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Home , Andrea Checchi, Felice Andreasi, Flavio Bucci, Giuliano Montaldo, Licia Maglietta, Massimo Girotti

fertile land for art

ike all places with a rich historical heritage, Bassa L Romagna is bursting with art, and we are not only referring to ancient buildings, sculptures and paintings. In the past as well as in the present Bassa Romagna has been the cradle and the adopted country of numerous painters, writers, musicians, opera singers, composers and poets, whose work has been influential on a national level, but also on an international one. It's no wonder then that this tradition is still on. Bassa Romagna has a wide and varied artistic community of creative people who prefer to live in this area, instead {19} of large cities that could give them more visibility, because here they find a powerful source of inspiration and a sense of respect for their sensibility. This corner of Romagna has nourished the creativity of several writers, musicians, actors and directors. This somehow "enchanted" land can also claim to have hosted in its mist the poet George Gordon Byron (in the picture), hero and symbol of Romanticism.

· FERTILE LAND FOR ART · reading bassa romagna: landscapes of literature

landscape of Bassa Romagna has can be found in the parsonage of the church of The been the inspiration for outstanding San Francesco, in Bagnacavallo, and the local poets such as Dante and Byron. This is also Museo Civico delle Cappuccine has dedicated the birthplace of remarkable protagonists of a part of its collection to the illustrious writer. past and present literature. Several writers Vincenzo Monti (Passetto, 1754 - , 1828) from other regions and countries have found was born in a tiny village near Alfonsine inspiration here for their essays about Romagna and is one of the most important figures of and for the evocative settings of their novels. Neoclassicism; he was officially nominated poet The senior figure amongst local writers is without of the Italian Government and historiographer {20} any doubt Tomaso Garzoni (Bagnacavallo, of the Kingdom of . His lecture Sulla 1549 - 1589). His birth name was Ottavio, but mitologia upholds the poetic value of classical he took on the name Tomaso when he became myths and his masterpiece is considered to be a member of the order of the Canons Regular the translation of the Iliad. The house where of the Lateran, in the monastery of Santa Maria in Porto in Monti was born has been recently restored; it now houses Ravenna, where he spent the rest of his life. He wrote several a museum and an environmental education centre. Leo encyclopedic works, amongst which La piazza universale di Longanesi (Bagnacavallo, 1905 - Milan, 1957) was born in tutte le professioni del mondo (1585), a best-seller volume that Bagnacavallo about a century later. He was a journalist and has been translated into several languages; to the extent that the founder of several weekly magazines, such as È promesso, Garzoni has been described as the Umberto Eco of the 16th Il Toro and L'Italiano; together with Mino Maccari he century (indeed Eco opened the 51st chapter of his novel Il worked at Il Selvaggio and was also a member of the literary Pendolo di Foucault with a quote from Garzoni). His tomb stone movement Strapaese. Longanesi was also a graphic artist,

