Faenza is a small city of art, set between the Via Emilia and the Romagna hills, the ideal place to spend a weekend immersed in culture, good wine, and timeless scenery.
Here, neoclassical buildings, museums, and ceramic workshops blend with tradition and folklore, following the slow rhythm of living well in Romagna.
For a short break from everyday life, discover what to see in Faenza in 2 days and take home a travel experience that will leave you wanting to come back.
Start on Saturday morning with a guided tour of the Angelo Masini Theatre, a jewel of Faenza’s Neoclassicism that has preserved its original structure and historic charm. The theatre welcomes you into its elegant foyer leading to the auditorium, with box seats arranged on four tiers, each with a different decorative scheme, a frescoed ceiling, and a slightly sloping stage for optimal viewing.
If you prefer to begin the day with something more dynamic, book a ticket for a performance: the theatre’s acoustics truly shine during a live show from its rich seasonal program.
Strolling through the historic center, among squares and narrow streets, you can discover the deep bond between the city and ceramics, the material that in Faenza becomes art and experience.
Create your own ceramic itinerary among artists and museums, or try your hand at clay modeling and decoration in the many workshops offering creative experiences.
A must-see stop is the International Museum of Ceramics, whose collections preserve a heritage of 60,000 works from all over the world, including pieces by major 20th-century artists such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Lucio Fontana.
For lunch, don’t miss the best dishes of local tradition, such as strozzapreti or tagliatelle, served with meat ragù—ideally made with Mora Romagnola pork, a Slow Food presidium and a source of local pride—paired with a good glass of wine.
Faenza is a land of excellent food and wine, where products are deeply connected to the territory they come from. If you love wine and good food, continue your day towards the hills and discover our flavors.
By car or rental bike, reach the Tower of Oriolo dei Fichi, a Renaissance monument of great interest and the heart of an agricultural district where history and nature merge into a place offering truly immersive experiences.
Visit the 15th-century tower, an example of military architecture from Manfredi-era Faenza: a spiral staircase leads up to the panoramic terrace, from which on clear days you can see as far as the sea.
At the foot of the tower, themed trails wind through nature for short walks, such as the Path of Love, amid the scent of broom flowers and the green of meadows, cultivated fields, and woods.
This is the perfect area for wine tourism in Faenza.
Here you can find some of the best wineries of the Faenza area, which preserve and produce native grape varieties such as Centesimino, Albana di Romagna, and Famoso, with stories rooted in the past and flavors projected into the future.
Oriolo is also a subzone of the Romagna Sangiovese DOC, characterized by iron-rich clay soils that produce expressive wines with lively fruit. Around the tower, you’ll find several producers where you can book your Sangiovese wine tasting in Faenza along with a cellar visit.
To end the day, enjoy dinner at one of the hillside farmhouses and savor the delights of the local cuisine.
Begin your second day in Faenza with breakfast in Piazza del Popolo, under the arcades of the surrounding buildings, accompanied by the sound of the bells of the Cathedral of San Pietro, a Renaissance masterpiece by Florentine architect Giuliano da Maiano.
Walking through the city, you’ll encounter many historic palaces in the center of Faenza and perhaps stop for a visit to Palazzo Milzetti, the National Museum of the Neoclassical Age in Romagna, a beautiful aristocratic residence. Its interiors host refined rooms decorated by Felice Giani and Antonio Trentanove. Don’t miss the Sala Grande, inspired by Apollo, and the famous Antibagno, with blue paintings on a black background inspired by the discoveries of Herculaneum.
Continue with a guided visit to the Faenza Art Gallery (Pinacoteca), which houses the most important artistic collection in Romagna from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era. As you walk through the rooms, you can admire works by great masters such as Donatello, Marco Palmezzano, Felice Giani, Giorgio De Chirico, and Carlo Carrà.
If you’re looking for things to see in Faenza with children, the Pinacoteca offers Operation Gilda, a digital game designed for younger visitors, along with a rich calendar of workshops and activities.
Conclude these two days in Faenza with another taste of something delicious and try our cappelletti, pasta filled with ricotta and capon breast, strictly served in capon broth—a comfort food that warms both palate and soul.
If you’re in the mood for a quicker meal, seek out a traditional “baracchina” and try the classic Romagna piadina, which here is soft and thick, or the crescione, its folded and filled version, usually stuffed with wild herbs from the hills.
If you’re wondering what to see in Faenza in 2 days, these are just a few ideas to help you build your itinerary between the historic center, with its monuments and traditions, and the hills, rich in authentic flavors and vineyard rows.
Come and visit Faenza!
