Cervia and Grazia Deledda
Of all of the most famous authors who have loved Cervia, one of the most important is Grazia Deledda. The poet loved the people here for their: “sincere and modest character, and even more so this place where nature frankly reveals the unconcealed wildness and the sea and fields lie either side of the dunes.”
Grazia Deledda first arrived here by train, the railways having arrived in Cervia at the end of the 1800s. It was 1920 and tourism was still new. Deledda wanted to take the sea air at this undeveloped resort that reminded her of her native Sardinia. It was love at first sight! So much so that she stayed here until 1935.
First as a guest at Villa Igea, one of the first guesthouses in Cervia, and then later renting her own house in Via Miccoli. In 1926, after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, she bought Villa Caravella in Via Colombo and in 1927 was made an honorary citizen. But the honour was all ours!
With the “Literary Urban Trekking” trail you can spend a warm summer’s evening visiting her favourite parts of the town. This 4 km route leads you through the centre of Cervia in the company of timeless storytellers, poets and writers. If you are interested in literature, this is an unmissable activity!