· landscapes of literature · drawing inspiration from Giorgio Morandi as well as from the historical examples of Daumier, Toulouse-Lautrec and Grosz. After the war he established the Longanesi publishing house, of which he was the director. In Bagnacavallo, the herbal garden Giardino dei Semplici celebrates his scathing personality with special benches engraved with some of his famous aphorisms. Giovanna Righini Ricci (Lugo, 1933 - Bologna, 1993) is a more contemporary writer, perhaps less widely known, but nonetheless important for her role in the field of education. Indeed she was one of the most innovative writers for young readers towards the end of the 20th century; her vast production often features rural Romagna as its narrative setting. The Tomaso Garzoni Leo Longanesi municipality of Conselice has set up a literary prize named after {21} her, to celebrate her contribution to pedagogy. Eraldo Baldini (Russi, 1952) is an established novelist whose work is also translated and published abroad. His career as a writer started when he won the first prize at Cattolica's Mystfest in 1991 with the short story Re di Carnevale. Since then, his narrative style has constantly developed and we could define it "rural gothic", from the title of one of his collections of short stories. Baldini also writes scripts for cinema and theatre and organises cultural events. Gian Ruggero Manzoni (San Lorenzo di Lugo, 1957), a descendant of the famous Alessandro, is also quite a versatile writer and artist. Vincenzo Monti Eraldo Baldini · landscapes of literature · He has written poetry, novels, essays and scripts for theatre, some of which have been translated abroad; he is also a painter and an listening to actor. Amongst the youngest writers, it’s worth mentioning the talented graphic novelist Stefano Babini, author of Non è stato bassa romagna: un pic nic!, which is currently one of the most interesting books of this genre in Italy, and the writer Deborah Gambetta, born landscapes of music in in 1970, but a long-term resident in Massa Lombarda. Her debut novel, Viaggio di maturità, tells the adventurous tale of three eighteen years old from Romagna that travel to Puglia; Italy it's probably impossible to find another small it’s a successful teen novel that has won several prizes. It would In area without any big city, such as Bassa Romagna, be too long to mention all the writers that have been interested boasting such a prestigious music tradition. The earliest name in Bassa Romagna; amongst the contemporaries, we suggest that is that of Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli (Fusignano, some of the best interpreters of the unique character of this land {22} 1653 - , 1713), one of the celebrities of his time as well are Alfredo Antonaros, Renzo Bortolotti and Gino Giardini. as an excellent violinist; he created a school that had several followers throughout Europe. Fusignano's choir was established in 1971 and named after Corelli; it is still a very active choir. The Brief suggested reading list: musician and composer Giuseppe Malerbi (Lugo, 1771 - 1849) Alfredo Antonaros: I Romagnoli, la tribù di Fellini - Sonda,1997 was born about a century later; he and his brother Luigi (Lugo, 1776 - 1843), a composer and organist, ran a famous music Dante Arfelli: Quando c'era la pineta - Edizioni del Girasole, 1975 school in Lugo. Giuseppe is renown as one of the earliest teachers Eraldo Baldini: Frassinelli, 2000 Frassinelli Paperback, 2003 Gotico Rurale - / Mal'aria - of the celebrated Gioacchino Rossini (Pesaro, 1792 - Paris, Renzo Bartolotti: Nunàz - Il Ponte Vecchio ed, 2008 1868); the young Rossini studied singing, composition and Mario Bejor: Vallecchi, 1953 Le rane quella notte cantavano - harpsichord under Malerbi's guidance. The author of immortal Francesco Fuschini: Concertino Romagnolo - Edizioni del Girasole, 1986 operas such as Il Barbiere di Siviglia and La Gazza Ladra took Gino Giardini: Erbe palustri - Walberti Edizioni, 2004 his first "musical steps" in Lugo, where his family moved in 1802 Adriano Guerrini: C'è stato per tutti - Racconti brevi - Bacchilega Edizioni, 2007 and stayed until 1804. Following his debut at Milan's La Scala in Giovanna Righini Ricci: Nel cavo della mano. Un pugno di terra - Longo, 2003 1812, with La Pietra del Paragone, his fame grew continuously Gian Ruggero Manzoni: Il Francese - Edizioni del Girasole, 1995 and he moved on to perform in the major Italian theatres, then Francesco Serantini: Il fucile di Papa della Genga - Edizioni del Girasole, 1989 in Vienna, where he met Beethoven, in London and finally in Paris, where he became the director of the Romagna. The composer Francesco Balilla Théâtre Italien. The house where he lived in Pratella (Lugo, 1880 - Ravenna, 1955) was Lugo is now an art exhibitions venue. While a pupil of Mascagni; he is the author of five he was a teacher at the Bolognese Liceo symphonic poems called Romagna, which Musicale, Rossini had amongst his students then converged into the local dialect opera i Marietta Alboni (Città di Castello PG, La Sina'd Vargöun (Rosellina dei Vergoni), orell 1826 - Ville d'Avray, 1894), whose father was scena della Romagna bassa per la musica, in M. Albo A. C originally from Bagnacavallo; she became tre atti. Pratella befriended Marinetti and in ni successful worldwide as an opera singer. Alessandrina 1910 wrote the Futurist Manifesto tecnico della musica futurista Drudi (Cotignola, 1878 - Villa Verucchio 1961) also started out (in which he celebrated the principles of atonalism, enharmonic with a promising career as opera singer; due to sudden adverse modulation, absolute polyphony and free rhythm) followed by financial circumstances she moved into the more profitable Manifesto tecnico della musica futurista and Distruzione della field of operetta and gained great success with the stage name quadratura; his works l'Inno alla Vita and L'Aviatore Dro made {23} of Gea della Garisenda. The fascinating choir singerAnna him an important protagonist within the field of Futurist music. Lolli was just few years younger than Drudi; she became the The great heritage of opera in Bassa Romagna is still perpetuated muse and greatest love of the celebrated composer Pietro today by the productions of Lugo's Teatro Rossini; its Lugo Mascagni (Livorno, 1863 - Rome, 1945), Opera Festival was created in 2001. John De author of Cavalleria Rusticana. Mascagni Leo (Lugo, 1970) is a contemporary musician spent the last thirty years of his life with whose remarkable talent has been nourished Lolli and dedicated her his operas Isabeau by this land; his voice has been defined a and Parisina; however, their love affair was "polysemous instrument" and somehow secret and the resulting correspondence the third path after Demetrio Stratos' amounts to almost 5,000 letters that are revolutionary experimentation and Bobby kept in the Museo Mascagni in Bagnara di McFerrin's jazz paradigm. ini P. M G. Ross ascagni · landscapes of music ·

