Imola may not be as popular as other cities in Italy, but don’t let that fool you. Imola is a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination.

Imola is a city and comune in the Metropolitan City of Bologna, located on the river Santerno, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The city is traditionally considered the western entrance to the historical region Romagna.

HIGLIGHTS

The city is most noted as the home of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari which formerly hosted the Formula One San Marino Grand Prix (the race was named after the nearby independent republic of San Marino, as Monza already hosted the Italian Grand Prix), and the deaths of Formula One drivers Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at the circuit during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix. The death of Senna (three-times world champion) was an event that shocked the sporting world and led to heightened Formula One safety standards.

Imola is familiar to many sport fans as the home of one of Italy’s most famous racetracks. The surrounding Apennine Mountains add drama to the town’s pleasant historic center, where a number of interesting attractions can be found within easy walking distance.

Set on the border between Emilia and Romagna, Imola has been inhabited as far back as the Bronze Age. After Roman rule, it became an independent commune in the 11th century and was finally annexed with the Papal States in 1504.

Today, the town is best known as the home of the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where important races such as the Formula One San Marino Grand Prix, the Formula 3000 World Championship and other important sporting events have taken place since the 1950s. Stop by to pay your respects at the memorial for legendary Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, who was killed in an accident on this track in 1994.

See the panoramic views from the top of Sforza Castle. Inside the castle, you’ll find an exceptional collection of old weapons and medieval ceramics.

Check out the artifacts housed in the Palazzo Tozzoni, a well-preserved historic mansion. Admire the stuccoes and sculptures that decorate the main staircase and browse the library’s collection of books, some of which date back to the 16th century.

Don’t miss the San Domenico Museum, which is set in a former convent that dates back to the 14th century. With more than 600 pieces, including ceramics, drawings, paintings, coins and sculptures, the museum traces the history of Imola from the medieval period to modern times. Keep an eye out for paintings by well-known artists, including Innocenzo da Imola and Guttuso.

One of the best times of year to visit Imola is during June, when streets artists perform in the town center for Imola in Musica. In November you can sample the city’s rich cuisine at Baccanale, an event that celebrates all forms of gastronomy. Imola is located 26 miles (42 kilometers) from Bologna.

Main sights

• Rocca Sforzesca (Sforza Castle), built under the reign of Girolamo Riario and Caterina Sforza. Now houses a Cinema d’Estate which shows films in July and August. It also is the location of the world-famous International Piano Academy “Incontri col Maestro”, founded in 1989 by Franco Scala.
• Palazzo Tozzoni (Tozzoni’s Mansion), built between 1726 and 1738 by the architect Domenico Trifogli, civic art museum since 1981.
• Duomo (cathedral), dedicated to San Cassiano. Erected from 1187 to 1271, it was repeatedly restored in the following centuries, until a large renovation was held in 1765–1781. The façade dates to 1850.
• Convento dell’Osservanza, including the church of San Michele from 1472, to which later a convent with two cloisters was added. It houses a sarcophagus of Lucrezia Landriani (1496), mother of Caterina Sforza. The interior has a nave and an aisles, finished in 1942; it houses a fresco attributed to Guidaccio da Imola (1472). In the apse is a Byzantine-style crucifix from the 15th century. The first cloister, dating to 1590, had originally 35 frescoes of stories of St. Francis, 15 of which went lost. In the garden annexed to the church is a precious Pietà in terracotta of late-15th century Bolognese or Faenza school.
• Santuario della Beata Vergine del Piratello and Cimitero del Piratello. On 27 March 1483 a pilgrim named Stefano Manganelli witnessed a miracle at Piratello in which a vision of the Madonna requested that the people of Imola build her a shrine,^[3] leading to the establishment of a monastery and the Santuario della Beata Vergine. The monastery was dissolved during the Napoleonic suppressions of the early 1800s The Cimitero del Piratello was authorized in 1817 and opened several years later, occupying the former convent cloisters adjacent to the Santuario (designated a Basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1954). The cemetery was further developed in 1916 with the addition of the Campo Monumentale.

Other buildings include the Farsetti and the Communal palaces. In the latter is a fresco representing Clement VII and Charles V (1535) passing through the city. The public library was established in 1747 by the Conventual Padre Setti. In the 16th century, the Accademia degli Industriosi flourished.

Green areas

• The Acque Minerali Park, located next to Santerno river, on the hills of the city. The park was created in the beginning of the 20th century; the discovery of the mineral water occurred in 1830
• The Tozzoni Park, located on a big hilly area on the side of the city; it became a public area in 1978. The Tozzoni family bought the park in 1882 and used it as a hunting reserve, naming it “Parco del Monte” (Italian: “Park of the Mountain”).