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Cesena (; ) is a city and ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' (municipality) in the
Emilia-Romagna Emilia-Romagna (, , both , ; or ; ) is an Regions of Italy, administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia (region), Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of , and a population of 4.4 m ...
region of
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
; and - with
Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...
- is the capital of the
Province of Forlì-Cesena The Province of Forlì-Cesena () is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Its capitals are the cities of Forlì and Cesena. The province has a population of 394,273 as of 2016 over an area of . It contains 30 '' comuni'' (: ''comu ...
. Served by Autostrada A14, and located near the
Apennine Mountains The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...
, about from the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
. The total population is 97,137.


History

Cesena was originally an
Umbri The Umbri were an Italic peoples, Italic people of ancient Italy. A region called Umbria still exists and is now occupied by Italian speakers. It is somewhat smaller than the Regio VI Umbria, ancient Umbria. Most ancient Umbrian cities were sett ...
an or Etruscan town, later known as Caesena. After a brief spell under
Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...
ish rule, it was taken over by Romans in the 3rd century BC. It was a garrison town of strategic importance which was destroyed in the wars between Gaius Marius and
Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...
. Pliny mentions the
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
s of Cesena as among the best. Cesena was on the border that the
Exarchate of Ravenna The Exarchate of Ravenna (; ), also known as the Exarchate of Italy, was an administrative district of the Byzantine Empire comprising, between the 6th and 8th centuries, the territories under the jurisdiction of the exarch of Italy (''exarchus ...
shared with the
Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...
. It was presented to the Papacy by its Frankish conqueror in 754 ( Donation of Pepin) and passed back and forth between the popes and the archbishops of Ravenna; it was also briefly a communal republic (1183–1198). It was then long contested between popes and
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
s. The brief rule by the Forlivese Ordelaffi was crushed in 1357 by Papal troops led by Cardinal Gil de Albornoz, after a long siege heroically endured by Cia degli Ordelaffi, wife of the Lord of
Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...
. The little ''
comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...
'' revolted again in 1377 during the War of the Eight Saints. This time it was recaptured by Breton troops of Giovanni Acuto (the English-born condottiere John Hawkwood) under the command of Robert, Cardinal of Geneva (later antipope Clement VII). The latter, acting as the legate of
Pope Gregory XI Pope Gregory XI (; born Pierre Roger de Beaufort; c. 1329 – 27 March 1378) was head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1370 to his death, in March 1378. He was the seventh and last Avignon pope and the most recent French pope. In 1377, ...
, directed the savage murder of between 2,500 and 5,000 civilians. By the laws of war at the time, this was regarded as an atrocity, called the "Cesena Bloodbath", and Cardinal Robert was dubbed the "butcher of Cesena". The following year what remained of Cesena was assigned by the new Pope Urban VII to
Galeotto I Malatesta Galeotto I Malatesta (1299–1385) was an Italian condottiero from the House of Malatesta who was lord of Rimini, Fano, Ascoli Piceno, Cesena and Fossombrone. Biography Born in Rimini, he was the son of Pandolfo I Malatesta and the brother of Mal ...
. During the period 1379–1465, the city recovered and prospered under the Malatesta, who rebuilt the
castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
(called Rocca Malatestiana) overlooking the town. The Malatestiana Library, built by near the castle by Malatesta Novello (1429), is considered a fine example of a
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
library and holds many valuable manuscripts. After Novello's death (1465), Cesena returned to the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
, but was again seized by a local seignor, Cesare Borgia, in 1500. The city was elevated to capital of his powerful though short-lived duchy. Cesena subsequently turned into a secondary city of the
Papal States The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
. In the 18th and 19th centuries Pope Pius VI and Pope Pius VII were born in the city, which also had
Pope Pius VIII Pope Pius VIII (; born Francesco Saverio Maria Felice Castiglioni; 20 November 1761 – 30 November 1830) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 31 March 1829 to his death in November 1830. Pius VIII's pontificate wa ...
as
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
, gaining Cesena the title of "city of the three popes". During the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, it was stripped of numerous monasteries and churches. Some of its citizens had notable roles in the
unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
, in the second half of the 19th century. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Cesena was near the Gothic Line, which ran along the Appennini near the city, and suffered heavily from bombing. In 1992, it was elevated to the rank of co-capital of the province, together with
Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...
. On July 30, 2015, 1,000 people gathered at the Parco Ippodromo park in Cesena and performed " Learn to Fly" by the
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
to convince the band to perform there. The group, later known as the Rockin' 1000, was organized by Foo Fighters fans who played the
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
,
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
, and
drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...
in unison to a conductor.
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
responded with a video where he announced in Italian that the band would visit Cesena and perform there. The show was scheduled for November 3, 2015, at the town's indoor sports arena and concert venue, Carisport, becoming the kickoff date for their European tour.


