depth and variety of industrial activities in the region, agriculture has not been eclipsed. Emilia-Romagna is among the leading regions in the country, with farming contributing 5.8% of
711-519: Is a chemical industrial park [ it ] in Ferrara , where different companies manufacturing polyethylene , polypropylene , synthetic rubber and nitrogenous fertilizers . Other industrial park is Mirandola Biomedical District . In Parma there is pharmaceutical manufacturing from Chiesi Farmaceutici . Sport and fitness articles is manufacturing by Technogym in Cesena . The ceramic sector
790-464: Is also densely populated due to the booming seaside tourism in recent decades. In the peripheral areas of the Apennine Mountains and the agricultural plains around Ferrara and Piacenza, the population is less dense. The region has nine cities with populations exceeding one hundred thousand: Bologna, Parma, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Ravenna, Rimini, Ferrara, Forlì and Piacenza. These cities rank among
869-530: Is also likely that the move to Ravenna was due to the city's port and good sea-borne connections to the Eastern Roman Empire . In 409, King Alaric I of the Visigoths simply bypassed Ravenna, and went on to sack Rome in 410 and to take Galla Placidia , daughter of Emperor Theodosius I , hostage. After many vicissitudes, Galla Placidia returned to Ravenna with her son, Emperor Valentinian III , due to
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#1732873076005948-463: Is an administrative region of northern Italy , comprising the historical regions of Emilia and Romagna . Its capital is Bologna . It has an area of 22,446 km (8,666 sq mi), and a population of 4.4 million. Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest and most developed regions in Europe, with the third highest gross domestic product per capita in Italy. It is also a cultural center, being
1027-618: Is concentrated in Faenza and Sassuolo . Footwear industry is well developed and located in 2 industrial districts San Mauro Pascoli and between Fusignano and Bagnacavallo . Tourism is increasingly important, especially along the Adriatic coastline and the cities of art. The most popular location for seaside tourism is Rimini . Emilia-Romagna has many small and picturesque villages, 16 of them have been selected by I Borghi più belli d'Italia (English: The most beautiful Villages of Italy ),
1106-569: Is included in the wider group of western Romance languages (including French , Occitan and Catalan ). They are considered minority languages, structurally separated from Italian by the Ethnologue and by the Red Book of Endangered Languages of UNESCO . Emilia-Romagna today is considered one of the richest European regions and the third wealthiest Italian region by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. These results have been achieved by developing
1185-442: Is known for its egg and filled pasta made with soft wheat flour. Bologna is notable for pasta dishes like tortellini , lasagne , gramigna and tagliatelle made by sfoglini out of sfoglia . These are found also in many other parts of the region in different declinations. The Romagna subregion is known as well for pasta dishes like garganelli , strozzapreti , sfoglia lorda and tortelli alla lastra . In
1264-627: Is now covered (apart from the Mesóla forest in Province of Ferrara ) with fruit orchards and fields of wheat and sugar beet , the Pubescent oak - European hop-hornbeam belt on the lower slopes up to 800–900 m, the European beech - Silver fir belt between 800–900 m and 1,700 m and the final mountain heath belt above 1,700–1,800 m. Emilia-Romagna has two Italian National Parks,
1343-624: Is particularly concentrated in Parma , Modena and Bologna . Very important is production of Parma ham , Parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses, Modena balsamic vinegar , and Mortadella sausages. It is not restricted to these famous products, but also include production of sausages, other cheese, dairy products, coffee, sugar, fruit and vegetable conserves and stuffed pasta . Automotive industry produces sports cars ( Ferrari , Lamborghini , Maserati , Pagani ), trucks ( Astra ), buses ( Menarinibus ) and motorcycles ( Ducati , Bimota ). Machine building
1422-729: Is produced in Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena and Bologna and is much used in cooking, while Grana Padano variety is produced in the rest of the region. Ravenna Initially settled by the Umbri people, Ravenna came under Roman Republic control in 89 BC. Octavian built the military harbor of Classis at Ravenna, and the city remained an important seaport on the Adriatic until the early Middle Ages . The city prospered under imperial rule. In 401, Western Roman emperor Honorius moved his court from Mediolanum to Ravenna; it then served as capital of
