In Madonna di Castenaso, location a few miles away from Castenaso, stands the church of Madonna del Pilar, built on grounds belonging to the Collegio di Spagna.
In this church, Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) celebrated his first marriage to the soprano Isabella Colbran in 1822. The couple lived for about ten years in a villa next to the church, and it was here that the Maestro composed works such as “Semiramide” and “William Tell”.
In the sanctuary’s magnificent baroque interior, there is the miraculous image of the Virgin by Giovan Battista Bolognini (1699).
Of Villa Rossini today there remains only a particular well. Colbran is buried in the monumental cemetery of the Certosa in Bologna, in the company of other great musicians, from Farinelli to Ottorino Respighi.
Interests
- Lifestyle
