ROUNDABOUT SECONDO CASADEI

Secondo Casadei, the greatest interpreter of Romagna folk music, was born in Sant’Angelo di Gatteo on 1 April 1906. He was a violinist, composer and arranger of many especially instrumental pieces played by the orchestra that bore his name, which later became soundtracks of the lives of the people of Romagna. His greatest success, “Romagna mia”, is a cornerstone of Italian musical and folklore history.

Precisely in memory of this extraordinary personality, who from Gatteo brought to international success a music and dance style that are a hymn to life, to love, sympathy and simplicity, reflecting all the values of Romagna, in 2009 the Municipality of Gatteo together with his family and the Province of Forlì Cesena wanted to create a special street furniture that would pay homage to the traditional music of Romagna: the roundabout Secondo Casadei.

Positioned in a strategic point at Sant’Angelo, the Maestro’s birthplace, on provincial road 108 (better known as ‘Rigossa’) that links Gatteo to Gatteo a Mare, the roundabout Casadei is the best business card to welcome and greet everyone travelling in and out of the Valle del Rubicone motorway tollbooth and tourists heading to the various holiday resorts.

The creators and designers of the décor are the artists Manzi and Zanotti, who designed an enormous scenography twenty metres wide and almost five metres high.

On the side facing the sea are represented on a giant screen, a series of silhouettes of the maestro and his orchestrators, with the inscription “Romagna mia lontan da te non si può star. Secondo Casadei’.

On the other side, upstream, are groups of waltz, polka and mazurka dancers. And then the musical score of Romagna Mia and the inscription “Romagna in fiore, tu sei la stella tu sei l’amore. Secondo Casadei‘.

Over the years, the roundabout Casadei has become one of the most photographed spots in Romagna, a symbolic place also for launching messages of support on anniversaries or communication campaigns (Notte Rosa, Metastatic Cancer Day, Day of the fight for health emergencies, etc). On such occasions, the colour of the illumination of the large disc, more than 5 metres in diameter, is changed, at night, creating a striking scenographic effect.

Ph @Pippo Foto