Forlimpopoli

From Forlì, the routes of the pilgrims crossed through the Apennines along several roads among which one that crossed through the Bidente (or Ronco) Valley, and that passed by the nearby Forlimpopoli.

The town is located in the plains along the pathway of the via Emilia and it also boasts of Roman origins. It was founded by the Roman Consol Popilio Lenate in 132 BC with the name of Forum Popili (Popilio’s Forum), from which it got its present name.

The most imposing historic building of Forlimpopoli is most definitely the medieval fortress, in the center of Piazza Garibaldi. Built at the end of the 1300s, on the ruins of the ancient cathedral of S. Maria Popiliense, the fortress still has its massive forms built in the following century. Excavation finds and elements of the cathedral that disappeared are on display in the Archeological Civic Museum set up inside the fortress.

An example of the architecture from the 6th century is the S. Ruffillo Collegiate Church, which houses the relics of the Saint, the first bishop of Forlimpopoli. It was redone during the 1400s and restored in 1821.

From the town, one went out along a Roman route quite well documented in medieval sources, which hit upon the towns of Meldola, Cusercoli, Galeata, and Santa Sofia one after the other, and then joined up with that of the Savio Valley in Bagno di Romagna, a hot springs location already well known in antiquity.

For tourist information:
Local site: Turismo forlivese