De Leo was the leader of the "cultured" pop band Quintorigo until 2005. The band gained prizes and important recognitions from the audience and from the critics alike; it still boasts amongst its members the gifted double bass player Stefano Ricci, born in Fusignano. De Leo has moved on with a solo project, partly in collaboration with the pianist and composer Guido Facchini, also from Lugo; innumerable are the collaborations of the versatile musician, with some of the most innovative jazz and experimental musicians in Italy and abroad, but also through contaminations between music, literature and video art, which he defines "videomusicazioni". {24}

· landscapes of music · The tradition of “liscio” folk music Radio Sonora is the Community Web Radio of all the residents of Bassa Romagna and is the result of an innovative project created by the consortium of municipalities; it is the ideal soundtrack for the discovery of this territory. This radio has been designed as a place for experimenting with new languages; everyone can actively take part in the project with a contribution or by means of creating a programme. The result is a varied mix of music of all genres, entertainment and programmes about culture and information. This genre of music is specific to Romagna and quite unique in its To listen to Radio Sonora, download the Podcasts kind; it originates from the unlikely combination between dances or check the gallery of video and photos go to and music from North European courts, such as waltz, polka e www.radiosonora.it mazurka (which arrived in Romagna with the aristocracy that came on holiday on the Riviera) and 18th century popular music such as tresconi, saltarelli, manfrine and furlana, to name a few. The {25} violinist and composer Carlo Brighi, known as Zaclén, brought the two genres together during the second half of the 19th century in BRIEF RECOMMENDED Romagna. However the greatest interpreter of liscio was Secondo DISCOGRAPHY Casadei, who launched the trend of singing in the regional dialect Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate per violino op.5 no.7, and included jazz instruments such as drums and saxophone, no.8, no.9, no.10, no.11, no.12 - Naxos, 2007 inspired by the American soldiers that came here during the war. Gioacchino Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia - The extraordinary success of this music genre was due to the fact Deutsche Grammophon, 2006 that it was meant to be danced in pairs, which was rare at the time. Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana / I Pagliacci - EMI, 2005 Liscio is still alive after seventy years of changing music trends and Francesco Balilla Pratella: Concerto dell'albatro / {25} this is the proof that its connection with this land is very deep. Liscio Trio - Bongiovanni, 2003 / AA.V V: Musica Futurista - Multhipla/Cramps, 1980 orchestras still perform their concerts in dance-halls in rural villages John De Leo: Vago Svanendo - Carosello Records, 2007 / or in town feasts, where you can see people dancing along. The so- Zolfo (DVD) - Carosello Records, 2009 Bompiani called " " certainly constitute one of the most folkloristic s'ciucaren Quintorigo: Rospo - Universal Music, 1999 / sights during these concerts: dressed in traditional costumes, the Grigio - Universal Music, 2000 / In cattività - unmistakable masters of the whip keep up with the rhythm of the Universal Music, 2003 orchestra by cracking their instruments. ::: seeing bassa romagna: landscapes of cinema