Main sights

Cesena's monuments include: * Abbey of St Maria del Monte * Malatestian Fortress (''Rocca Malatestiana''): built by Cardinal Albornoz (from 1380) over a pre-existing edifice which had hosted, among others,
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (; ), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death in 1190. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned in Aachen on 9 March 115 ...
and his grandson Frederick II. It was completed by the Papal governor Lorenzo Zane in 1480, and was used by Cesare Borgia as jail for Caterina Sforza. It is octagonal, with two main towers, the higher ''maschio'' and the lower ''foemina'' * Piazza del Popolo * Malatestiana Library: first public library in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, listed in
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Memory of the World Programme. * Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. * Pinacoteca Comunale: housed in former Benedictine monastery. * Art collection of Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena: housed in the former Celestine monastery. * Teatro Alessandro Bonci * Palazzo Ghini. * Church of Sant'Agostino * Church and Convent dell'Osservanza


Economy

The main economic sectors in Cesena are: *
agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, in particular fruit and vegetables, and food processing *
manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...
, in particular mechanics, agricultural and industrial equipment, construction equipment * in the tertiary sector,
banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
and
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
. Notable companies based in Cesena include: * Technogym (fitness equipment) * Soilmec (construction equipment) * Olidata (computers) * Cassa di Risparmio di Cesena (banking)


Demographics


Transport

Cesena railway station, opened in 1861, forms part of the Bologna–Ancona railway. It is situated at Piazza Giorgio Sanguinetti, to the northeast of the city centre.


Neighbouring ''comuni''

* Mercato Saraceno * Cesenatico * Cervia *
Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) 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 Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...
*
Gambettola Gambettola ( or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southeast of Forlì. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 10,478 and ...
* Montiano * Longiano * Roncofreddo * Meldola *
Bertinoro Bertinoro () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in the Italy, Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is located on hill Mount Cesubeo, in Romagna, a few kilometers from the ''Via Aemilia, Via Emilia''. History There ...
* Sarsina


People

*
Monty Banks Montague (Monty) Banks (born Mario Bianchi; 18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950) was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the United States and United Kingdom. Career Banks was bor ...
ario Bianchi(1897–1950), Italian-born American actor, comedian and director * Gregorio Babbi (1708–1768), operatic tenor * Alessandro Bonci (1870–1940), operatic tenor *
Nicoletta Braschi Nicoletta Braschi (; born 19 April 1960) is an Italian actress and producer, best known for her work with her husband, actor and director Roberto Benigni. Life and career Born in Cesena, Braschi studied in Rome's Academy of Dramatic Arts wh ...
(born 1960), Italian actress, best known for her work with her husband, actor and director Roberto Benigni * Vincenzo Negrini (1804–1840),
bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...
opera singer * Marco Pantani (1970–2004), road cyclist *
Michael of Cesena Michael of Cesena (Michele di Cesena or Michele Fuschi) ( 1270 – 29 November 1342) was an Italian Franciscans, Franciscan, Minister general (Franciscan), minister general of that order, and theologian. His advocacy of Apostolic poverty, ev ...
(–1342), Minister General of the Franciscans from 1316 to his deposition in 1329 * Pope Pius VI (1717–1799), pope from February 15, 1775, to August 29, 1799 * Pope Pius VII (1742–1823), pope from March 14, 1800, to August 20, 1823 * Scipione Chiaramonti (1565–1652), philosopher and opponent of Galileo * Lorenzo Savadori (born 1993), motorcycle racer * Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, rabbi * Alberto Sughi (1928–2012), Italian painter * Lamberto Tacoli (1964), entrepreneur * Giuseppe Palmas (1918–1977), photographer * Carlo Domeniconi (born 1947), guitarist and composer * Nicky Hayden (1981–2017), Moto GP and Superbike pilot who died in Cesena on the 22nd March 2017 * Maurizio Ferrini (born 1953), comedian and actor * Ubaldo Comandini (1869–1925), mayor and cabinet minister * Federico Comandini, (1893–1967), politician * Andrea Navarra (born 1971), rally driver


Climate


See also

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Cesena-Sarsina * Palazzo Ghini


References


External links

*
Cesena home page

Cesena history and info

Forlì-Cesena tourism
{{authority control Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna Gothic sites in Emilia-Romagna
Cesena Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine M ...