Forlì travel guide
Caterina Sforza's fortress, a 75-metre bell tower and piadina country
Forlì is an easygoing Romagna city on the Bologna-Rimini line, worth a day for Piazza Saffi, the San Domenico museums and its 1930s architecture, and as a base for Ravenna, Bertinoro and the Apennine foothills. Visit in spring or early autumn. Prices are high, and many nationalities need no visa.
Halfway between Bologna and Rimini on the old Via Emilia, Forlì is a flat, prosperous Romagna city that most travellers see only from the train. Those who get off find Piazza Saffi, one of the largest squares in the region, overlooked by the 75-metre bell tower of San Mercuriale, and a former monastery, the Musei San Domenico, that hosts some of Emilia-Romagna's most talked-about art exhibitions.
Power changed hands often. The Ordelaffi lords ruled through much of the late Middle Ages, and in 1500 Caterina Sforza defended the Rocca di Ravaldino against Cesare Borgia before the city passed to the Papal States. The 20th century added another layer: Mussolini was born in nearby Predappio, and the rationalist buildings along Viale della Libertà, between the station and Piazzale della Vittoria, date from his regime.
Summers here are hot (often above 30 °C) and winter brings damp fog off the plain. Spring is the time to come: the big exhibitions usually run then, and the hills toward Bertinoro turn green.
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Top things to do in Forlì
A great civic square, a Romanesque abbey, a Renaissance fortress and a museum complex that draws crowds for its exhibitions.
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Best time to visit Forlì
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Comfortable for walking the centre and the hills, and the usual season for the San Domenico exhibitions.
Hot, often above 30 °C and sometimes near 40 °C; many locals head to the Romagna beaches.
Cool and damp with frequent fog; brief warm spells when the Sirocco blows.
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Getting there
Marconi Express, then down the Via Emilia line
Bologna's Marconi airport, about 78 km away and roughly an hour by car, is the one most visitors use. From the terminal the Marconi Express monorail runs to Bologna Centrale in a few minutes, and from there regional and intercity trains head south-east to Forlì through Imola and Faenza, taking roughly 40 minutes to an hour depending on stops.
- Bologna airport (BLQ)
- Marconi Express to Bologna Centrale, then the train, about 40 to 60 minutes
- Rimini airport (RMI)
- Into Rimini, then the train north-west through Cesena
- Railway station
- Line to Faenza, Imola, Bologna and to Cesena, Rimini, Ancona
- Start Romagna buses
- Regional routes from beside the station
- Rimini's Federico Fellini airport, on the coast, suits some summer routes: get to Rimini station and ride the same line north-west.
- Forlì's own Luigi Ridolfi airport reopened to airlines in 2021 and runs a small, mostly seasonal list of routes, so check what is flying on your dates before booking via Bologna.
- Drivers use the A14 motorway, which has a Forlì exit.
- Viale della Libertà is the walk into town, about 20 minutes, and the 1930s buildings along it are part of the sightseeing.
- Slower regional trains stop at every small station on the plain; check the timetable for the faster intercity services.
Where to stay
Around Piazza Saffi
Hotel choice in Forlì is modest and largely aimed at business travellers and university visitors, which keeps weekend rates reasonable. Nothing in the centre is more than a short walk apart, so the question is mainly noise, trains and whether you plan to drive into the hills.
- Centro storico
- Around Piazza Saffi, San Mercuriale and Corso Garibaldi; best for a first visit on foot, quiet after dinner and short on parking
- Rocca di Ravaldino and San Domenico
- The southern side of the old town by the fortress and museums; calm residential streets, a few minutes from the square
- Viale della Libertà and the station
- Between Piazzale della Vittoria and the railway; handy for early trains to Bologna or Rimini, but a 20-minute walk from the restaurants
- Bertinoro, Meldola and the hills
- Agriturismi and B&Bs among vineyards and olive groves; cooler on summer nights, but a car is essential
- Exhibition openings at San Domenico can fill central rooms on spring weekends; book ahead if your dates match one.
Getting around
Flat streets, bikes and Start Romagna buses
The historic centre is compact and flat, so walking covers almost everything: Piazza Saffi to the Musei San Domenico or to the Rocca di Ravaldino takes about ten minutes. Bikes are part of everyday life in Romagna, and locals ride them to work and the market in all weathers.
- On foot
- Piazza Saffi to the main sights in about ten minutes
- Start Romagna
- City and regional buses; app, station ticket office or contactless tap on board
- Mi Muovo Multibus
- 12-trip ticket for short stays
- Car
- Bertinoro about 15 minutes; Predappio and Meldola a little further into the valleys
- Start Romagna runs the city and regional buses; buy tickets in the Start Romagna app or at the ticket office in the railway station, or tap a contactless bank card on the reader on board (StarTap).
- For short stays the Mi Muovo Multibus, a 12-trip ticket, saves buying single fares and works across the region's bus networks.
- A car is useful for the hill towns, but the old centre has restricted traffic zones, so park outside the ring and walk in.
- Watch the camera-controlled limited traffic zone signs around the centre; fines arrive by post weeks later.
Know before you go
What makes Forlì worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The campanile of San Mercuriale, 75 metres of 12th-century brick rising above Piazza Saffi.
- The Musei San Domenico, a restored Dominican convent with the civic art gallery and big temporary shows.
- Viale della Libertà, a walk through 1930s rationalist architecture rarely seen so intact.
