Brisighella, just a few kilometers from Riolo Terme, is certainly more interesting and consequently more popular among tourists, although it is common secret among travelers that, when a place is over-rated as a tourist destination, it is already too late to visit it and to truly enjoy it. Of course one can visit these places off season trying to avoid festivals and various celebrations and thematic markets … Unless this is just what he is looking for;)
No one can deny that Brisighella is a very picturesque small town. Apart the beauty it doesn’t have much to offer but in any case nobody would regret spending time, one day or two, there. There is though a small inconvenience; it is recommended that these days are during the weekend because most of the ‘attractions’ are closed to visitors during the weekdays!
The camper stop is the classic rip-off for motorhomers. The parking is free everywhere in the town (!), including tourist coaches but for the campers no, the campers have to pay! And where did they decide to place the camper stop? In one of the most ugly sites of the town where the campers are forced to park glued side by side. No thanks! At least with our small-size camper van we can park legally everywhere in the town!
The camper stop costs 1€ per hour or 8€ per day; the price for electricity is 2€ for 12 hours and the camper service is included in the price for those who stay at least 2 hours. Note that just outside the camper stop (few meters away) there are plenty of places to park for free. However, for those who have no other choice because of the size of their motorhome, the camper stop is here: 44.22156,11.77908
In the photo below the camper stop viewed from the clock tower.
We opted for a small parking lot [44.22103,11.76482] that we found immediately behind the parking area for tourist coaches [44.22079, 11.76524], situated in a short and pleasant walk from the town center.
As you can see from the photo below in the right, there are 4/5 spaces for long campers too in the tourist coaches parking.
For the rest, Brisighella is a real gem, with its narrow streets and old-style buildings. Don’t miss the via degli Asini (the Donkeys alley), a charming (and as they said unique in the world..) elevated and roofed way used in the past for the transportation of the minerals, mostly gypsum, that were excavated in the surrounding area.
Then there are the beautiful Fort (Rocca) and the Clock tower, both situated uphill and ideal for a nice walk. Be careful not to be crushed by tourist trains😉
The timetable of the Fort is a little bit tricky; it is open only on weekends and holidays from 10:30 to 12:30 in the morning (except Saturdays and the day before the holiday from November to March) and in the afternoon from 14.30 / 15.00 to 16.30 / 19:00 depending on the season.
In fact we didn’t manage to visit the Fort! Anyway have in mind that the entrance costs 3€ per person. Instead we walked to the Clock Tower, but where there is little or nothing to see apart the wonderful views. If you are planning to visit other places in Romagna, it would be wise to take a look at the Romagna Visit Card, if you want to cut down the costs of the tickets/museum entrances.
During our visit we had the opportunity to taste the wonderful, sweet new wine of the region, the Cagnina, and to enjoy the music of a bizzare music band named ‘George and the Gereatrics’ 🙂
