A town of over 16,000 inhabitants located east of Bologna on the borders of Romagna and near Ferrara, Medicina lies on the San Vitale highway linking Bologna to Ravenna.
The name Medicina first appears in a Ravenna document dated 885 AD. However, the legend concerning its founding refers to an 1155 visit by Frederick Barbarossa, miraculously healed by a snake that had inadvertently fallen into his imperial broth. Medicina is surrounded by plains. These are criss-crossed by streams and drainage ditches that run from the nearby hills into the lowlands of the River Reno basin.
For those approaching the town from the four compass
points, its belfries and cupole form an evocative skyline that has become
the community’s hallmark. The historical and artistic events associated
with the buildings, the religious orders and the lay brotherhoods offer
significant insights into the life of the town and its environs.
