After the three villas – Rotonda, Emaldi and Ferniani – the next destination of the walks from Castel Raniero, On Sunday, April 28 from 3:30 p.mit will be the Pergola Church and the “Rosemary Forest”.
The walk is part of the program to promote the green area of Castel Raniero, because everything starts (15:30) with a visit to the meadow and woods below the Colonia; Colony abandoned for more than thirty years but still standing, owned by ASP (Personal Services Company, formerly Opere Pie) and subject to government allocation (year 2020) for its planned restoration.
The voluntary association “Castel Raniero: let’s embrace the common good” has entrusted and managed 6 hectares of surrounding greenery and every Sunday offers a visit (first 30-40 minutes) followed by a walk,
This time, after visiting the meadow (with blossoming white rocks) and the forest (formerly a chestnut grove, now an oak grove), you will follow the path to the nearby Pergola church (2 hours there and back).
The Church of the Pergola, mentioned since 1291 and probably existing for more than a hundred years in the castle of the same name (documented since 1137), today presents itself with a pleasant appearance, given it the restoration of 1899, in fact a radical renovation by the engineer Mirri of Imola. On that occasion, the still existing classical facade was built, embellished with a terracotta portal and moldings (rose window frames and a large gable at the top).
Inside, in the shape of a perfect Greek cross, you can admire a seventeenth-century painting in the presbytery with the two owners of the church (Saints John the Baptist and Andrew) and the beautiful frontal (front decorative panel) of the main altar, in scagliola, with Sant’Andrea, while two rare paintings already preserved in this church (an altarpiece by Biagio d’Antonio and one by GB Bertucci) are present only in photographic reproduction, as the originals are preserved for security reasons, respectively. in the Municipal Art Gallery and in the Diocesan Museum.
On the way back you pass the slope east of Ca’ Bianca, where around an unfortunately abandoned olive grove is a rare rosemary bed, originally planted but naturally expanded to its unusual extent today.
Meeting at 15:30 at the colony of Castel Raniero. Duration of the excursion approx. 2 hours and 30 minutes. 5 euros per person. No reservation: all that is required is punctuality, a pair of shoes (or at least comfortable walking shoes) and a minimal amount of training.