1501-529: Is well-developed and represented with fork-lifts ( OM Still , FMTH Fantuzzi), skid-steer loader ( CNH Industrial ), tractors ( Argo , Goldoni , Arbos ), motors ( VM Motori , Lombardini ), vehicle gas-fuel equipment ( Landi Renzo ), undercarriages ( ThyssenKrupp Berco ), ceramic machine ( SACMI ), packaging machine ( Coesia [ it ] , SACMI , IMA ), pumps ( Interpump ), wood-working machine tools (SCM Group), home appliance ( Smeg , Saeco ), automatic data capture equipment ( Datalogic ) etc. There
1580-506: The Apennines is marked by areas of flysch , badland erosion ( calanques ) and caves . The mountains stretch for more than 300 km (186.41 mi) from the north to the south-east, with only three peaks above 2,000 m – Monte Cimone (2,165 m), Monte Cusna (2,121 m) and Alpe di Succiso (2,017 m). The plain was formed by the gradual retreat of the sea from the Po basin and by
1659-572: The Emilia subregion, except Piacenza which is heavily influenced by the cuisines of Lombardia where rice is more common, rice is eaten to a lesser extent. Polenta , a maize-based dish, is common both in Emilia and Romagna. The celebrated balsamic vinegar is made only in the Emilian cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia , following legally binding traditional procedures. Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese)
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#17328730760051738-601: The Foreste Casentinesi National Park and the Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park . Emilia-Romagna has been a highly populated area since ancient times. Inhabitants over the centuries have radically altered the landscape , building cities, reclaiming wetlands, and establishing large agricultural areas. All these transformations in past centuries changed the aspect of the region, converting large natural areas to cultivation, up until
1817-586: The Papal States until the mid-19th century when it was incorporated into the newly unified Kingdom of Italy . Although it is an inland city, Ravenna is connected to the Adriatic Sea by the Candiano Canal . It is known for its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture, with eight buildings comprising the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna". Because of
1896-594: The Popes of Rome , the Farnese of Parma and Piacenza, and the Duchy of Modena and Reggio , jostled for power and influence. The House of Este gained a notable profile for its political and military might and its patronage of the arts: it left behind a vast heritage of splendid Renaissance palaces, precious paintings and literary masterpieces, such as the works of Ludovico Ariosto , Torquato Tasso and Matteo Maria Boiardo . Following
1975-627: The Teatro Alighieri while concerts take place at the Palazzo Mauro de André as well as in the ancient Basilica of San Vitale and Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe . Chicago Symphony Orchestra music director Riccardo Muti , a longtime resident of the city, regularly participates in the festival, which invites orchestras and other performers from around the world. Michelangelo Antonioni filmed his 1964 movie Red Desert ( Deserto Rosso ) within
2054-567: The Umbri presence in Ravenna at least to the 5th century BC, where it was undisturbed until the 3rd century BC, when first contact with Roman civilization began. Its territory was settled also by the Senones , especially the southern countryside of the city (that was not part of the lagoon), the Ager Decimanus . Ravenna consisted of houses built on piles on a series of small islands in a marshy lagoon –
2133-700: The United Kingdom and Brazil . As of 2008 , the Italian National Institute of Statistics ( ISTAT ) estimated that 365,687 foreign-born immigrants lived in Emilia-Romagna, equal to 8.5% of the total regional population. Apart from standard Italian , Emilian and Romagnolo , two closely related languages that are part of the Emiliano-Romagnolo language family , are the local languages of Emilia-Romagna. They are Romance languages spoken in
2212-479: The orthodox Christian Byzantine Emperor Justinian I opposed both Ostrogoth rule and the Arian variety of Christianity. In 535 his general Belisarius invaded Italy and in 540 conquered Ravenna. After the conquest of Italy was completed in 554, Ravenna became the seat of Byzantine government in Italy. From 540 to 600, Ravenna's bishops embarked upon a notable building program of churches in Ravenna and in and around
