Faenza, at the foot of the firstsub-Apennine hills, is surrounded by an agricultural region including vineyards in the hills, and cultivated land with traces of the ancient Roman land-division system, and fertile market gardens in the plains. In the nearby green valleys of the rivers Samoggia andLamone there are great number of 18th and 19th century stately homes, set in extensive grounds or preceded by long cypress-lined driveways.
According tomythology, the name of the first settlement,Faoentia, hadEtruscan andCeltic roots, meaning in Latin "Splendeo inter deos" or "I shine among the gods", in modern English. The very name, coming from the Romans who developed this center under the name ofFaventia, has become synonymous with ceramics (majolica) in various languages, includingFrench (faïence) andEnglish (faience).
From the second half of the 1st century AD the city flourished considerably as a result of its agricultural propensities and the development of industrial activities such as the production of everyday pottery and brickwork objects and linen textiles.
After a period of decadence from the 2nd century to the earlyMiddle Ages it regained prosperity from the 8th century on. Around the year 1000 with the government of the Bishops and subsequently in the age of the Comune the city began a long period of richness and building expansion which reached its peak with the rule of theManfredi family. The firstconsuls were elected in 1141 and in 1155 apodestà was in charge of government of the city. In the wars betweenGuelphs and Ghibellines that began in the following years Faenza was at first loyal to theemperor of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1178, however, it changed side and entered theLombard League. The inner disputes anyway favoured acquisition of power byMaghinardo Pagano, who remained podestà andcapitano del popolo for several years.
TheChronicle of Faenza, completed in 1236, is a history of the city from its founding. It shows the city as staunchlyGuelph in sympathies. It fought for the pope in theWar of the Keys (1229).
At the beginning of the 14th century the Guelph Manfredi began a rule over Faenza that was to last for almost two centuries. The peak of splendour was reached underCarlo II Manfredi, in the second half of the century, when the city centre was renewed. In 1488Galeotto Manfredi was assassinated by his wife: his sonAstorre III succeeded him, but was in turn killed inRome as a prisoner ofCesare Borgia, who had captured Faenza in 1501.
After a brief period of Venetian domination Faenza became part of thePapal States until 1797.
Faenza lost 1,322 of its citizens duringWorld War II. After months of bombings and a bloody battle, it was liberated by the New Zealand Army (2nd New Zealand Division) on 17 December 1944.
Faenza's architectural attractions are concentrated in the two contiguous main squares: Piazza del Popolo, lined by two double order porticoed wings, and Piazza della Libertà.
Faenza Cathedral: located along the east side of Piazza della Libertà. Influenced by Tuscan style, it is one of the highest expressions ofRenaissance art inRomagna. Built toGiuliano da Maiano's design, it was begun in 1474 and completed in 1511. The marble decoration of the façade remained unfinished. The interior, a nave and two aisles with obvious references toBrunelleschi'sSan Lorenzo inFlorence, houses numerous works ofRenaissance art, chiefly sculpture, among which are the tombs of St. Terence and St. Emilian (Tuscan school of the 15th century) and that of St. Savino, perhaps done in Florence byBenedetto da Maiano.
Palazzo del Podestà and the town hall, both of medieval origin, stand in Piazza del Popolo. The former was largely restored in the early 20th century while the latter — radically transformed in the 18th century — was the Palazzo of the Captain of the People and later the residence of the governingManfredi family.
Goldsmiths' Portico opposite the Cathedral this open gallery and monumental fountain with bronzes were built in the first decade of the 17th century.
Clock Tower, in front of the entrance to the Piazza, is a postwar rebuilding of the 17th-century tower that stood at the crossroad of thecardo and thedecumanus gate of the RomanFaventia.
Among the other monuments of the historic centre arePalazzo Milzetti, the richest and most significantNeoclassical building in the region, and theTeatro Masini (1780–1787). In the nearby, theVilla Case Grandi dei Ferniani has a collection of 18th and 19th century Faenza ceramics.
Grotta TanacciaKarstic Park and the Carnè Natural Park, a vast green area with a visitor's centre and refreshments, are also of great interest, characterized by a typical landscape of dolinas, ravines and swallow holes.
An example of Faenza Majolica in the so-calledGarofano style.
Faenza is home to the International Museum of Ceramics. The museum houses pieces from all over the world and from every epoch, from classical amphoras to the works ofChagall andPicasso, and there is a rich section dedicated to Faenza pottery in thegolden age of the Renaissance. Other interesting art collections are located in the Municipal Art Gallery, the Diocese Museum, the Bendandi Museum and the Manfredi Library. The historic production of Faenza majolica is recognized worldwide as one of the highest moments of artistic creativity expressed through pottery. The tradition was born from a convergence of favourable conditions: a territory rich in clay, a centuries-old history of political and commercial relations with nearbyTuscany (especially with Florence).
As a testament to the popularity of the city's majolica through the ages, on 18 August 2006, Quebec PremierJean Charest announced that Canadian archaeologists had discovered the precise location of Canada's lost first colony ofCharlesbourg-Royal,[5] and that a fragment of a decorative Istoriato plate manufactured in Faenza between 1540 and 1550 was found there that could only have belonged to a member of the French aristocracy in the colony.
In September and October international contemporary and classical ceramic art events, such asArgillà Italia andBuongiorno Ceramica, draw majolica amateurs, collectors and artists to Faenza from all over the world. In June thePalio del Niballo, a tournament between five horsemen from the districts of the town, re-evokes the magnificence and struggles of Faenza in the Manfrediepoch.
In the last weekend of September, the MEI - Meeting delle Etichette Indipendenti (Independent Label Meeting) takes place, a musical event in which record companies and musicians who define themselves as independent from the major record companies gather. Musicians of national caliber participate with concerts in the 2/3 evenings of the duration of the event. The event takes place in the historic center.
Typical regional dishes include home-made tagliatelle, cappelletti,lasagna and strozzapreti with the Romagna meat sauce. Some of the typical restaurants in Faenza are La Baita, Marianaza, Trattoria da Manueli where you can find traditional local dishes.
TheBotanical Gardens, next to the Civic Natural Science Museum with its collections, houses more than 170 species of plants indigenous to Romagna. There is about 1 square kilometre (0.39 sq mi) of public urban green area. The Bucci Park, created in 1968, has an area of about 80,000 square metres (20 acres) of undulating land, green meadows and fish-rich waters, with species of birds including wild duck, storks and swans.
TheFlorence–Faenza 100-kilometre (62 mi) marathon, a demanding long-distance race held during the last weekend in May, attracts athletes of all nationalities.
Faenza is home to theRB Formula One Team.Minardi, one of the last small, independent constructors inFormula One, was based in Faenza. The team continued to be based in Faenza after being bought in 2005 byRed Bull, who branded it asScuderia Toro Rosso from 2006 to 2019,Scuderia AlphaTauri from 2020 to 2023, and RB Formula One Team since 2024.
Faenza has been host to Motocross World Championship Grand Prix numerous times, the last one in 2020.The track used is Monte Coralli Circuit, located 8 km from the city center.
Faenza railway station, at PiazzaCesare Battisti, forms part of theBologna–Ancona railway. It is also a terminus of two secondary railways, linking Faenza withRavenna andFlorence, respectively. Opened in 1893, it replaced an earlier station, which had been opened in 1861 at a location to the east of the present station, near what is now Via Caldesi.[6]
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