Dear friends, how are you? Today I bring you with me to Emilia Romagna, to Grazzano Visconti, a village where time truly seems to have stopped in the Middle Ages.
That Excursion was Made Possible Thanks to a Dear Friend: A Guide to Emilia Romagna
This enchanted place is located just a few kilometers from the city of Piacenza. Its current appearance, so suggestive and charming, is the result of the initiative of the noble Milanese Giuseppe Visconti di Modrone. In the early 20th century, he decided to rebuild this village, recreating medieval architectures and atmospheres. This effort allows all visitors to take a wonderful leap back in time. Imagine a small locality consisting of a few decaying houses that, thanks to the initiative of a man in love with history, art, and beauty, transforms in a few years into a delightful urban center. It features frescoed houses, crenellated walls, fountains, columns, coats of arms, and artisan shops.
It is the responsibility of Giuseppe's heirs to preserve this dream turned reality from the pitfalls of modernity and decay. They must enable new generations to experience what it meant to live in a medieval village, within a small community whose members had to collaborate to survive the dangers of natural disasters and attacks from external enemies.
The village is inhabited, but often events are organized here during which groups of enthusiasts wear medieval costumes and offer tourists demonstrations of the daily life of that time. In recent years, this place has also attracted fans of the fantasy genre.
Even when there are no events taking place, it is still exciting to walk through these narrow streets and observe wooden balconies, frescoed facades, arcades, statues, and fountains – the entire center is pedestrianized. Without the noise of cars, it truly feels like being transported into a fairy tale world, even on gray and foggy days! This walk has been very relaxing for me, finally a bit away from traffic and the pungent smell of smog! Fortunately, in Italy, there are still natural areas and pedestrianized centers where one can walk safely and peacefully without constantly having to pay attention to motorized vehicles speeding everywhere. I am very supportive of the pedestrianization of urban centers, primarily because it encourages people to move a bit more, and also because the atmosphere of many historic places changes drastically without cars. It becomes possible to leisurely appreciate the architectures and landscapes, not to mention that fuel emissions quickly blacken the stones that cover the facades of buildings, forcing administrations to undertake costly restoration interventions.
I invite you, therefore, to visit this enchanting place because it will prove capable of rejuvenating your body and spirit!
I thank you for the continuous support and for taking the time to read what I wrote! See you soon!!
Source: http://www.grazzano.it/
