Forlì
Encyclopedia
Forlì is a comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

and city in Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....

, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena
Province of Forlì-Cesena
The Province of Forlì-Cesena is a province in the Emilia–Romagna region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Forlì.It has an area of 2,377 km², and a total population of 371,318 . There are 30 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Forlì-Cesena...

. The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the right of the Montone river, and is an important agricultural centre. The city hosts many of Italy's culturally and artistically significant landmarks; It is also notable as the birthplace of painter Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. His fresco paintings are notable for the use of foreshortening. He was the most important member of the Forlì painting school.- Biography :...

, humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...

 historian Flavio Biondo
Flavio Biondo
Flavio Biondo was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to used a three-period division of history and is known as one of the first archaeologists.Born in the capital city of Forlì, in the Romagna region, Flavio was well schooled from an early age,...

, physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

s Geronimo Mercuriali
Geronimo Mercuriali
Girolamo Mercuriale was an Italian philologist and physician, most famous for his work De Arte Gymnastica.-Biography:...

 and Giovanni Battista Morgagni
Giovanni Battista Morgagni
Giovanni Battista Morgagni was an Italian anatomist, celebrated as the father of modern anatomical pathology.-Education:...

.The University Campus of Forlì ( part of the University of Bologna) specialises in the teaching of Economics, Engineering, Political Sciences as well as the Advanced school of Modern Languages for Interpreters and Translators (SSLMIT).

Ancient era

The surroundings of Forlì have been inhabited since the Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...

: a site, Ca' Belvedere of Monte Poggiolo
Monte Poggiolo
Monte Poggiolo is a hill near Forlì, Italy in the Emilia-Romagna area. At Monte Poggiolo is an ancient castle named Ca’ Belvedere ....

, has revealed thousands of chipped flints in strata dated 800,000 years before present, which indicates a flint-knapping industry producing sharp-edged tools in a pre-Acheulean
Acheulean
Acheulean is the name given to an archaeological industry of stone tool manufacture associated with early humans during the Lower Palaeolithic era across Africa and much of West Asia, South Asia and Europe. Acheulean tools are typically found with Homo erectus remains...

 phase of the Paleolithic.

The founding of Forlì occurred after the Romans' conquest of the remaining Gallic villages, at the time when the Via Aemilia
Via Aemilia
The Via Aemilia was a trunk Roman road in the north Italian plain, running from Ariminum , on the Adriatic coast, to Placentia on the river Padus . It was completed in 187 BC...

 was built. The time this occurred is still debated with no definite evidence, some historians arguing that the first settlement of the ancient Roman Forum was built approximately in 188 BC by consul Gaius Livius Salinator
Gaius Livius Salinator
Gaius Livius Salinator, son of Marcus, was a Roman consul of the gens Livia, said to have founded the city of Forum Livii , in Italy, during his consulship in the year 188 BC. He also served as admiral when he was praetor in 191 BC in the war against Antiochus III the Great and defeated his...

 (who confronted Hasdrubal Barca
Hasdrubal Barca
Hasdrubal was Hamilcar Barca's second son and a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was a younger brother of the much more famous Hannibal.-Youth and Iberian leadership:...

 and vanquished him at the banks of the Metaurus River in 207 BC), while others even argue it may have been founded later, in the time of Julius Caesar. In 88 BC, the city was destroyed during the civil wars of Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...

 and Sulla, but later rebuilt by the praetor Livius Clodius.

Middle Ages

After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....

, the city became part of the realms of Odoacer
Odoacer
Flavius Odoacer , also known as Flavius Odovacer, was the first King of Italy. His reign is commonly seen as marking the end of the Western Roman Empire. Though the real power in Italy was in his hands, he represented himself as the client of Julius Nepos and, after Nepos' death in 480, of the...

 and of the Ostrogoth
Ostrogoth
The Ostrogoths were a branch of the Goths , a Germanic tribe who developed a vast empire north of the Black Sea in the 3rd century AD and, in the late 5th century, under Theodoric the Great, established a Kingdom in Italy....

 kingdom. From the end of the 6th century to 751 however, Forlì became an outlying part of the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...

 power in Italy known as the Exarchate of Ravenna
Exarchate of Ravenna
The Exarchate of Ravenna or of Italy was a centre of Byzantine power in Italy, from the end of the 6th century to 751, when the last exarch was put to death by the Lombards.-Introduction:...

