HISTORICAL NOTES

The first nucleus of Cesena arose arguably by the "Umbrian-Etruscans" around 6th-5th century b.C. It was a little village, "cut" by the course of the river Cesuola: so, from the prefix "ces-" (=cut), the name of the site came up (it looks like the most probable theory, being the name, later, turned into Etruscan "Caizna", then "Cèsena", today Cesena). Around 4th century came the Gauls, of whose short rulership something in economy (they introduced the pig-breeding) and language still remains.
However only the Romans (founder of "Ariminum", now Rimini, in 268 b.C.) made the little agglomerate become a little village. Coming from the Roman republican time, today the colossal work of "centuriazione" characterizes the country of Cesena: it is, in a word, the way in which the Romans divided the fields, here likely between 235 and 220 b.C., and today still well visible. Later the "Curva Caesena" of the time of Empire - which was cited by Plinio il Vecchio as producer of sublime wine - decaded with the Empire, and was invaded by Barbarians.

The tower of Palazzo del Ridotto. In the background the Malatestian Fortress, below the remains of the Church of St Francis (Piazza Bufalini).

Cesena was then took over by Goths of Theoderic and by the Byzantines, who included it in their Exarcate (middle of the 6th century). After the campaigns of Pipino il Breve (8th cent.), Cesena is eventually assigned to the Pope, in what will be the State of the Church. A rule of extreme importance took, in these centuries, the Archbishop of Ravenna (one of the Emperor's feudatories), who owns a huge number of fields and castles in the area of Cesena, detaining a massive power.
After 1000 the wills of autonomy of Cesena grow up more and more, but only at the end of 1100's Cesena colud claim the title of "Commune".
The 1200's, a century of continuing changes in the rule of the town, saw it in balance between submission to the Church or local rulers, and freedom. Dante himself, in the Canto XXVII of Inferno, noted: "E quella cu' il Savio bagna 'l fianco,/ così com'ella sie' tra 'l piano e 'l monte,/ tra tirannia si vive e stato franco." The following century was crucial: the short Signoria of the Ordelaffi family was abruptly interrupted by the Pope's legate Albornoz, who subjected the fortress (fiercly defended by Cia degli Ordelaffi) to a long siege (1357).

Eventually Albornoz managed to submit Cesena and gave it a new palace of the governor (today town-hall). Shortly after, the history of Cesena had a terrible turn: a number of Breton soldiers, payed by pope Gregory XI and guided by Roberto from Geneva (later antipope Clement VII) and John Hackwood, almost dismantled the town. The year that followed this awful "Sacco dei Brettoni", the new pope Urban VI assigned the rests to the Ruler of Rimini Galeotto Malatesta, as a vicar: for Cesena the Signoria of the Malatestas began, arguably the period of greatest importance in our history.

The cut of via C. Battisti (aerial view of the '50s).

The successor of Galeotto (whose main results were the erections of the new fortress and cathedral) was in 1385 Andrea Malatesta, who created the so-called Piazza Inferiore (today Piazza del Popolo). Then came Carlo and, in 1429, Malatesta Novello. He had a real passion for books and for artists, and could not fight because of a permanent disease in a leg, as well: so, when the Franciscans of the local convent asked for a new library, he was glad to give it to them, and to all citizens too. This wonderful Library was realized between 1447 and 1452 (open two years later), based on a project by Matteo Nuti from Fano, scholar of Leon Battista Alberti.

When Novello died (1465), Cesena came back under the rule of the pope, but for few years: in 1500 the Romagna will be conquered by Cesare Borgia, called "il Valentino", who made it the capital town of his little but rich ducate. Cesena was indirectly cited by Niccolò Machiavelli in his "Principe" and also hosted Leonardo, who made some studies at the fortress and designed the harbour of Cesenatico. When the ducate of Borgia felt down, Cesena returned definitively under the State of the Church and in a local dimension in which agriculture will dominate for years and years.

The hill Garampo and the old tracing of Via Emilia (aerial view of the beginning of the '70s).

Surprisingly, in 1775, the town came back to popularity: the local Giovan Angelo Braschi became Pope Pious VI, beginning the triade of Popes who were born in Cesena (Pious VII Chiaramonti, 1800-23, and Pious VIII Castiglioni, 1829-30, actually born in Marche, but former Bishop of Cesena). The Napoleonic time (1797-1814), featuring Pious VI and Pious VII trying to fight against the Frenchman, deprived Cesena of many monasteries, convents and churches. Then, during the Risorgimento, the town took part to the wars for freedom (among the patriots, the young medician Maurizio Bufalini, later famous in Florence) and will be endowed of a new Municipal Theatre (1843-46).

The Unity of Italy gave birth to fierce political fights between the Liberals (whose guides were the senator Gaspare Finali and the director of the "Cittadino" Nazareno Trovanelli), the Republicans (following the figure of Eugenio Valzania) and the Socialists (Pio Battistini). The Liberals kept the power till the end of the 1800's, when the Republicans of Ubaldo Comandini replaced them. In this period, it has to be stressed the figure of Renato Serra, a genius of literature and critic, tragically shot to death during the First World War (1915): his "L'Esame di Coscienza di un Letterato" still represents a mile-stone in our literature.

Cesena in the 1700's in a drawing by F.B.Werner (1733), preserved in the Malatestian Library.

Ivan Severi

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