inema lovers will find Romagna a is perhaps the most cinematic town. Places C magic place because it's a very rich land here have a natural musicality: open spaces, from the visual point of view. The director palaces and churches seem to have a natural maintains that: "These predisposition for the camera; therefore several towns of Romagna are captivating because directors and scriptwriters have staged their they haven't been modified with tasteless films here, or have just stopped by to steal an interventions. Old things have been restored, image, a fragment, details and circumstances the new doesn't look new, because it's been that they couldn't find anywhere else. The first planned according to the design of time, of many directors to work in Bagnacavallo {26} therefore there are no clashes. This is the was De Sica, who shot La riffa in 1962; the cultural heritage of the people of Romagna." following year the Taviani brothers directed Several Italian films have been shot in Lugo, their second film here,I fuorilegge del Bagnacavallo, Russi, and in the countryside Ivano matrimonio. The oval square Piazza Nuova of Bassa Romagna, around Alfonsine, Massa LombardaMarescotti is a very characteristic place which has attracted a lot of and Fusignano. The landscape has become a very enjoyable attention for cinema and television alike; it was chosen by cinematic character rather than just being the background; for his reading of Dante and has also been its simple beauty has remained unchanged over the centuries. the setting for a series of commercials shot by the director While strolling around the towns or walking in the Daniele Lucchetti. Pupi Avati's La mazurka del barone, countryside, it's easy to catch a glimpse of what inspired film della santa e del fico fiorone (1974) was tailored around directors. Cinema lovers will naturally try to spot the various Bagnacavallo, as the ideal town of Romagna; however it was locations in which films were shot in the area. Bagnacavallo not shot here. The countryside and the small villages of Bassa

· landscapes of cinema · Romagna have also been the setting of several films about the resistance movement; no other area of the country has been so enticing for films about this topic. It is worth to mention L'Agnese va a morire (1976), shot by Giuliano Montaldo in the countryside of Alfonsine, where the "Casa dell'Agnese" is still a significant memento of the film; this traditional late 19th century rural house currently hosts cultural events every summer. There is an anecdote which explains, like nothing else does, the tight bond between the topic of the film and this territory. The leading actress Ingrid Thulin went in a second hand shop in Lugo and chose a black bicycle that was in quite poor conditions, against Montaldo's advice, who would have preferred to use a better looking bicycle for the film. While the {27} bicycle was being repaired, the message of a partisan courier was uncovered where the seat is connected to the frame. The director claims to still feel a shiver when he thinks about that moment today. Bagnacavallo has also been the setting of several light-hearted films in the genre of Italian comedy.Il presidente del Borgorosso Football Club (1970), directed by D'Amico, co-scripted and performed by , was almost entirely shot in Bagnacavallo; here the director found friendly and lively people, great lovers of food and wine and ideal characters embodying the football fans described in the film script. Not everyone knows that the local Italo Zingarelli

