23/06/2026
“These humble memoirs, the fruit of long study and patient vigils, I wished to dedicate to you who, coming of age, are the hope of our native valley. May the reading of both the good and sorrowful deeds of your ancestors serve as a lesson to either imitate or avoid them. I shall be well content if you show appreciation for my labor by living with honor and making your homeland great and illustrious. Live happily.”
Brisighella, January 1859.
In the heart of the nineteenth century, amidst the silence of the badlands and the reassuring shadow of the Brisighella Fortress, a man stayed awake by candlelight among ancient papers.
His name was Antonio Metelli, the historian who dedicated his “patient vigils” to safeguarding the soul of our valley. In January 1859, while the world outside was changing, he wrote a letter to the future. He wrote not for himself, but for us—the “hope of our native valley.” He wanted the deeds of those who came before us—the lights and shadows of the past—to serve as our guide.
At Palazzo Metelli, we continue to breathe and live out that promise: preserving history to make tomorrow “great and illustrious.”
Welcome to our story!