2291-636: The 1960s. The trend then changed, and agricultural lands began giving way to residential and industrial areas. The increase of urban-industrial areas continued at very high rates until the end of the 2010s. In the same period, hilly and mountainous areas saw an increase in the registration of semi-natural areas, because of the abandonment of agricultural lands. Land use changes can have strong effects on ecological functions. Human interactions such as agriculture, forestation and deforestation affect soil function , e.g. food and other biomass production, storing, filtering and transformation, habitat and gene pool. In
2370-453: The 50 most populous in Italy. The regional capital, Bologna, has about 400,000 inhabitants and lies at the heart of a metropolitan area of about one million residents. Between 1876 and 1976, about 1.2 million people emigrated from Emilia-Romagna to other countries. As of 2008 , there were 119,369 people from this region living outside Italy, particularly in Argentina , Switzerland , France ,
2449-582: The 6th to 8th centuries, the region of Romagna was under Byzantine rule and Ravenna was the capital of the Exarchate of Italy within the Eastern Roman Empire. In the 8th century, this region became a province of the Papal States when Pepin, the father of Charlemagne, donated the land to the Pope in 754. During the 10th century, northern Italy became part of the Holy Roman Empire under the control of
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2528-687: The British 27th Lancers entered and liberated Ravenna. A total of 937 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the winter of 1944–45 are buried in Ravenna War Cemetery, including 438 Canadians. Eight early Christian buildings of Ravenna are inscribed on the World Heritage List . These are Other historic sites include: The city annually hosts the Ravenna Festival , one of Italy's prominent classical music gatherings. Opera performances are held at
2607-796: The Byzantines. In 751, the Lombard king, Aistulf , conquered Ravenna, thus ending Byzantine rule in northern Italy. King Pepin of the Franks attacked the Lombards under orders of Pope Stephen II . Ravenna then gradually came under the direct authority of the Popes , although this was contested by the archbishops at various times. Pope Adrian I authorized Charlemagne to take away anything from Ravenna that he liked, and an unknown quantity of Roman columns, mosaics , statues, and other portable items were taken north to enrich his capital of Aachen . In 1198 Ravenna led
2686-421: The Emilia-Romagna plain, which represents half of the region and where three quarters of the population of the region live, the agricultural land area has been reduced by 157 km while urban and industrial areas have increased to over 130 km between 2003 and 2008. The impact of land use and particularly of the urbanisation of the Emilia-Romagna plain during this period has had some strong consequences in
2765-554: The Finzi-Continis . Other actors from Emilia-Romagna include Gino Cervi , who played Peppone in the Don Camillo 1950s–1960s movie series; Rossano Brazzi , who acted in numerous English-language films, including the 1954 drama film The Barefoot Contessa ; and the 1980s comedy duo Gigi e Andrea . Emilia-Romagna is considered one of the richest regions of Italy with regard to its gastronomic and wine-making tradition. The region
2844-722: The Germanic leader Otto I. The Holy Roman emperors had varying degrees of control over northern Italy until the close of the Middle Ages. In the 12th century, the papacy extended its political influence and city states began to form in opposition to the Holy Roman emperors. The northern cities, supported by the Pope, formed the Lombard League and reduced the influence of the ruling Hohenstaufen dynasty over their lands. Division between imperial partisans and their opponents created factions called
2923-653: The Guelphs and the Ghibelines which would divide the cities for centuries. For the next few centuries both Emilia and Romagna were ruled by papal legates or representatives of the Pope. The University of Bologna —the oldest university in the world, established in AD 1088—and its bustling towns kept trade and intellectual life alive. Local nobility like the Este of Ferrara, the Malatesta of Rimini,
3002-475: The Italian "Red Quadrilateral" or sometimes " Red Belt " called with Tuscany , Umbria and Marche . This is probably due to the strength of the anti-fascist resistance around the time of World War II as well as a strong tradition of anti-clericalism dating from the 19th century, when part of the region belonged to the Papal States . The strength of the anti-fascist resistance is one of the main factors, along with
