Traces of Art
Rediscovering the town along some suggested itineraries

Forlì, City of Art. But it is more than that. Forlì is indeed a city that over the recent years has enjoyed a truly spectacular growth and welcomed within its bounds a wave of significant changes, including the construction of new buildings, the restoration and enhancement of important monuments such as the complex of San Domenico and Gaddi Palace, the founding of the new University Pole and lastly, the implementation of a development plan involving the main economic activities in a renewed urban context through architectural regeneration of disused spaces. This much needed redevelopment, along with more traditional activities being now successfully consolidated such as the internationalisation of the Exhibition Centre, has contributed to give a new impetus, attracting a wider public. A demanding and varied public made up of economic players, students and tourists, but also of ordinary citizens who are now looking at their city with new eyes. And it is in this sense that a rediscovery of the city takes place: a heightened awareness towards the artistic, architectural and cultural heritage to re-experience the city of Forlì in its new urban dimension. Forlì is a lovely city on a human scale, safe and intimate, and because of its unique features it can be visited through a series of logistically feasible itineraries but highly centred around artistic treasures, clear evidence of historical and cultural richness worthy of admiration. The suggested itineraries arise from our desire to identify some special themed tours- religious architecture, residential architecture, Fascist architecture during the Twenties - and some alternative ones by restoring and reviving traditions through popular events, by rediscovering the underground city and by promoting the knowledge of values and crafts. Nothing forbids to take our suggestions and to wander round the town of Forlì in you own time, combining leisurely paced walking with fascinating sightseeing and a varied range of cultural activities which now abound in the city and help to enrich and add value to life in Forlì.

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The Bidente Valley
Discovering the Forlì region

Located in the south-east corner of the Emilia-Romagna, the Forlì region offers between the sea, the hills and the mountains of the Apennines a great diversity of scenery and culture and a wealth of surprises connected with the ingenuity of people who inhabited the area and the contrasting environments within the region. These lands provided therefore the ideal setting for building villas and gardens, private and exclusive homes, ancient palaces and historical theatres, fortresses and castles, parish churches, abbeys and sanctuaries which are today either unobtrusively and harmoniously blended into or conspicuously scattered across the landscape. This guide aims to be a practical and pleasant resource for all those willing to know and fully enjoy the historical and architectural heritage through a red thread running transversally this rich and diverse land across the intricate jigsaw of towns and villages, fields and forests of the inland territory, without any pretension of being exhaustive, but with the intention of being clear and unambiguous. All of the monuments featured in this guide have been individually described and illustrated to emphasize both the historical age and some anecdotes and architectural details which have been distinctive in shaping their identity over the time, with the aim to bring readers and tourists closer not only to the beauties of the places, but also to their history. As well as providing general information of the different sites divided into four separate valleys, the guide gives helpful suggestions to make the most out of the opportunities offered by the rural and mountainous areas: all the indications are here briefly presented in a section entitled "Not to be missed" regarding other artistic treasures to be found across the town or in the surroundings, the food and wine, the typical products, the local crafts, the events and the occasions to come back again and much more. A special focus containing more detailed references to illustrious characters or some local museums housed in historical buildings is included at the end of each valley and is intended to complement the description of the monuments listed, opening up a truly singular journey into the architecture of "delight" which from the idle atmosphere of the countryside reaches the places of culture and leisure, of prayer and of well-being. These places of delight are seen today as an example of historic, cultural and fruitful continuity that local municipalities and public administrations are committed to protect and support with projects co-financed by the European Union. Some of the villas, stately homes and castles have been refurbished in recent years and lovingly restored to their original beauty, while other historic buildings and premises are now being used as accommodation for visitors, restaurants or leisure facilities to host cultural and artistic events. The medieval Santa Sofia, home to the Community of the Park of the Casentino Forests, Mount Falterona and Campigna, is a flourishing centre for tourism related activities, in particular thanks to the tourist attraction exerted by the Dam of Ridracoli. Galeata, situated along the route leading the pilgrims to Rome, is worth a visit with the imposing Abbey of Saint Ellero and the picturesque village of Pianetto. Civitella di Romagna is renowned for its Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Suasia and the Golfarelli Theatre built as part of a circuit of historical theatres of the Emilia-Romagna. Meldola, located just a few kilometres from the city of Forlì, was founded near an ancient villa presumably of Byzantine origin and features today a lively cultural season organised by the Dragoni Theatre as well as a large antique market. Bertinoro, the mythical "terrace" of Romagna, is well-known for its enviable panoramic position and its valuable wine productions and also for its friendly atmosphere welcoming all visitors for a bit of good old hospitality. Forlimpopoli, traditionally incorporated in the valley, celebrates every year its illustrious son Pellegrino Artusi with a series of cultural and gastronomical events drawing an increasing number of people during the "Artusi Week" centred around a rediscovery of the famous book "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well".
What follows is a tantalising invitation to travel across the lands of Forlì to see some of the most interesting architectural landmarks that tourists and travellers, just a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coast, cannot even imagine?