. During this time the Germanic Lombards
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...

 repeatedly contested and retook the city – in 665, 728, and 742. It was finally incorporated with the Papal States
Papal States
The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

 in 757, as part of the Donation of Pepin
Donation of Pepin
The "Donation of Pepin", the first in 754, and second in 756, provided a legal basis for the formal organizing of the Papal States, which inaugurated papal temporal rule over civil authorities...

.

By the 9th century the commune had wrested control from its bishops, and Forlì was established as an independent Italian city-state, alongside the other communes
Medieval commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense among the citizens of a town or city. They took many forms, and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread...

 that signalled the first revival of urban life in Italy; Forlì becoming a republic for the first time in 889. At this time the city was allied with the Ghibelline factions in the medieval struggles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines
Guelphs and Ghibellines
The Guelphs and Ghibellines were factions supporting the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor, respectively, in central and northern Italy. During the 12th and 13th centuries, the split between these two parties was a particularly important aspect of the internal policy of the Italian city-states...

, partly as a means of preserving its independence – and the city supported all the Holy Roman Emperors
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...

 in their campaigns in Italy.

Local competition was involved in the loyalties: in 1241, during Frederick II's
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...

 struggles with Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX
Pope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...

 the people of Forlì offered their support to Frederick II during the capture of the rival city, Faenza
Faenza
Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....

, and in gratitude, they were granted an augmentation of the communal coat-of-arms with the Hohenstaufen
Hohenstaufen
The House of Hohenstaufen was a dynasty of German kings in the High Middle Ages, lasting from 1138 to 1254. Three of these kings were also crowned Holy Roman Emperor. In 1194 the Hohenstaufens also became Kings of Sicily...

 eagle.

With the collapse of Hohenstaufen power in 1257, imperial lieutenant Guido I da Montefeltro was forced to take refuge in Forlì, the only remaining Ghibelline stronghold in Italy. He accepted the position of capitano del popolo ("Captain of the People") and gained for Forlì notable victories: against the Bolognesi
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...

 at the Ponte di San Proculo, on June 15, 1275; against a Guelph allied force, including Florentine
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 troops, at Civitella
Civitella di Romagna
Civitella di Romagna is a comune in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 70 km southeast of Bologna and about 30 km southwest of Forlì....

 on November 14, 1276; and at Forlì itself against a powerful French contingent sent by Pope Martin IV
Pope Martin IV
Pope Martin IV, born Simon de Brion held the papacy from February 21, 1281 until his death....

, on May 15, 1282, in a battle cited by Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...

 (who was hosted in the city in 1303 by Scarpetta Ordelaffi III). In 1282, Forlì's forces were led by Guido da Montefeltro. The astrologer
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

 Guido Bonatti
Guido Bonatti
Guido Bonatti was an Italian astronomer and astrologer from Forlì. He was the most celebrated astrologer in Europe in his century.-Biography:...

 (advisor of Emperor Frederick II, too) was one of his advisors.

The following year the exhausted city's Senate was forced to accede to papal power and asked Guido to take his leave. The commune soon submitted to a local condottiere rather than accept a representative of direct papal control, and Simone Mestaguerra
Simone Mestaguerra
Simone Mestaguerra was for a short time lord of Forlì, Italy, during the 13th century.In the chronicles of Forlì he is presented variously as a tyrant or a champion of freedom. Most likely, Mestaguerra profited from the internecine struggle between Guelphs and Ghibellines to carve out his absolute...

 had himself proclaimed Lord of Forlì. He did not succeed in leaving the new signory peacefully to an heir, however, and Forlì passed to Maghinardo Pagano, then to Uguccione della Faggiuola
Uguccione della Faggiuola
Uguccione della Faggiuola was an Italian condottiero, and chief magistrate of Pisa, Lucca and Forlì .-Biography:...