3081-591: The Latins, who were largely Catholic Orthodox. Ravenna's Orthodox bishops carried out notable building projects, of which the sole surviving one is the Cappella Arcivescovile . Theodoric allowed Roman citizens within his kingdom to be subject to Roman law and the Roman judicial system. The Goths, meanwhile, lived under their own laws and customs. In 519, when a mob had burned down the synagogues of Ravenna, Theodoric ordered
3160-690: The Region ( Presidente della Regione ), who is elected for a five-year term. The Regional Government is composed of the President and the Ministers ( Assessori ), of which there are currently twelve including the Vice President and the Under-Secretary for the President's office. Apart from the province of Piacenza , Emilia-Romagna was historically a stronghold of the Italian Communist Party , forming
3239-584: The beginning of the 2nd century. During the Marcomannic Wars , Germanic settlers in Ravenna revolted and managed to seize possession of the city. For this reason, Marcus Aurelius decided not only against bringing more barbarians into Italy, but even banished those who had previously been brought there. In AD 401, Emperor Honorius transferred the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Mediolanum (current Milan) to Ravenna; it subsequently served as
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3318-481: The best place to see in Europe. The name Emilia-Romagna is a legacy of Ancient Rome . Emilia derives from the via Aemilia , the Roman road connecting Piacenza to Rimini , completed in 187 BC, and named after the consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus . Romagna derives from Romània , the name of the Eastern Roman Empire applied to Ravenna by the Lombards when the western Empire had ceased to exist and Ravenna
3397-417: The capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy. Theodoric, following his imperial predecessors, also built many splendid buildings in and around Ravenna, including his palace church Sant'Apollinare Nuovo , an Arian cathedral (now Santo Spirito) and Baptistery, and his own Mausoleum just outside the walls. Both Odoacer and Theodoric and their followers were Arian Christians, but co-existed peacefully with
3476-412: The capital of the empire for most of the 5th century and the last de facto western emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed there in AD 476. At that time it was home to 50,000 people. The transfer was made partly for defensive purposes: Ravenna was surrounded by swamps and marshes, and was perceived to be easily defensible (although in fact the city fell to opposing forces numerous times in its history); it
3555-445: The detritus deposited by the rivers. Almost entirely marshland in ancient times, its history is characterised by the hard work of its people to reclaim and reshape the land in order to achieve a better standard of living. The geology varies, with lagoons and saline areas in the north and many thermal springs throughout the rest of the region as a result of groundwater rising towards the surface at different periods of history. All
3634-496: The economic and ecological assessment of the region. The loss of arable land is equivalent to a permanent loss of the capacity to feed 440,000 persons per year from resources grown within the region. The increased water runoff due to soil sealing requires adaptation measures for river and irrigation canals such as the building of retention basins , at a total cost estimated in the order of billions of euros. In 2000 there were 103,700 farm holdings and in 2010 there were 73,470, or
3713-434: The effectiveness of trade-unionism, that led to the dominance of the PCI in the region. Emilia-Romagna has since World War II been a left-wing stronghold, nowadays led by the Democratic Party , since its creation in 2007. Emilia-Romagna is divided into nine provinces. Apart from the creation of the Metropolitan City of Bologna , plans to reduce the number of provinces from nine to four have been dropped. ISTAT estimates
3792-437: The empire for most of the 5th century. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Ravenna became the capital of Odoacer until he was defeated by the Ostrogoth king Theodoric . In 540, Belisarius conquered Ravenna for the Byzantine Empire , and the city became the capital of Byzantine Italy. After a brief Lombard control, Ravenna came under the authority of the Papacy and, save for minor interruptions, remained part of
