Expert mountain bike ride. Very good fitness required. Advanced riding skills necessary. Some portions of the route may require you to push your bike.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Expert

4.1

(12)

riders

2. Converselle – Rupe di Rio dei Cozzi loop from Faenza

45.7km

03:19

610m

Intermediate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Intermediate

4.1

(28)

riders

3. Rocca di Montepoggiolo – Converselle loop from Forlì

45.3km

03:00

530m

Intermediate mountain bike ride. Good fitness required. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Intermediate

Tips

Davide

May 24, 2022

The History of the Tower

It begins on January 4, 1474, when Archbishop Bartolomeo Roverella ceded the dominion of Oriolo to Carlo II Manfredi (Lord of Faenza) for the sum of 2,500 florins.

The old castle was radically renovated and transformed into a fortress for strictly military use ...

... With the return of the region under direct papal possession, the fortress of Oriolo and its territory were definitively assigned to Faenza. Over time, the strategic needs also varied and the military importance of the fortress slowly faded: it was abandoned and it was thus that the locals used it to recover bricks and other useful materials. Of the fortification only the Tower and a few scattered ruins remained.

Following the depopulation of the locality and abuses committed by the councilors, at the end of the 1600s the Papal Legate ordered the suppression of the Municipality of Oriolo, which was reduced to a simple Scola: a sort of district district with very limited means and powers.

Starting from the second half of the 18th century, the ownership of the Tower was sold to private individuals: mostly used as a dwelling for sharecroppers who worked the surrounding vineyards. For a long time the Tower remained the property of the Caldesi family.

During the Second World War, in the autumn of 1944, the Tower served as a refuge for about eighty civilians who fled Faenza for fear of frequent bombing, but it was also home to a German garrison that used the Tower as a lookout point. This made the ancient fortification the target of numerous grenade throws, but it managed to resist thanks to the strong thickness of the perimeter walls.

Again abandoned after the end of the conflict: starting from 1965, the tower was the subject of a tenacious awareness campaign for its restoration and opening to the public. For twenty consecutive years, the inhabitants of Oriolo organized the "Spring Festival, to save a monument" for this purpose. Thus it was that negotiations with the Caldesi family began, and in 1984 the Tower was donated to the city.

Restoration work began on the roof and external walls. In 2003 the Municipality of Faenza, with the support of a loan from the Emilia-Romagna Region, took care of the restoration of the interiors and finally the Tower was reopened to the public (2004).

Currently the Tower is looked after by our association in agreement with the Municipality of Faenza.

(Source: torredioriolo.it/storia/)

Translated by Google •

In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

Details

Informations

Elevation 130 m

Weather

Today

Wednesday 8 October

21°C

11°C

0 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 1.0 km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See rides here

Take Me There

Location: Faenza, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Oriolo Tower

1. Oriolo Tower – Path of the Saint loop from Faenza

2. Converselle – Rupe di Rio dei Cozzi loop from Faenza

3. Rocca di Montepoggiolo – Converselle loop from Forlì

Other Popular Places to Check Out

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️