Forum Livii, market founded by the Romans over 2000 years ago, stands on the Via Emilia, an ancient consular road that is still today a very important communication route of the Po Valley. City of ancient origins, with a strategic position for trade, art, food and wine, it counts in its history prominent people such as the painter Melozzo da Forlì, the great Caterina Sforza and his antagonist Cesare Borgia, the politician Aurelio Saffi.
The tour of Forlì is a journey through time that begins with the medieval Abbey of San Mercuriale, which measures 72 meters of high; it is witness not only to the history of the Romanesque city, but above all to that of the fifteenth century, the golden age of the Italian Renaissance. At that time Forlì was the capital of a small state and the princes had chosen the abbey as a state church. Forlì, the province that gave birth to the dictator Benito Mussolini, is also an open-air museum of Italian rationalism.
Walking through Piazza Saffi you can come across elegant medieval and Renaissance buildings but also important examples of rationalist architecture. Passing through the arch of the City Hall, you can reach the Piazzetta della Misura with the civic tower. Traveling along Via Torri, walking by the centuries-old Manoni wisteria, symbol of Forlì's tenacity, you then reach the elegant Palazzo Paulucci, seat of the Prefecture with an all-Roman charm. Just behind the palace every morning you can visit the covered market a historical complex that offers many typical products, fruit and vegetables, wine, fresh pasta etc. A few steps separate the market from the Duomo; mighty pillars lead those who enter the interior where the famous image of the Madonna del Fuoco (patroness of the city) is kept.
Then you can continue with a walk along the shopping streets often flanked by shady arcades, finally reaching the museums of San Domenico, housed inside of a thirteenth-century complex that hosts temporary exhibitions of international appeal and is also home to the important Civic Art Gallery. It is possible to take a panoramic bus tour passing through the historic Rocca di Ravaldino, famous for the deeds of Caterina Sforza and through Piazzale della Vittoria with the War Memorial and the former aeronautical college in a clear rationalist style.
In a whole day it is possible to combine the visit of the center of Forlì with the internal view of the Museums of San Domenico. Otherwise, with a short bus trip, you can reach Castrocaro Terme-Terra del Sole where the elegant Renaissance style designed by Cosimo de ‘Medici projects the visitor towards Tuscany and unexpectedly intertwines with the rationalist style of the spa, all surrounded by the greenery of the Apennines.