3871-405: The first local product, the cultivation of fruit trees has developed (especially peaches, but also apricots, plums, apples and pears). Cattle and pig breeding are also highly developed. Farm cooperatives have been working along these lines in recent years. With their long tradition in the region there are now about 8,100 cooperatives, generally in the agricultural sector and mainly located in
3950-548: The gross regional product. The agricultural sector has aimed for increased competitiveness by means of structural reorganisation and high-quality products, and this has led to the success of marketed brands. Cereals , potatoes , maize , tomatoes and onions are the most important products, along with fruit and grapes for the production of wine (of which the best known are Emilia's Lambrusco , Bologna's Pignoletto [ it ] , Romagna's Sangiovese and white Albana ). Alongside cereals, which for centuries remained
4029-471: The high concentration of mosaics, the city has been associated with workshops and schools teaching mosaics, and is often given titles like the "capital of mosaics". The origin of the name Ravenna is unclear. Some have speculated that "Ravenna" is related to "Rasenna" (or "Rasna"), the term that the Etruscans used for themselves, but there is no agreement on this point. The origins of Ravenna are uncertain. The oldest archaeological evidence found dates
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#17328730760054108-410: The home of the University of Bologna , the oldest university in the world. Some of its cities, such as Modena , Parma , Ferrara , and Ravenna , are UNESCO heritage sites. It is a center for food and automobile production (such as Ferrari , Lamborghini , and Maserati ). It has coastal resorts such as Cervia , Cesenatico , and Rimini . In 2018, the Lonely Planet guide named Emilia-Romagna as
4187-431: The hub of Bologna; on the north–south axis of EU routes E45 (from Rome) and E55 (SS-309 "Romea" from Venice); and on the regional Ferrara-Rimini axis of SS-16 (partially called "Adriatica"). Ravenna is twinned with: The traditional football club of the city is Ravenna F.C. Currently it plays in the fourth tier of Italian football, Serie D . A.P.D. Ribelle 1927 is the football club of Castiglione di Ravenna,
4266-415: The industrialised areas of the Pialassa valley. Ravenna has an important commercial and tourist port . Ravenna railway station has direct Trenitalia service to Bologna , Ferrara , Lecce , Milan , Parma , Rimini , and Verona . Ravenna Airport is located in Ravenna. The nearest commercial airports are those of Forlì , Rimini and Bologna . Freeways crossing Ravenna include: A14-bis from
4345-428: The most illustrious residents of Ravenna at this time was the exiled Florentine poet Dante . The last of the Da Polenta, Ostasio III , was ousted by the Republic of Venice in February 1441, and the city was annexed to the Venetian territories in the Treaty of Cremona . Ravenna was ruled by Venice until 1509, when the area was invaded in the course of the Italian Wars . In 1512, during the Holy League wars, Ravenna
4424-455: The mountains in the province of Forlì-Cesena and flows near Santa Sofia , Galeata , Civitella di Romagna and Meldola. Beyond Meldola, the river flows north near Bertinoro , Forlimpopoli , and Forlì before crossing the border into the province of Ravenna . The river flows northeast until it joins the Montone south of Ravenna , and the resulting river is known as the Uniti . The Battle of Ronco took place here. This article on
4503-457: The population of Emilia-Romagna was 4,459,577 on 1 January 2019. The population density, which was equal to 200 inhabitants per km in 2019, is close to the national average. The population of this region is traditionally evenly distributed, with no dominant metropolis but rather a line of medium-sized cities along the Via Emilia , where two thirds of the population and the majority of the industrial production are concentrated. The coast of Romagna
4582-417: The port city of Classe. Surviving monuments include the Basilica of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe , as well as the partially surviving San Michele in Africisco. Following the conquests of Belisarius for Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, Ravenna became the seat of the Byzantine governor of Italy, the Exarch , and was known as the Exarchate of Ravenna . It
4661-439: The possibility of flooding and creating a large belt of agricultural land around the city. Apart from another short occupation by Venice (1527–1529), Ravenna was part of the Papal States until 1796, when it was annexed to the French puppet state of the Cisalpine Republic ( Italian Republic from 1802, and Kingdom of Italy from 1805). It was returned to the Papal States in 1814. Occupied by Piedmontese troops in 1859, Ravenna and
