Stage 13
Riccione > Cento
Riccione
The 13th stage of the Giro should hold no major surprises for the riders. However, the same cannot be said for the fans following the race, as the route offers countless opportunities for curious stops and interesting visits.
Riccione is the ideal location for a relaxing bathing holiday on its long, wide beach, but also for strolling along the famous Vale Ceccarini, a crossroads of fashions and trends, without forgetting its well-known nightlife. Riccione displays its long tradition of hospitality with numerous fine examples of seaside architecture dating back to the period between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, as well as with the Palazzo del Turismo, dating back to 1938, the first structure on the Adriatic designed to promote tourism. Also interesting is a visit to Villa Franceschi, which houses the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Beautiful Romagna
As soon as we leave the sea, the mediaeval village of Santarcangelo di Romagna fascinates visitors wandering through the alleys and squares of the old town centre. Cesena welcomes its guests with the mighty Rocca Malatestiana (15th century): the complete tour of the fortress leads along the walkways inside the walls, to the ancient prisons, the exhibition of jousting weapons and the Museum of Agriculture. The pride of the city is above all the Malatesta Library, dating back to the same period as the fortress and remaining almost intact from its foundation to the present day, so much so that in 2005 it was recognised as a ‘Memory of the World’.
Faenza, the acknowledged capital of artistic ceramics since the Renaissance, demands a stop to visit the MIC-International Ceramics Museum where visitors are amazed to admire the largest existing typological collection dedicated to this ancient art.
Lugo, a small town in Romagna, celebrates its most famous son with a remarkable exhibition in the local museum. Francesco Baracca was considered the ace of Italian aviation during the Great War. Not far away, the 16th-century Rocca Estense takes us back to a more distant time and relaxes us with its hanging garden accessed from the courtyard.
The race crosses extensive flat areas that wind through, among other things, what is considered a great little industrial model: we are in fact in the so-called ‘packaging Valley’, the packaging machinery district of Bologna, which is well known throughout the world, given that around 90% of production is destined for foreign countries.
Cento and his carnival
Celebrations of various kind are held in Cento. Today it will be the turn of the stage winner and the Maglia Rosa, but already at the beginning of the 17th century, Guercino had painted the scenes of Carnival, one of the best-loved and oldest in Europe. We are out of season, of course, but this event is definitely worth setting up a visit in the near future.
In the meantime, visit the 14th-century fortress. The interiors, completely restored, feature rooms of artistic or historical interest, such as the fireplace room, the chapel, the triforium room, the embrasures, and the prisons. Let's toast the passage of the Giro in Piazza del Guercino, Cento's salon, overlooked by two important porticoed buildings of great historical and artistic value, the Town Hall and the Governor's Palace. Now in Swiss territory and just before tackling the climb to Crans Montana, Sion, the capital of the canton of Valais, dominated by Tourbillon Castle and the fortified village of Valère, is without a doubt worth a stop.
