Cervia Vecchia Project: archaeological exploration of the area

The Municipality of Cervia, together with the University of Bologna, Department of History, Culture and Civilisation, the Soprintendenza of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini, and the Cultural Group Civiltà Salinara, has launched an archaeological survey on the Cervia territory and the site of Cervia Vecchia, the ancient Ficocle.

The project aims to better understand the evolution of the historical landscape and the settlement structures in past eras.

The survey was presented on 18th September 2019, in Cervia at the Officine del Sale, during a public conference.
Mila Bondi and Marco Cavalazzi from the University of Bologna illustrated the project and gave information on the identification of some previously unidentified areas of archaeological interest.

Massimo Sericola confirmed the collaboration and support of the Superintendency.

At the centre of the project are new elements of the history of the evolution of the city as the foundations for the development of an Archaeological Park that can link the cultural heritage scattered in various parts of the city and mark the trace of our history.

The initiative is part of a multi-year project of the Department of History Cultures Civilisations, started in 2002, with the aim of studying the historical landscape of the Ravenna valley.

It has involved the Municipality of Ravenna (2002-2006), the territory of Bassa Romagna (2009-2019) and, from 2019, the area of Faenza and Cervia.

The surface archaeological survey phase

During the first year (2019), the University of Bologna carried out a first surface survey campaign aimed at mapping the archaeological sites visible in the Cervia countryside. The goal is to reconstruct the evolution of the rural population from pre-Roman times to the present day.

Between the months of September and November, about fifteen archaeologists inspected an area of about 5 square kilometres of the Cervia countryside, between the area of the Cervia Saltpan Park and that of Pisignano.

Archaeological finds were collected and several sites were identified, ten of which were previously completely unknown.

Among the areas systematically investigated, two were identified, both in the centre of the Salt Pan:

• the Cervia Vecchia area
• the Prato della Rosa area

Archaeological site excavation in Cervia Vecchia (RA)

Thousands of artefacts have been recovered here, some of which are of considerable historical interest because they shed light on a large part of Cervia's history, from pre-Roman times to the end of the Middle Ages, when the old town was abandoned and the population moved near the sea to Cervia Nuova.

The second investigation campaign on the Cervia Vecchia - Ficocle project

DGABAP excavation concession no. 1116 

In September 2020, the second archaeological research and investigation campaign was launched. The aim of the project was to investigate and enhance the historical and archaeological heritage of the area.

In this second campaign, the investigations focused on the site of Cervia Vecchia, in the centre of the salt pan. This was the site of the town until it was abandoned at the end of the 17th century.

Stratigraphic surveys are planned in order to define the physiognomy of the town and to precisely establish the chronology of the last phases of the settlement's life.

The scientific director of the excavations is Prof. Andrea Augenti, chair of the Department of History, Culture and Civilisation in Ravenna. Excavation operations are carried out by students from the University of Bologna, coordinated by Dr. Marco Cavalazzi and Dr. Mila Bondi.

Already during the first few days of this second campaign, the work yielded excellent results. Professor Augenti, director of the excavations, was immediately enthusiastic about the type of material found and the excellent state of preservation.

Traces of imposing buildings, floors and funerary areas have emerged, evidence of a city that for centuries played a key role in the history and ecosystem of central and northern Italy thanks to salt production.

The investigation may be of great help in disclosing the great mystery that still shrouds the reality of Ficocle, one of the oldest settlements in Cervia. It still has no precise historical location and has been the subject of debate for generations.

The area investigated, before being covered over, has been documented, photographed and precisely located on maps. The finds collected will be studied and put in relation to the surface finds collected in the 2019 study campaign and other previous studies.

With this second campaign, the project developed in steps. After an initial surface reconnaissance, the focus is now on geophysical investigations and excavation essays aimed at determining the chronology of the site, the evolution of the palaeoenvironmental framework in historic and proto-historic times, defining the human-environment relationship, dating the archaeological stratifications and assessing the consistency of the buried archaeological deposit and collecting significant data.

The results of the research were also made possible thanks to the willingness of the land owners who allowed the excavation operations to take place.

Third archaeological survey campaign completed

August 2021 saw the conclusion of the third archaeological survey campaign of the Cervia Project.

Thanks to a series of new exploratory trenches, the definition of the physiognomy of the urban settlement, in its last phases of life in the salt-pan area, was continued from the previous year.

In addition to deepening our knowledge of some of the buildings already identified in the previous campaign, new areas were brought to light, such as a metalworking area and the remains of a group of dwellings.

Part of the excavations also focused on the area of the fortress.

Here, substantial structural remains have been discovered, thanks to which it will be possible to begin to define the actual plan of the fortress, comparing what has been found with the plan drawn by Antonio da Sangallo in 1526, and to understand the transformations that have taken place over time.

