Cervia

Sister cities

• Maó
• Belluno
• Jelenia Góra

History

The oldest human discovery in the area occurred in the hamlet of Montaletto: most likely it is a Bronze Age shepherds' camp dating back to about 3,000 - 1,000 B.C. The salt marshes were probably already active in the Etruscan age, as findings during urban planning works carried out in recent years would indicate. It is possible that lodgings, or perhaps settlements, existed for salt workers, even seasonal ones; the findings indicate a certain population density already in the first century BC. Until the Roman age, the city had the name "Ficocle", but its exact location is not known. Later the centre was rebuilt in a more secure position, in the Salina. This medieval city grew until it was provided with three fortified entrances, a Palace of Priors, seven churches and a castle (Rocca) which, according to legend, was built by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The name also changed from Ficocle to Cervia, probably referring to the Acervi, great amounts of salt left in the local evaporation ponds. After a long series of events, it became part of the Papal States. As time passed, the salt pond turned into a marsh, and on 9 November 1697 Pope Innocent XII ordered it to be rebuilt in a safer location. The new city had huge silos for the storage of salt, containing up to 13,000 tons. Cervia is also mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XXVII, lines 40–42).

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged Gull

  Larus michahellis J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  485
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  462
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  461
• Black-headed Gull

  Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  387
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  384
• Greater Flamingo

  Phoenicopterus roseus Pallas, 1811 · Aves
  351
• Great Cormorant/European Shag

  Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  338
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  318

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2026-01-13
  1 km NNW of Fornace Zarattini, Italy
• M 4.6 — 2026-01-13
  2 km N of Fornace Zarattini, Italy
• M 4.9 — 2025-10-06
  30 km NE of Marotta, Italy
• M 3.7 — 2024-02-17
  5 km SSE of Modigliana, Italy
• M 5.1 — 2023-09-18
  7 km SE of Marradi, Italy
• M 4.2 — 2023-09-18
  4 km ESE of Marradi, Italy