A virtual tour of Forlì

It’s certainly been a while since I last wrote on the blog! In reality, this is due to the mountains of work I have been receiving from every class, as well as extra reading and vocab revision, and being exhausted every day from all the concentration it takes to speak Italian. But you don’t want to hear about that! Today I thought I’d take you on a short ‘virtual’ journey around Forlì - because let’s be honest, you could probably see it all in a day so it’ll be quicker to just read this post and steal my photos.

Although it’s one of the smaller cities in Emilia Romagna, and you’re probably more tempted to visit Bologna, Cesena, Rimini, or literally any other city that the region has to offer, I really enjoy the small-town feel of Forli. To give you an idea, I live 3 minutes’ walk from the beautiful main square, 7 minutes’ walk from the university (speaking from experience, it IS possible to set off at 9:05 and arrive with enough time to grab a coffee from the machine) and only 20 minutes’ walk from the train station. On the one hand it’s pretty convenient, but coming from a big city you can feel quite trapped.
As I mentioned, the first sight you will see when leaving my flat is Piazza Saffi, the main square in Forli. Although I don’t know much about the history, it’s certainly a must-see for the abundance of cafes and pizzeria’s. It is my aim to visit every one before I leave. Every Monday and Friday in the square there is a huge market with loads of clothes, shoes and bag stalls, perfect for getting some cheap deals on questionably branded items.


Located in the main square is the San Mercutiale Abbey, which is a beautiful church, but for me the main attraction is the bell tower – apart from the fact that it rings every hour (well 57 minutes past, it’s a bit fast), and pretty much every 15 minutes on a Sunday. You get used to it, it’s almost white noise now. Anyway, on a Sunday between 3 and 6 the bell doesn’t ring, meaning you can go up the bell tower! The view is amazing, you can see the whole city and it looks beautiful later on towards 6pm when it’s all lit up. I don’t know how true this is, but I even heard someone say you can see San Marino in the distance. Either way, it’s definitely worth the 100000000 steps up to the top (not even exaggerating).

Another recommendation of mine would most definitely be Parco Urbano. This huge urban park lies a short walk away from the centre of the city, and even the walk there is beautiful as the walls are lined with artwork and there is a mosaic tunnel. But the absolute highlight of this park is…BUNNIES!! That’s right, in the middle of a city there is a great open space filled with wild rabbits, but also ducks, swans, otters and even turtles. But the bunnies though. They’re so cute that you’ll wish you could just scoop one up, put it in your bag and take it home. Aside from the bunnies, there’s a café, a lake and lots of fields to sit and sunbathe or eat a picnic in. Just don’t forget about the bunnies.




Now, if you know me, you know I couldn’t write one of these posts without mentioning food at least once. Italy is famous for its pizza, and while truest, purest pizza comes from Naples, Forli’s isn’t half bad either! (Or rather, absolutely delicious) Pizzeria Fofo, just off the main square, is a small pizzeria with a Napolitan chef, so you can be sure that your pizza is just as good as any pizza you can find in Naples. I’ve been there around 5 or 6 times since I’ve moved here, and every time my pizza has been just as delicious – I can’t recommend it enough.

Those were just a few highlights from the city that I have grown to love over the last 3 months. If you do ever visit Forli, or even if you’re visiting Bologna and want to take a day trip away from the hustle and bustle of a big city, be sure to visit these places and let me know if you want any more recommendations!

Rebeka

Comments

  1. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit.....

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  2. Sounds like a wonderful place to visit!

    ReplyDelete

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