Faenza

Faenza fäānˈtsä [key], city, in Emilia-Romagna, N central Italy, on the Lamone River. A special kind of richly colored ceramic, called faience or majolica, has been made there since the 12th cent.; ceramic art flourished from 1450 to 1550 and was revived in the 18th cent. The Manfredi family, which ruled Faenza in the 14th and 15th cent., enriched it with works of art. Noteworthy buildings include the Renaissance-style cathedral (15th cent.), the governor's palace (12th cent.), and the city hall (13th–15th cent.). The International Museum of Ceramics is there.

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