Good to know
- Musei San Domenico hours follow the exhibition calendar: some seasons it shuts on Mondays, and weekend hours run later.
- August is slow: many locals leave for the coast and some family-run trattorias close for their summer break.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Forlì, month by month
Pick a month and the chart shows Forlì's average temperature and rainfall as recorded by Arpae Emilia-Romagna.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Forlì (Arpae Emilia-Romagna, via Wikipedia).
Saffi's square, San Domenico and Caterina Sforza's Rocca in a day
Begin in Piazza Saffi with the statue of Aurelio Saffi, the Risorgimento politician the square is named after. Step into the Abbazia di San Mercuriale, a Lombard-Romanesque church of the 12th century, and look up at its bell tower, once among the tallest in Italy. The Palazzo Comunale closes one side of the square.
Walk south to the Musei San Domenico for the late morning. The complex groups a convent, the church of San Giacomo and several halls; the civic art gallery is permanent, and the temporary exhibition is often the reason people come from Bologna and beyond.
After lunch head to the Rocca di Ravaldino, the fortress where Caterina Sforza resisted Cesare Borgia's army. It reopened in 2024 after years of closure, but the courtyard, garden and halls open mainly for events and exhibitions, so check ahead; the walls alone justify the walk. Then walk the length of Viale della Libertà to the station, looking at the 1930s buildings, or if you have a car drive 15 minutes into the hills to Bertinoro. Its terrace looks across the whole Romagna plain, and its hospitality column recalls an old custom of families competing to host travellers.
Piadina folded round squacquerone, rocket and ham
Romagna's everyday food is the piadina, a thin flatbread cooked on a griddle and folded around fillings. The classic version holds squacquerone, a soft, tangy fresh cheese, with rocket and cured ham. Kiosks and piadinerie all over Forlì make them to order, and they are the standard quick lunch.
Sit-down meals start with fresh pasta. Cappelletti, small hat-shaped parcels filled with cheese, are served in broth in winter, and passatelli, rough strands of breadcrumbs, egg and Parmigiano, are pressed straight into simmering stock. Tagliatelle al ragù is everywhere.
Meat comes off the grill, especially pork and sausages. Drink Sangiovese di Romagna, the local red, or Albana, a white from the hills around Bertinoro. In autumn look for truffle and mushroom dishes from the Apennine valleys south of the city, served in the trattorias of Predappio, Meldola and the villages above them.
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How we research our Forlì travel guide
Rail links via Bologna, Start Romagna buses and the San Domenico museums in Forlì are rechecked against the Comune di Forlì website and Italia.it.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of ForlìItalia.itUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Forlì.
Getting there
Ride the Marconi Express monorail to Bologna Centrale, then take a train south-east towards Rimini; Forlì is roughly 40 minutes to an hour down the line.
For a day, yes: Piazza Saffi, San Mercuriale, the San Domenico museums and the 1930s architecture make a full and uncrowded visit, with the station a short walk from the centre.
General
The Renaissance countess who ruled Forlì and defended its fortress, the Rocca di Ravaldino, against Cesare Borgia in 1500.
A former Dominican convent turned museum complex, home to the civic art gallery and major temporary exhibitions. Hours follow the exhibition calendar, so check before a Monday visit.
Sangiovese di Romagna is the everyday red; for white, ask for Albana from the Bertinoro hills, which became Italy's first white wine with DOCG status.
The classic filling is squacquerone, the soft fresh cheese of Romagna, with rocket and cured ham; piadinerie around town make them to order as a quick lunch.
July averages highs around 31 °C and hot spells can approach 40 °C; January highs sit near 7 °C, and fog off the Po plain is common from November to February.
Ravenna's mosaics, about 30 km away, and the beaches of Cesenatico and Rimini are reachable by train or Start Romagna bus; Bertinoro and Predappio are far easier by car.
Mussolini was born in nearby Predappio, and his regime rebuilt the approach from the station: the rationalist buildings on Viale della Libertà and around Piazzale della Vittoria date from those years.
The historic centre is compact and flat, so walking covers almost everything: Piazza Saffi to the Musei San Domenico or to the Rocca di Ravaldino takes about ten minutes. Bikes are part of everyday life in Romagna, and locals ride them to work and the market in all weathers.
Forlì is best known for:
- The campanile of San Mercuriale, 75 metres of 12th-century brick rising above Piazza Saffi
- The Musei San Domenico, a restored Dominican convent with the civic art gallery and big temporary shows
- Viale della Libertà, a walk through 1930s rationalist architecture rarely seen so intact
Timing & weather
About 20 minutes on a flat, straight avenue; buses run the same way if you have heavy bags.
The best time to visit Forlì is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Mild weather and the spring exhibition season, avoiding the summer heat and winter fog.
- Spring: April - June (Comfortable for walking the centre and the hills, and the usual season for the San Domenico exhibitions)
- Summer: July - August (Hot, often above 30 °C and sometimes near 40 °C; many locals head to the Romagna beaches)
- Winter: November - February (Cool and damp with frequent fog; brief warm spells when the Sirocco blows)
Visa & documents
Schengen rules apply in Italy. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Violent crime against visitors to Italy is rare. Pickpocketing is the main problem, especially on buses and metros in Rome (bus 64 is notorious), at Roman and Florentine sights, and at Termini and Naples Centrale stations. Wear your bag across your body and zip it, and use only licensed white taxis or official ride apps.