· landscapes of cinema · (Lugo, 1930 - Rome, 2000) was the creator and producer of the popular series of films starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. More recently, Soldini's Agata e la tempesta (2004) was partly shot here and the two-episodes TV drama Al di là delle frontiere (2004), directed by Maurizio Zaccaro, used Bagnacavallo as its stage for several weeks. Contrary to what Totò claimed in the film Totò nella luna (1958), that no actor could ever come from Bagnacavallo, the village of Villanova, near Bagnacavallo, is actually the birthplace of the famous actor Ivano Marescotti, born in 1946. The actor, director and documentary filmmaker Amerigo Alberani, who has collaborated with Marco Bellocchio, is also from Bagnacavallo. {28} The silent cinema star Luciano Albertini was born in Lugo in 1882, with the birth name of Francesco Vespignani. Lugo is also the birthplace of film director Esodo Pratelli (born in 1902), author of comedies such as Se non son matti non li vogliamo (1942) and of drama films such asGente dell'Aria (1943). The director and documentary filmmaker Mario Cottignola, born in 1928 in the village of Lavezzola, has shot a number of documentaries about Romagna, amongst which Romagna amor... (1970) and Il nostro pesce (1981). With regards to theatre, we should mention two talented award-winning actresses: Silvia Calderoni, born in Lugo, and Elena Bucci, from Russi; both have achieved national and international success.

· landscapes of cinema · FILMS, DIRECTORS, ACTORS AND PLACES · Caccia tragica (1947) by , with , Piero Lulli, , . Alfonsine · Boccaccio '70 (1962) the episode of “La riffa” by with . Lugo (historic town centre), Bagnacavallo (via Mazzini and via Farini) · I fuorilegge del matrimonio (1963) an episode by the Taviani brothers and Valentino Orsini, with . Bagnacavallo (S. Francesco, Piazza Nuova, via Garibaldi and piazza della Libertà) · Una bella grinta (1964) by Giuliano Montaldo, with Renato Salvatori, Norma Bengell, Marina Malfatti. Lugo · Il presidente del Borgorosso Football Club (1970) by Luigi Filippo D'Amico, with Alberto Sordi. Bagnacavallo (Teatro Goldoni, via Mazzini, piazza della Libertà), Lugo (historic town centre and surroundings) · Permette, signora, che ami vostra figlia? (1974) (1974) by Gian Luigi Polidoro, with Ugo Tognazzi, . Bagnacavallo (Teatro Goldoni) · L'Agnese va a morire (1976) by Giuliano Montaldo with Ingrid Thulin, Stefano Satta Flores, , Aurore Clèment, Ninetto Davoli, Massimo Girotti, Johnny Dorelli, , , Gino Santercole, Aldo Reggiani. Alfonsine, Bagnacavallo (piazza della Libertà, {29} via Mazzini and railway station), Fusignano, Lugo · Il Passatore (1977) by Piero Nelli, RAI TV drama with Manfred Freyberger, Tina Aumont. Bagnacavallo (Teatro Goldoni, Piazza Nuova), Lugo · La neve nel bicchiere (1984) by Florestano Vancini with Massimo Ghini, Ivano Marescotti. Bagnacavallo (the square opposite the church of Carmine) Massa Lombarda · Miranda (1985) by Tinto Brass, with Serena Grandi, Andrea Occhipinti. Alfonsine · La fiera dei sette dolori (1986) (1986) by Ghigo Alberani, not distributed. Bagnacavallo, Russi · E allora mambo (1999) by Lucio Pellegrini, with Luca Bizzarri, Paolo Kessisoglu and Luciana Littizzetto. Bagnacavallo, Lugo (historic town centre) · Agata e la tempesta (2004) by , with Licia Maglietta, , Emilio Solfrizzi, Marina Massironi. Bagnacavallo (via Mazzini and via Farini) · Al di là delle frontiere (2004) RAI TV drama in two episodes by Maurizio Zaccaro with , Johannes Brandrup, Lino Capolicchio, . Bagnacavallo (Teatro Goldoni, piazza della Libertà, Castellaccio, Palazzo Massari, church of S. Girolamo)

· landscapes of cinema ·