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The Montone Valley
Discovering the Forlì region

Located in the south-east corner of the Emilia-Romagna, the Forlì region offers between the sea, the hills and the mountains of the Apennines a great diversity of scenery and culture and a wealth of surprises connected with the ingenuity of people who inhabited the area and the contrasting environments within the region. These lands provided therefore the ideal setting for building villas and gardens, private and exclusive homes, ancient mansions and historical theatres, fortresses and castles which are today either unobtrusively and harmoniously blended into or conspicuously scattered across the landscape. All the valleys of the Forlì region are richly dotted with architectural buildings full of nobility even when they exude a simple elegance and with palaces and residences of every style. This guide aims to be a practical and pleasant resource for all those willing to know and fully enjoy the historical and architectural heritage through a red thread running transversally this rich and diverse land across the intricate jigsaw of towns and villages, fields and forests of the inland territory, without any pretension of being exhaustive, but with the intention of being clear and unambiguous. All of the monuments featured in this guide have been individually described and illustrated to emphasize both the historical age and some anecdotes and architectural details which have been distinctive in shaping their identity over the time, with the aim to bring readers and tourists closer not only to the beauties of the places, but also to their history. As well as providing general information of the different sites divided into four separate valleys, the guide gives helpful suggestions to make the most out of the opportunities offered by the rural and mountainous areas: all the indications are here briefly presented in a section entitled "Not to be missed" regarding other artistic treasures to be found across the town or in the surroundings, the food and wine, the typical products, the local crafts, the events and the occasions to come back again and much more. A special focus containing more detailed references to illustrious characters or some local museums housed in historical buildings is included at the end of each valley and is intended to complement the description of the monuments listed, opening up a truly singular journey into the architecture of "delight", which from the idle atmosphere of the countryside reaches the places of culture and leisure, of prayer and of well-being. These places of delight are seen today as an example of historic, cultural and fruitful continuity that local municipalities and public administrations are committed to protect and support with projects co-financed by the European Union. Some of the villas, stately homes and castles have been refurbished in recent years and lovingly restored to their original beauty, while other historic buildings and premises are now being used as accommodation for visitors, restaurants or leisure facilities to host cultural and artistic events.
Portico di Romagna, San Benedetto and Bocconi feature a medieval structure marked by three different levels of development linked to one another and are among the most interesting places of the Tuscan Romagna with the Parish Church of Santa Maria in Girone and the remains of the massive castle of the Counts Guidi. Rocca San Casciano celebrates with the annual Bonfire Feast (Festa dei Falò) an ancient pagan ritual in a phantasmagoric challenge of fire and lights on the banks of the river Montone between the three boroughs of Mercato, Buginello and Borgo. Dovadola is dominated by the massive Fortress of the Counts Guidi and in the opposite direction by the Sanctuary of San Paolo looming in the horizon, an old hermitage where Saint Anthony of Padua stayed long in meditation and visited today by many pilgrims. Castrocaro and the Renaissance citadel of Terra del Sole are famous not only for their hot springs and spa water, but also contain a wealth of monuments and castles that relive the splendour of bygone times through spectacular historical reconstructions - the "Palio di Santa Reparata" and the medieval feasts - and other events that often highlight the history of castles and palaces. What follows is a tantalising invitation to travel across the lands of Forlì to see some of the most interesting architectural landmarks that tourists and travellers, just a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coast, cannot even imagine?

Click here to download the brochure.

The Rabbi Valley
Discovering the Forlì region

Located in the south-east corner of the Emilia-Romagna, the Forlì region offers between the sea, the hills and the mountain-ranges of the Apennines a great diversity of scenery and culture and a wealth of surprises connected with the ingenuity of people who inhabited the area and the contrasting environments within the region. These lands provided therefore the ideal setting for building villas and gardens, private and exclusive homes, ancient mansions and historical theatres, fortresses and castles which are today either unobtrusively and harmoniously blended into or conspicuously scattered across the landscape. All the valleys are richly dotted with architectural buildings full of nobility even when they exude a simple elegance and with palaces and residences of every style. This guide aims to be a practical and pleasant resource for all those willing to know and fully enjoy the historical and architectural heritage through a red thread running transversally this rich and diverse land across the intricate jigsaw of towns and villages, fields and forests of the inland territory, without any pretension of being exhaustive, but with the intention of being clear and unambiguous. All of the monuments featured in this guide have been individually described and illustrated to emphasize both the historical age and some anecdotes and architectural details which have been distinctive in shaping their identity over the time, with the aim to bring readers and tourists closer not only to the beauties of the places but also to their history. As well as providing general information of the different sites divided into four separate valleys, the guide gives helpful suggestions to make the most out of the opportunities offered by the rural and mountainous areas: all the indications are here briefly presented in a section entitled "Not to be missed" regarding other artistic treasures to be found across the towns or in the surroundings, the food and wine, the typical products, the local crafts, the events and the occasions to come back again and much more. A special focus containing more detailed references to illustrious characters or some local museums housed in historical buildings is included at the end of each valley and is intended to complement the description of the monuments listed opening up a truly singular journey into the architecture of "delight" which from the idle atmosphere of the countryside reaches the places of culture and leisure, of prayer and of well-being. These places of delight are seen today as an example of historic, cultural and fruitful continuity that local municipalities and public administrations are committed to protect and support with projects co-financed by the European Union. Some of the villas, stately homes and castles have been refurbished in recent years and lovingly restored to their original beauty, while other historic buildings and premises are now being used as accommodation for visitors, restaurants or leisure facilities to host cultural and artistic events.
Premilcuore retains all its atmosphere evocative of the historical contest of the castles, a centuries-old challenge between the three communities of Premilcuore, and is also home to one of the visitors' centres of the National Park of the Casentino Forests, Mount Falterona and Campigna, a must destination for lovers of unspoiled nature and silent forests. Predappio features a large number of well-preserved examples of Fascist Architecture, organised in a real Urban Museum, and the beautiful Romanesque church of San Cassiano in Pennino pervaded by an atmosphere of deep peace and tranquillity. What follows is a tantalising invitation to travel across the lands of Forlì to see some of the most interesting architectural landmarks that tourists and travellers, just a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coast, cannot even imagine?

