Exploring Romagna's water places

Rushing rivers of emotional waters, coasts, lagoons and placid lakes.

When you say Romagna, the first thought immediately goes to the Adriatic coast, the sea and the discos, but in Romagna there are many other things to discover, such as the Po Delta area, the Comacchio Valleys and the Casentino Forests, beautiful environments and suggestive. In addition to the coasts, also the mountains of the Romagna Apennines hide many almost unknown treasures, and among these the beautiful rivers rich in crystalline waters often emerald in color, with waterfalls, natural pools, truly wild and spectacular gorges and canyons.

In fact, although Romania is a "marine" region par excellence, I noticed with pleasure that in these parts many inhabitants also have the "river culture" and love to spend their summer days in fresh water, rather than in salt water: for diving , swimming, reading, meditating, practicing yoga or simply relaxing, having fun and being in contact with nature. In my area, however, this contact with nature "behind the house" is often missing; where I come from, the "myth" of exotic travel or "in" locations is much more deeply rooted. Then we know, the people of Romagna liked to live a little above the lines, "also because here a fierce sun beats on their already hot heads, making them red-hot" (1), and this can also be seen from some details I saw in remote and difficult to reach places. To reach some particularly steep points on the river, no one knows who, ropes were placed to facilitate the descent in the most exposed points, and in these remote, unknown wet places they built rudimentary shelters with stones and sticks, they placed knotted ropes dangling from the trees that they use to launch themselves into pools of water, and many improvised barbecues can be seen scattered among the pebble beaches. And last but not least, on several occasions I happened to meet bathers who were happy and at peace with the world, satisfied with showing off their Adamic costume, and with whom I immediately found myself empathizing, without unnecessary embarrassment. So many interesting ways to enjoy nature and freedom, immersed in enchanting rivers and forests, and I am happy to report, for the record, that I have never found abandoned waste, a notable credit to the people of Romagna !

In many popular stories, tales and legends of Romagna, reference is made to the sometimes somewhat immoderate and exuberant character of its inhabitants, acting as a warning to the disastrous consequences of certain behaviors, even if traveling around Italy, and not only , it is clear that the whole world is a country, a cliché that is never denied. "But so much so that the people of Romagna are, on the contrary, by character, sanguine, impetuous, and hardly manage not to run above the lines. On the other hand, some famous proverbs reiterate in a rich and concrete way this often excessive and seemingly indomitable. If the saying magnè e ragnè e' piò l'è prinzipiè (to eat and to argue is to start) underlines how difficult it is for a person from Romagna to measure their actions from the moment in which the impetus and passion are unleashed, what a bòn magnador is a bòn lavurador (a good eater is a good worker) tones down the tone by highlighting how, in everyday life, one can find a way to reconcile and balance the negative and positive elements." (2) And this somewhat fluctuating character does not spare even those who should give a good example of sobriety and rectitude, like Don Piren "an old parish priest, a witty lover of both the Romagna dialect and the best Sangiovese, who, influenced by the place, in the rare moments of lucidity afforded him by wine, he used to end his bizarre interventions with the recurring joke: ... and there is no doubt that all the madmen come from Seguno." (1) (Seguno is a small village on the Forlì hills, famous for the strange behavior of its inhabitants, although these are still popular stories and legends).

 I will therefore try to collect a small example, a small overview of these beautiful places that I managed to discover, places that immediately bewitched me, and as usual I will try to tell them through images, accompanying them with some story, anecdote or poetic suggestion where possible : it's what I like to do, discover and talk about with enthusiasm.

Note:

1 - quote from "The amazing adventures of the madmen of Seguno" by Duilio Farneti - ed.Il Ponte Vecchio, Cesena

2-quote from "Enchanted Romagna" by Anna Antoniazzi - ed. The Ponte Vecchi, Cesena

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