4740-527: The provinces of Bologna (2,160) and Forlì-Cesena (1,300). The regional economy is more geared to export markets than other regions in the country: the main exports are from mechanical engineering (53%), the extraction of non-metallic minerals (13%) and the clothing industry (10%). Industry in the region presents a varied and complex picture and is located along the Via Emilia. The food industry (e.g. Barilla , Parmalat , Granarolo , Zanetti , Grandi Salumifici Italiani, Cremonini, Fini, Conserve Italia )
4819-442: The referendum of 2006, seven municipalities of Montefeltro were detached from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino ( Marche ) to join that of Rimini on 15 August 2009. The municipalities are Casteldelci , Maiolo , Novafeltria , Pennabilli , San Leo , Sant'Agata Feltria and Talamello . On 20 and 29 May 2012 two powerful earthquakes struck the central area of the region, killing 27 people and causing substantial damages to
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#17328730760054898-431: The region from north-west (Piacenza) to the south-east (Adriatic coast), connecting the main cities of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and from here further to Ravenna, Rimini and the Adriatic coast. Emilia-Romagna has given birth to a number of important filmmakers and actors and was the main setting for numerous important movies. Bernardo Bertolucci was a native from Parma and his 1976 masterpiece, 1900 ,
4977-410: The region's artistic heritage as well as to numerous manufacturing facilities. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake left 14,000 people temporarily homeless. The region of Emilia-Romagna consists of nine provinces and covers an area of 22,446 km (8,666 sq mi), ranking sixth in Italy. Nearly half of the region (48%) consists of plains while 27% is hilly and 25% mountainous. The region's section of
5056-426: The region, in Northern Marche and other nearby areas such as parts of Massa-Carrara , Mantua , Pavia and Rovigo provinces and in San Marino . The Sillaro river ( Emilian : Séllar in Emilian), near the town of Castel San Pietro Terme , is the border between Emilia and Romagna. They belong to the Northern Italian group within Romance languages (like Piedmontese , Lombard , Ligurian and Venetian ), which
5135-403: The rise of Napoleon , the region of Emilia came under French control. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, there was a growing movement for Italian national unity and independence. In 1848, a revolution in Vienna initiated uprisings against Austrian rule. The following decades saw uprisings in several regions and, in 1861, the Kingdom of Italy was established. During this Italian Unification ,
5214-413: The rivers rise locally in the Apennines except for the Po, which has its source in the Alps in Piedmont . The northern border of Emilia-Romagna follows the path of the river for 263 km ( 163 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi). The region has temperate broadleaved and mixed forests and the vegetation may be divided into belts: the Common oak - European hornbeam belt ( Padan plain and adriatic coast) which
5293-437: The so-called Biennio Rosso , a period of left-wing agitations that paved the way for Benito Mussolini 's coup d'état in 1922 and the birth of the Fascist regime in Italy. Mussolini, a native of Emilia-Romagna, sponsored the rise of many hierarchs coming from his same region, such as Italo Balbo , Dino Grandi and Edmondo Rossoni . Towards the end of the Second World War , Emilia-Romagna was occupied by Germany and has been
5372-420: The support of her nephew Theodosius II . Ravenna enjoyed a period of peace, during which time the Christian religion was favoured by the imperial court, and the city gained some of its most famous monuments, including the Orthodox Baptistry, the misnamed Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (she was not actually buried there), and San Giovanni Evangelista . The late 5th century saw the dissolution of Roman authority in
5451-545: The surrounding Romagna area became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy in 1861. During World War II , the town suffered severe damage. Fifty-two Allied bombing raids during the course of the Second World War had taken their toll, destroying some of Ravenna's noteworthy, unequalled early Christian art. Bombs intended for the railway station and its sidings had pulverised the Basilica of San Giovanni Evangelista in August 1944. On 5 November 1944 troops of 4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, 5th Canadian Armoured Division and
