Forlì

Sister cities

• Foggia
• Aveiro
• Elektrėnai
• Szolnok
• Peterborough
• Bourges
• Płock

History

The area around Forlì has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The nearby archaeological site of Ca' Belvedere at Monte Poggiolo, in the territory of Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole, has yielded stone artefacts dating to around 800,000–900,000 years ago, among the oldest evidence of human presence in Europe. Forlì itself originated as the Roman settlement of Forum Livii, established in connection with the Via Aemilia. The precise date of its foundation remains uncertain. The traditional date of around 188 BC has been proposed by some historians, while others place its foundation later, during the time of Julius Caesar. Local research rejects the older attribution to Marcus Livius Salinator and regards the identity of the founder as uncertain. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Forlì became part of the successive political entities that controlled Romagna, including the Ostrogothic Kingdom, the Byzantine territories of the Exarchate of Ravenna, and the Lombard and Frankish realms. By the late 9th century the city was governing itself as a republic, traditionally dated to 889, and increasingly aligned itself with the Ghibelline side in its conflicts with papal authority. During the 13th century Forlì became one of the principal Ghibelline strongholds in Romagna. In 1282 the city resisted a French army sent by Pope Martin IV; the battle is remembered in Dante's Inferno. After the collapse of Hohenstaufen power, Guido da Montefeltro took refuge in Forlì and served as capitano del popolo. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Ordelaffi emerged as the dominant family in Forlì. Their rule was interrupted several times by papal intervention, but the family retained control over the city for much of the period from 1302 to the late 15th century.…

Geography

Forlì lies in the southeastern part of the Po Valley, in the historical region of Romagna, between the alluvial plain and the northern Apennine Mountains. The city centre is a few kilometres from the foothills of the Apennines and about from the Adriatic Sea. The municipal territory is crossed by several watercourses, notably the Montone, Rabbi and Ronco rivers. The city developed along the ancient Via Emilia, which remains a major east-west transport corridor through northern Italy. Forlì has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Köppen climate classification) with Mediterranean influences. Summers are generally hot and relatively dry, while winters are cool and humid, with fog occurring frequently. The proximity of the Adriatic Sea moderates temperature extremes to some extent.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  473
• Eurasian Kestrel

  Falco tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  376
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  343
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  299
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  296
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  296
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  253
• Cattle Egret

  Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  238

Most recent

• M 4.2 — 2026-03-26
  6 km NNW of Montale, Italy
• M 4.3 — 2026-01-13
  1 km NNW of Fornace Zarattini, Italy
• M 4.6 — 2026-01-13
  2 km N of Fornace Zarattini, Italy
• M 3.7 — 2024-02-17
  5 km SSE of Modigliana, Italy
• M 4.1 — 2023-10-28
  2 km SSW of Bagnolo di Po, Italy
• M 3.9 — 2023-10-25
  0 km S of Ficarolo, Italy