The findings confirm the site's potential and the central role played by the city of Cervia in the context of the wide-ranging commercial and religious exchanges of the past.

The results of the surveys carried out in 2021 were presented on the occasion of the European Archaeology Days in June 2022, as part of the valorisation projects promoted by the Ministry of Culture.

The Cervia Vecchia project reaches its fourth research campaign

Once the survey data had been submitted in 2021, the project was ready to start its fourth research campaign.

As planned, this last phase started on 20th June 2022. 

Research developments in the 2022 campaign 

In addition to deepening knowledge of some buildings already identified in the 2021 campaign, traces of new dwellings emerged and the area of the urban convent of San Francesco was investigated.

Investigation continued in the area of the Fortress of Cervia, which had already been brought to light previously.

The deepening of the excavation led to the identification of new, more ancient phases of the urban fortress, thus beginning to shed light on the transformations undergone by the building.

The excavations of 2022 also confirm the richness and importance of the remains in the subsoil of Cervia Vecchia, which becomes a key site for the reconstruction of the economic and cultural processes in the north of the peninsula.

The importance of these results confirms the need to take the project of research and valorisation of the site to a new level, together with the other organisations already involved.

This is an important study of great value to the city because it aims to further investigate our roots beyond the conformation of the old settlement in the centre of the salt pans. 

In addition to its undisputed historical and cultural interest and value, the study of the area from an archaeological point of view will be preparatory to the development of new tourist itineraries to discover the ancient city, as part of a broader project to enhance the salt-pans area. The project is also supported by the Cervia Saltpan Park.

Archaeological investigations continue: fifth campaign of research launched

In 2023, thanks to the willingness of the owners of the Prato della Rosa land, during the fifth archaeological research campaign the investigations were extended to the Prato della Rosa area.

Part of the historiographical tradition places the oldest settlement nucleus, prior to the settlement that developed in Cervia Vecchia, in the Prato della Rosa, at the centre of the saltpan. Some scholars even identify it with the elusive Ficocle, the site of an episcope since the beginning of the 6th century AD.

New research could help shed light on the origin of Cervia and the actual nature and location of Ficocle, which are still shrouded in mystery and a legendary aura.

Developments

On 7th August, during the presentation of the 2023 excavation campaign, the archaeologists of the University of Bologna explained the results of the investigations and future research programmes.

During the years of investigation, excavation samples confirmed the position of churches and dwellings in relation to what is known from historical maps, in addition, important archaeological elements such as burials, remains of buildings and artefacts including coins, pilgrim's plates and, of course, ceramics were found.

The area of the fortress also revealed the presence of perfectly preserved wooden beams inserted inside the load-bearing walls to protect the building in case of seismic events. Core drilling and soil analysis also revealed some alluvial layers that speak of water ingress in previous centuries.

Just below the surface of the farmland, remains of buildings from the middle centuries of the Middle Ages emerge,a period when the town of Cervia Vecchia was already in full bloom. Investigations will continue to verify the existence of an archaeological deposit dating back to previous centuries.

While excavations are being carried out at Prato della Rosa, plans are being made for the next investigation campaigns that will see an increase in the number of expert archaeologists at work.

Restoration of the mosaic carpets of San Martino prope litus maris and the wood from the Roman salt works

Thanks to the Superintendency's contribution, excellent news is arriving for the recovery, conservation and valorisation of some of Cervia's most significant archaeological finds.

The mosaics of San Martino prope litus maris and the Roman salt pans, some of the most important archaeological finds in the Cervia area in recent decades, are finally about to be made available to the public.

The mosaics of St. Martin, discovered between 1989 and 1991 in the Podere Mariona area of Cervia, on the edge of the salt pans, have already undergone partial conservation work that has allowed them to be partially exhibited, since 2015, at MUSA, the Salt City Museum. Thanks to the funding obtained from the Superintendency, it will therefore be possible to complete the work, also involving the remaining mosaic carpets, so that the magnificent sixth-century floor of the church can finally be observed in its entirety.

The woods of the Roman salt pans, on the other hand, were discovered in 2015, and constitute the first historical evidence of salt production in the Cervia area, so much so that the Municipality of Cervia, in view of their importance, had already started some conservation work in 2021.

From 15th June to 20th July 2025, 10 years after the archaeological discovery of Cervia's saltworks dating back to the Roman era, Musa will host the exhibition The restoration of wood from an archaeological context: the case of Cervia's Roman saltworks, set up for the occasion.

 Attend the evening presenting the results of the 2024 excavation campaign and the new 2025 campaign (the conference is in italian)

The Municipality of Cervia is working on the project for the creation of an Archaeological Park to enhance these places