5530-399: The territories of Emilia and Romagna would be incorporated into the new nation. In the 16th century, most of what would become Emilia-Romagna had been seized by the Papal States, but the territories of Parma, Piacenza, and Modena remained independent until Emilia-Romagna became part of the Italian kingdom between 1859 and 1861. After the First world war, Emilia-Romagna was at the centre of
5609-435: The theatre of numerous Nazi war crimes , such as the Marzabotto massacre in which 770 innocent civilians were brutally executed by German troops. During the Cold war era , Bologna, traditionally a left-wing city, was particularly hit by political street violence and terrorism ; in 1980 a far-right terrorist group detonated a bomb at the city's main railway station, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. After
5688-454: The town to rebuild them at its own expense. Theodoric died in 526 and was succeeded by his young grandson Athalaric under the authority of his daughter Amalasunta , but by 535 both were dead and Theodoric's line was represented only by Amalasuntha's daughter Matasuntha . Various Ostrogothic military leaders took the Kingdom of Italy, but none were as successful as Theodoric had been. Meanwhile,
5767-747: The west, and Romulus Augustulus was deposed in 476 by the general Odoacer . Odoacer ruled as King of Italy for 13 years, but in 489 the Eastern Emperor Zeno sent the Ostrogoth King Theodoric the Great to re-take the Italian peninsula. After losing the Battle of Verona , Odoacer retreated to Ravenna, where he withstood a siege of three years by Theodoric, until the taking of Rimini deprived Ravenna of supplies. Theodoric took Ravenna in 493, supposedly slew Odoacer with his own hands, and Ravenna became
5846-556: Was an outpost of the east (540–751) . Before the Romans took control of present-day Emilia-Romagna, it had been part of the Etruscan world and subsequently that of the Gauls . During the first thousand years of Christianity, trade flourished, as did culture and religion, thanks to the region's numerous monasteries . The history of Emilia-Romagna dates back to Roman times when the region of Emilia
5925-544: Was an important station of the Roman Imperial Fleet . Nowadays the city is landlocked, but Ravenna remained an important seaport on the Adriatic until the early Middle Ages . During the Germanic campaigns, Thusnelda , widow of Arminius , and Marbod , King of the Marcomanni , were confined at Ravenna. Ravenna greatly prospered under Roman rule. Emperor Trajan built a 70 km (43.50 mi) long aqueduct at
6004-681: Was at this time that the Ravenna Cosmography was written. Under Byzantine rule, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ravenna was temporarily granted autocephaly from the Roman Church by the emperor, in 666, but this was soon revoked. Nevertheless, the archbishop of Ravenna held the second place in Italy after the pope, and played an important role in many theological controversies during this period. The Lombards , under King Liutprand , occupied Ravenna in 712, but were forced to return it to
6083-553: Was partially set in Emilia-Romagna. Federico Fellini , a native of Rimini, shot many movies in the region, among them Amarcord . Pier Paolo Pasolini , a native from Bologna, in addition to being a film director, was a poet, writer, and intellectual, who also distinguished himself as an actor, journalist, novelist, playwright, and political figure. Michelangelo Antonioni , a native of Ferrara, shot his 1964 movie Red Desert in Ravenna. Florestano Vancini , also from Ferrara, shot there his 1960 film Long Night in 1943 . Pupi Avati ,
6162-461: Was ruled by imperial judges linked to the nearby regions of either Liguria or Tuscany . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, the Lombards, a Germanic tribe, founded the kingdom of Lombardy in northern and central Italy. This kingdom, which included the region known as Emilia, flourished until the Lombard dynasty was overthrown by the Frankish king Charlemagne in 774. From
6241-732: Was sacked by the French following the Battle of Ravenna . Ravenna was also known during the Renaissance as the birthplace of the Monster of Ravenna . After the Venetian withdrawal, Ravenna was again ruled by legates of the Pope as part of the Papal States. The city was damaged in a tremendous flood in May 1636. Over the next 300 years, a network of canals diverted nearby rivers and drained nearby swamps, thus reducing
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