Bagno di Romagna

History

Bagno di Romagna was originally an Umbrian settlement, linked to the nearby town of Sarsina, hometown of the Latin comic author Plautus. The Romans founded what became the actual town, whose Latin name, balneum (meaning 'bath'), comes after its natural hot springs. At that time, it was a trading post and spa on the route between Rome and Ravenna, where the second largest Roman military fleet was moored, and many of the Roman legions had their winter quarters.

In 540 AD, the town was raided by the Ostrogoths, a Germanic tribe that invaded Italy. The town recovered during the fourteenth century, under the patronage of the Guidi family, who surrounded it with a line of defensive walls, and developed a system of small castles (e.g. Corzano, Montegranelli) to control the valley. Consequently trade flourished, and later the town was acquired by Florence and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. The town doubled in size during the Middle Ages, as a permanent market-place surrounded by dwellings, churches, and various buildings developed a few kilometres downstream, along the river Savio: Borgo Sancti Petri, now San Piero in Bagno.

The whole town was sacked by the Landsknecht army of Charles V on its way to Rome in 1527. Probably on this occasion the castle of Corzano was destroyed. Its ruins were later reused to build the homonymous religious sanctuary, and other dwellings.

The town became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1860. Historically part of Tuscany, it was annexed to the Province of Forlì in the region of Emilia-Romagna in 1923, since dictator Benito Mussolini wanted the source of the River Tiber, which is located nearby, to be included within his native province. …

Main sights

Foreste Casentinesi, Monte Falterona, Campigna National Park

Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta (according to the tradition, founded in 860). It has a 39-metre (128 ft) high bell tower, a baptismal font from the year 1000, a tabernacle attributed to the school of Giuliano da Maiano and a notable portal with the crest of the Camaldolese order.

Palazzo del Capitano ("Captain's Palace"), once the seat of the Florentine administrators. It is now the administrative headquarter of the National Park.

Lake of Ridracoli.

Santuario della Madonna di Corzano, a small church and annexed hermitage, both perfectly preserved, located on a hilltop 678 metres above the sea level, facing the suburb of San Piero in Bagno. Near this lie the ruins of the castle destroyed by the Landsknecht in 1527.