Click here to download the brochure.

The Tramazzo Valley
Discovering the Forlì region

The Forlì region offers a variety of itineraries and landscapes - in the space of a few miles you go from flatlands to hills and mountains - and is the ideal territory for those who, in just a few hours or over a day, are willing to embark upon alternative tours within natural landscapes of rare beauty or for those who, seeking ancient places of faith, want to step back into the past travelling along ancient routes, like the Via dei Romei, the pilgrim route leading to Rome, and explore ancient lost villages. All the valleys of the Forlì region are richly dotted with architectural buildings full of nobility even when they exude a simple elegance and with mansions and residences of every style. This guide aims to be a practical and pleasant resource for all those willing to know and fully enjoy the historical and architectural heritage through a red thread running transversally this rich and diverse land across the intricate jigsaw of towns and villages, fields and forests of the inland territory, without any pretension of being exhaustive, but with the intention of being clear and unambiguous. All of the monuments featured in this guide have been individually described and illustrated to emphasize both the historical age and some anecdotes and architectural details which have been distinctive in shaping their identity over the time, with the aim to draw readers and tourists closer not only to the beauties of the places, but also to their history. As well as providing general information of the different sites divided into four separate valleys, the guide gives helpful suggestions to make the most out of the opportunities offered by the rural and mountainous areas: all the indications are here briefly presented in a section entitled "Not to be missed" regarding other artistic treasures to be found across the towns or in the surroundings, the food and wine, the typical products, the local crafts, the events and the occasions to come back again and much more. A special focus containing more detailed references to illustrious characters or some local museums housed in historical buildings is included at the end of each valley and is intended to complement the description of the monuments listed opening up a truly singular journey into the architecture of "delight" which from the idle atmosphere of the countryside reaches the places of culture and leisure, of prayer and of well-being. These places of delight are seen today as an example of historic, cultural and fruitful continuity that local municipalities and public administrations are committed to protect and support with projects co-financed by the European Union. Some of the villas, stately homes and castles have been refurbished in recent years and lovingly restored to their original beauty, while other historic buildings and premises are now being used as accommodation for visitors, restaurants or leisure facilities to host cultural and artistic events. Bordering on the township of Faenza, the Tramazzo Valley features only two municipalities, Tredozio and Modigliana (little town whose earliest records date back to the prehistoric age and important feud of the Counts Guidi in medieval time) which were annexed to the Province of Forlì-Cesena only from 1923 after the long Florentine rule. The two townships are comprised in a territory full of architectural treasures amid the picturesque natural scenery of the Apennines with plenty of unforgettable views: don't miss the scenic drive along the mountain ridges to the Hermitage of San Barnaba, in the hamlet of Gamogna, where it is possible to stay for a short time to share the daily life of the monks, or to the Hermitage of San Michele, located in Trebbana, this one being equipped with a parking area for campers to stop for a few days. Not to mention the large number of events of all types throughout the territory: there is always something for the visitor to enjoy. The range of possibilities is so large that it may happen to anyone to linger lazily over a delicious meal or a beautiful view and forget the final destination! What follows is a tantalising invitation to travel across the lands of Forlì to see some of the most interesting architectural landmarks that tourists and travellers, just a few kilometres away from the Adriatic coast, cannot even imagine? The above are only suggestions, so are the modes of transport used - in this case the car or the motorbike: for the more sport minded all the itineraries suggested are perfectly feasible by bike, for the braver ones even horse riding tours are available, obviously featuring different tracks and stretches across the valley. What doesn't change is the beauty of landscapes, architectures and valuable artistic treasures steeped in a forgotten atmosphere.

Click here to download the brochure.