Location

The SPA

Built in 1870 against the magical backdrop of a vast centuries-old park, surrounded by the gentle hills of Romagna, Terme di Riolo Spa enables to you enjoy utmost tranquillity and rediscover the rhythms of nature, savour the superb regional wines and foods and visit places abounding in history and charm.

Points of excellence of the Spa, certified by the Ministry of Health as “Superior Level 1 Thermal Baths”, are its precious Naturel resources: Vittoria, Breta, margherita and Salsoiodica medicinal waters and the very fine mud from the “vulcanetti” (“little volcanoes”, or mud springs) of Bergullo, the only source in theÂ Region.

Taking care of yourself, continuing to feel good and feeling even better are possible thanks to the advice of the medical team, efficacious non-invasive diagnoses and cutting-edge therapies and protocols. Terme di Riolo, the thermal spa that revolves around you, features an Ear, Nose and Throat Centre with a Children’s Department, Mud-balneotherapy, a Centre for Naturel Methods, a Motor and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Centre and a Centre for Aesthetic Medicine. And for a ritual of pure well-being, let yourself be enveloped by the gentle warmth of the Wellness Centre, which boasts a new elegant Thermarium and a splendid pool with salso-bromo-iodine thermal water at 34°!

The territory

Riolo Terme

Riolo Terme is renowned for its wealth of history, environment, wine and food tradition and above all for its precious thermal waters, already known in Roman times. The town, nestled amidst the greenery of the Apennines, is situated a few kilometres away from the via Emilia (state highway SS9), between Imola and Faenza.

The town centre, built around a perfectly intact 14th century fortress and the vestiges of high walls, which formerly defended the inhabitants. The age-old greenery, tranquillity and benefits of the thermal spa complex make it a popular tourist destiNazione for those who appreciate nature and sports and are seeking a holiday dedicated to wellness.

This picturesque setting hosts numerous festivals featuring local products, cultural events, shows and exhibitions. The Rocca, or castle, of Riolo, an old fortress of the valley of the river Senio erected together with the town at the end of the 14th century, is a magnificent example of a military fortification which showcases the evolution of late medieval offensive techniques.

Since October 2006 the Rocca has been home to the Museum of the Faenza Apennine Landscape, thus becoming an important centre of study, discoveries and activities in continuous evolution and the Museum of the Territory. At the same time is an information point and centre of documentation, conservation and promotion of local historical memory. The interior of the Rocca recreates a special atmosphere thanks to visual and sound installations and models showing historical peculiarities of the local territory.

Other places of interest:

Faenza

Faenza is famous for ceramics. In addition to the renowned InterNazioneal Museum of Ceramics, with its extraordinary collections of ceramic art from all parts of the world and all ages, it is worth visiting the Carlo Zauli museum, dedicated to the great Faenza-born ceramist/sculptor who died recently, and the personal museum-studio dedicated to Guerrino Tramonti. Personal collections and unique pieces, which attest to the work and talent of generations of master ceramists, can be admired at the private museum of Bottega Gatti, the oldest ceramics workship in Faenza, active since 1928 and famous for its “lustri” (decorations with metallic reflections).

In addition to its ceramics, Faenza is like a living history book offering visitors traces of its civilization over the centuries, with examples of architecture dating from the Roman period, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Neoclassical period. We recommend a visit to the Renaissance Cathedral, the Masini Theatre (1780), the two harmonious piazzas – Piazza della Libertà and Piazza del Popolo – which are the heart of the city. A splendid gem of Neoclassical art is the elegant Palazzo Milzetti – the Nazioneal Museum of Neoclassical Art in Romagna.

Ravenna

Ravenna, the city of mosaics, is home to eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Neonian Baptistery, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Arian Baptistery, Archiepiscopal Chapel, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica of San Vitale and Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe.

Casola Valsenio

Casola Valsenio is a charming town founded at the beginning of the year 1000 by Benedectine monks. The vocation of Casola Valsenio lies in officinal herbs, which already at the beginning of the 20th century were collected in the wild, dried and sold, while the young Augusto Rinaldi Ceroni began experimenting with growing them as crops in 1938. In 1974 this passion was transformed into a veritable botanical garden specialized in officinal plants, where over 400 varieties of herbs are grown on more than 4 hectares of land.

Today the “Augusto Rinaldi Ceroni” Herb Garden represents an important point of reference for the entire scientific community and for those who dedicate themselves to these plants, for work or as a hobby. It features a documentation centre, laboratories and olfactory facility and offers educational itineraries, guided tours and qualified consultancy. The Cardello, formerly the guest quarters of the Valsenio Abbey and today a museum, was long a favourite dwelling of the writer Alfredo Oriani (1852-1909).

Brisighella

Brisighella preserves intact a medieval atmosphere in its narrow streets and lanes winding up and down, low houses perched on the hilltop, shaded alleyways, hidden corners, squares and courtyards which become animated on holidays and on market days. The heart of the town, magical in the night-time quiet, is piazza Marconi, which is overlooked by Palazzo Maghinardo, the seat of the municipal hall, and the highly original Via del Borgo, also called Via degli Asini (“Donkeys’ Road”). It is a raised, roofed road illuminated by crescent-shaped arches of varying width, unique in the world. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries as a defensive bastion, it was later used by the carters who lived in the dwellings above to transport gypsum on donkeys’ backs from the quarries situated in the surrounding valley.

Rising above the town is Torre dell’Orologio (“Clock Tower”), the first defensive bulwark, which dates from 1290 and now houses the Museo del Tempo (“Museum of Time”). The Rocca Manfrediana, a fortress built to assure control over the Lamone valley, stands on a nearby selenite cliff. From the terraces of the fortress it is possible to admire a beautiful landscape, as well as the Sanctuary of Monticino, dating from the 18th century, which stands atop a third hill once known as Calvario.

Continuing along the road toward Florence, just outside of the town, we find the parish church Pieve del Tho. Its origins lie between the 8th and 10th centuries. It is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and is called “in Ottavo” (“in the Eighth”), or more briefly “del Tho”, as it is located at the eighth mile of the Roman road which joined Faenza to Tuscany. A fascinating building in Romanesque style, it has a basilica floor plan with a nave and two aisles divided by arches resting upon eleven grey marble columns and one column of Verona marble, differing greatly from one another in thickness and width.