74 – (ITA 26) – Cusercoli – Santa Sofia

We begin our journey from the centre of Cusercoli: we are in the municipality of Civitella di Romagna, and we have left the plain of the Po valley behind for good. All around us are hills and woodland near the Bidente river that gradually disappears in the depths of its natural banks. We now begin to climb along the ancient road leading to the Castle and keep. Arriving at the first precinct of walls, we turn left and enter the southern gate, descending, on the right to the base of the cliff in Via Carini which we shall follow up to the last house. Turning right and then left, we shall walk along the dirt track throughout the fields for 200 m, then we turn right and left for a further 100 m to arrive at the tarmac road leading to the Mastarsò water mill, ancient but still working. We arrive at a gravel road which climbs next to a saw mill and go on for 1 km; then turning left to take a footpath that will take us through Mediterranean bushland. Leaving cultivated fields on our left, after a first rise we descend into a first torrent which we shall ford, then tackle a second rise and ditch which again we will ford and climb up to the top of a badland cliff overlooking the river below which we see through the vegetation. Now a steep slope and yet another ford. After a short climb we shall come in full view of Castagnolo, with its church turned into a hermitage, the cemetery is abandoned, and so are numerous vacant farmhouses flanking our road down to the bridge on the river. Having gone over the bridge we come to the State Highway 4 which we follow going right walking in the fields between vine rows for 200 m: we then cross the road and go up Via Ferruccio Parri which takes us to the centre of the village CIVITELLA DI ROMAGNA; we pass by the Rocca, turn left, we cross the square to the right and take Via Bruno Buozzi, and leave it after 200 m to turn right and go to the river which we shall cross after 600 m. We now follow the tarmac for 1 km avoiding two crossroads on the right; then 400m and we turn left and we descend  to river then  an Arabic horse farm. Passed the farm we climb again to cross the farm of an agricultural estate and arrive near the church of Pantano, built 1000 years ago. We turn left and after 2 km we shall be at Galeata through the archaeological excavations of “Theodoric’s Villa”. We enter the town by Via Matteotti, then Via IV Novembre. We continue with Via Zanetti, Via 1° Maggio and Via Castellucci(SP Highway 4). The town boasts an illustrious history, manifest in its archaeological remains: Mevaniola, Villa di Teodorico, Castello di Pianetto, the Monastery of St. Ellero, Palazzo Pretorio, Pianetto its architecture and history.

GALEATA – Its earliest inhabitants were the Umbrians 6th-4th century BC the founders of Mevaniola, so called in honor of the greater Umbrian city of Mevania (today Bevagna, twinned with Galeata) After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the town was moved to the present site. That was at the end of the 5th century, when traditionally two opposed communities arose: the community of Hillary the Hermit (Ilario) called Sant’Ellero in Italian, and that of the Goth King of Italy Theodoric (Teodorico). It was in this period that the Abbey grew powerful and wealthy. Near Galeata the remains of a great elegant villa were uncovered in recent years. The house had a private thermal bath and it has been dated to the times of Theodoric: 5th-6th century AD. On the site older structures of the Roman period have also been uncovered. Beneath the Roman still older remains have been dated to the proto-historic period, presumably also belonging to a country residence. Galeata, the Mambrini Museum, born out of the private collections of Monsignor Domenico Mambrini (1879-1944) grown over the years with relics collected during various local archaeological excavations (Mevaniola, Theodoric’s villa) and from the Abbey of St.Ellero. It contains remains spanning from prehistory to the present day. The museum has been moved from the old Court House of Galeata to the convent of the Padri Minori of Pianetto- (from Archeologia Forlivese)

Let us go up to Sant’Ellero, taking the spectacular Via delle Celline, to visit the Abbey, then we shall return to our route on highway 4. After 1 km we will be in Pianetto. Following the signs we shall be in front of the church, the only Florentine Renaissance monument in the Romagna. We shall turn right to start the climb to the Castle which we shall access from the left and walking along the  walls we shall exit from the south gate. We shall then follow the fence of a cattle farm, then descending along the ancient road and we cross  the highway 4, 170m to right, then we cross highway and then take to the right the gravel road, passed a second cattle farm, then past an excellent “agriturismo” at the far end of a vineyard. Crossed a group of abandoned farmhouses, we take a long seep road, at the top of which we shall enjoy a great panorama of Santa Sofia. Descending on the left along the edge of the field we shall come to the path that take us to the ford of the river below, which marks the municipal border between Galeata and Santa Sofia. Returning now to the tarmac, we descend on the left to cross the highway 4 which we shall walk using the left had side pavement up to the Air Force Monument. Here we turn left and after 100 m, on the right, we enter Santa Sofia from the main street. The town is an ideal place for a brief stay, for its hospitality and for its cultural attractions.

Things to see in S.Sofia: The open-air museum of sculptures, the Modern Art Gallery dedicated to Vero Stoppioni, which confers a national annual award for the figurative arts. In the center the new theater Mentore, the last work of Gae Aulenti, one of the contemporary greatest architects in the world. The nearby village of Corniolo also has a Romanesque church of St Peter with a Terracotta by one of the Della Robbia.