Cervia () is a seaside resort town in the province of

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 ...

, located in the northern Italian region of

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 ...

. Cervia is a major

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

, North Italy. Its population was 28,983 at the 2023 census. It is mainly a destination for seaside tourism, with a coastline of 9 km of beach.

History

The oldest human discovery in the area occurred in the hamlet of Montaletto: most likely it is a

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

shepherds' camp dating back to about 3,000 - 1,000 B.C. The salt marshes were probably already active in the Etruscan age, as findings during urban planning works carried out in recent years would indicate. It is possible that lodgings, or perhaps settlements, existed for salt workers, even seasonal ones; the findings indicate a certain population density already in the first century BC. Until the Roman age, the city had the name "Ficocle", but its exact location is not known. Later the centre was rebuilt in a more secure position, in the '' Salina''. This medieval city grew until it was provided with three fortified entrances, a Palace of Priors, seven churches and a castle (''Rocca'') which, according to legend, was built by Emperor

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 ...

. The name also changed from Ficocle to Cervia, probably referring to the ''Acervi'', great amounts of salt left in the local evaporation ponds. After a long series of events, it became part 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 ...

. As time passed, the salt pond turned into a marsh, and on 9 November 1697

Pope Innocent XII Pope Innocent XII (; ; 13 March 1615 – 27 September 1700), born Antonio Pignatelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 July 1691 to his death in September 1700. He took a hard stance against nepotism ...

ordered it to be rebuilt in a safer location. The new city had huge silos for the storage of salt, containing up to 13,000 tons. Cervia is also mentioned in

Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poetry, narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of ...

(Inferno, Canto XXVII, lines 40–42).

Town information

Nowadays Cervia is a

on the Adriatic Riviera thanks to its shore characterised by sandy beaches. Unlike its neighbour Cesenatico, the buildings are subject to strict urban regulations, favouring the conservation of the pine forest and green areas between each new construction. Cervia has a large pine forest of about 260 hectares, which includes the areas of Milano Marittima, Cervia, Pinarella and Tagliata. A project with the local authority of ARPA is active for the control of water, at various points between the beach in Milano Marittima and that of Pinarella. The results show that the water quality was good enough to secure the blue flag of the Foundation for Environmental Education for nine consecutive year (from 1997). The levels of these wastewaters have been excellent in recent years, except for some small survey of 2002 and 2004 that triggered the alarm but were soon mitigated and brought within the required range. House prices in Cervia ranked second highest in the Emilia Romagna region in a 2009 research, only after

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. With the development of the neighbourhood Milano Marittima, the presence of

nightclubs A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

and outdoor dances were banned from the centre of Cervia, in order to respect the comfort of residents and tourists. In Cervia, there are several cycling routes. In fact, the city is also famous for its large number of bicycles around the town, especially during summer. It is heavily influenced by the presence of sports, art, and cuisine. Cervia was Italy's first city to host an IRONMAN Triathlon, drawing world-class athletes from all over the world. Tortelli verdi is a typical food in Cervia.

Economy

Salt extraction

The salt production activity, known since Roman and Medieval times, grew in importance due to the changes made to the Po delta and the decline of salt production in Comacchio. Artisanal production was then replaced by industrial forms in 1959. However, the ancient Camillone saltworks remain, the last of the 144 production saltworks which were active up to 1959. It is still used for demonstration purposes to raise awareness about the activity of the salt workers. The fund can produce between 500 and 2,000 quintals of salt per season.Elenco ufficiale delle aree protette (EUAP)
6º Aggiornamento approvato il 27 aprile 2010 e pubblicato nel Supplemento ordinario n. 115 alla Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 125 del 31 maggio 2010.

Fishing

The

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

activity is specialized in small-scale fishing with postal gear and in the breeding of

mussels Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...

. The first activity is mainly oriented towards the direct sale of the catch and has developed in recent years allowing for a generalized renewal of the fleet. Mussel farming, which has been practiced since the 1980s, is instead favored by the environmental conditions of the

Romagna Romagna () is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna, in northern Italy. Etymology The name ''Romagna'' originates from the Latin name ''Romania'', which originally ...

coast.I luoghi della pesca in Emilia-Romagna
p.36-51 emiliaromagnaturismo.it

Tourism

Cervia is mainly a destination for seaside tourism, with a coastline of 9 km of equipped beach,Località
turismo.comunecervia.it and has become one of the busiest tourist locations in Emilia Romagna. It has many restaurants,

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

s, and hotels, and is a popular vacation spot in the warm months. In 2017, it hosted a total of almost three million eight hundred thousand tourists.Dati ufficiali dell'Assessorato al turismo - Gennaio-Dicembre 2017
turismo.comunecervia.it It is the fourth Italian center with the highest number of hotels: 371 for a total of 27,264 beds.

Climate

Cervia has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'').

Main sights

* The Cathedral (''Santa Maria Assunta''), built in 1699–1702 * The Museum of Salt * The Communal Palace * St. Michael Tower

Transportation

The city is served by the road Strada statale 16 Adriatica or Romea South. It is possible reach the Autostrada A14 (Italy) at

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 ...

(15 km) and

Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...

(24 km). Cervia is located about 103 km south of

, 311 km away from

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

and 359 km from

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Notable people

* Isotta Gervasi (1889–1967), physician, one of the first women to practice in Italy * Maria Goia (1878–1924), politician, feminist, and trade unionist

Twin towns/sister cities

* Southampton, New York,

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

* Jelenia Góra,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

* Mahón,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Aalen Aalen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Oole'') is a town located in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district and is its largest town. It is ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Gallery

File:Porto Cervia.jpg, Cervia Harbour in 2015 File:CerviaPorto.JPG, Harbour File:Cervia beach.jpg, The beach File:CerviaPalazzoComunale.JPG, City Hall File:DLO goes to adriatic.jpg, The

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

of Piazza dell'Unità in

Pinarella Pinarella is a frazione of the city of Cervia, Italy. Gallery File:DLO goes to adriatic.jpg, The fountain of Piazza dell'Unità File:Funala.JPG, The beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose part ...

File:Veduta di Milano Marittima.JPG, Beach of Cervia

Notes and references

External links

Cervia Municipality

Official tourist information site of Cervia, Milano Marittima, Pinarella and Tagliata
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Emilia-Romagna