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The town of Sarsina is a municipality twinned to the German town of Grebenstein in the
north of Hessen. It has 3,900 inhabitants and is 242m. above sea level. This town,
located in the centre of the Savio valley, is 30 Km. away from Cesena and 300 Km. from
Rome. In ancient times, Sarsina was the capital city of the Umbrians and it later
became a very prosperous Roman municipality, whose citizens had rights of citizenship
with administrative autonomy. Sarsina is also hometown of the great Latin comedy playwright
Titus Maccius Plautus (250 B.C.). Every summer a festival is organised in his honour where
his major comedy plays are staged. In the archaeological museum you can admire precious
monuments of the necropolis and of the town centre. Until 1976 Sarsina was an important
Episcopal see. The roman cathedral (10th century) holds St. Vicinius's relics and the
miraculous "catena" (chain) that even today is used to bless the pilgrims and to set
the possessed free from the devil.
The province of Forli/Cesena is in the region of Emilia Romagna. It consists of 30
municipalities with a total area of 2,394 Km2 and 351,235 inhabitants (in 1996). It
borders on the Adriatic Sea along 8,6 Km. of coast. The coastline stretches from Zadina
di Casenatico to San Mauro Mare and it is borded on the north by the province of Ravenna
and on the south by the Province of Rimini. The urbanisation of the shore is mainly
tourist-oriented. Another characteristic feature of the province is the national park
"Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna", founded in 1993.
It comprises an area of 35,000 Ha. on the summits of the Apennines. Bagno di Romagna,
Portico Bendetto en Alpe, Premilcuore, Santa Sofia and Tredozio are among the
municipalities belonging to the province of Forli/Cesena which are located next
to or within this national park. In this province the agricultural production is
all important and there has been a gradual change from multiple-crop areas to single-crop
ones. Poultry-farming is another traditional activity in this area, whose prestige is
supported and promoted by international trade fairs. In the field of handicraft trade
we must pay special attention to the production of shoes and padded furniture; and in
the field of industrial production, the metal and woodwork.
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