 (1297), and to others, until in 1302 the Ordelaffi came into power.

Local factions with papal support ousted the family in 1327–1329 and again in 1359–1375, and at other turns of events the bishops were expelled by the Ordelaffi. Until the Renaissance the Ordelaffi strived to maintain the possession of the city and its countryside, especially against Papal attempts to assert back their authority. Often civil wars between members of the family occurred. They also fought as condottieri
Condottieri
thumb|Depiction of [[Farinata degli Uberti]] by [[Andrea del Castagno]], showing a 15th century condottiero's typical attire.Condottieri were the mercenary soldier leaders of the professional, military free companies contracted by the Italian city-states and the Papacy, from the late Middle Ages...

 for other states to earn themselves money to protect or embellish Forlì.

Modern age

The most renowned of the Ordelaffi was Pino III
Pino III Ordelaffi
Pino III Ordelaffi was an Italian condottiero and lord of Forlì. He was a member of the Ordelaffi family.The son of Antonio I Ordelaffi, he was the brother of Francesco IV Ordelaffi, lord of Forlì from 1448...

, who held the Signiory of Forlì from 1466 to 1480. Pino was a ruthless lord; nevertheless he enriched the city with new walls and buildings and was a sponsor of the arts. When he died aged 40, under suspicion of poisoning, the situation of Forlì was weakened as factions of Ordelaffi fought one another, until Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV
Pope Sixtus IV , born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. His accomplishments as Pope included the establishment of the Sistine Chapel; the group of artists that he brought together introduced the Early Renaissance into Rome with the first masterpiece of the city's new artistic age,...

 claimed the signory for his nephew Gerolamo Riario. Riario was married to Caterina Sforza
Caterina Sforza
Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forlì was an Italian noblewoman, the illegitimate daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan and Lucrezia Landriani, the wife of the courtier Gian Piero Landriani, a close friend of the Duke...

, the indomitable Lady of Forlì whose name is associated with the city's last independent history. Forlì was seized in 1488 by Visconti
House of Visconti
Visconti is the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. There are two distinct Visconti families: The first one in the Republic of Pisa in the mid twelfth century who achieved prominence first in Pisa, then in Sardinia where they became rulers of Gallura...

 and in 1499 by Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...

, after whose death it became more directly subject to the pope than ever before (apart from a short-lived return of the Ordelaffi in 1503–1504).

In June 1796, during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, Jacobine French troops entered the city – with Napoleon arriving on February 4, 1797. The French General recruited local officials and soldiers, resulting in political turmoil between 1820 and 1830 – with risings in 1821 (including the revolutionary movement of the Carbonari), 1831 and 1848.

In the 19th century, Forlì was part of the Italian unification
Italian unification
Italian unification was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century...

 (or "the Risorgimento"); a political and social movement that agglomerated the different states of the Italian peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...

 into the single state of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

. The citizens of Forlì were particularly inspired by military figure Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...

, who at this time was a commander. However, the city and its farmers had difficulty adapting to agrarian reform under the unification – lending rise to republican and socialist parties.

Forlì participated considerably during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, resulting in it being awarded the "Fulcieri Paolucci De' Calboli" gold medal. Afterwards in the 1920s, Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

 became actively involved in the local politics, before becoming a powerful dictator of Italy – a situation that remained for twenty years before the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The war itself left the city with destroyed monuments and artistic losses – such as the Church of San Biagio, which included frescos by Melozzo degli Ambrogi. After the war however, the city experienced a quick economic recovery, entering a new stage of democratic life.

Economy

Forlì is a prosperous agricultural and industrial centre, with manufacture primarily focused on silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...

, rayon
Rayon
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...

, clothing, machinery, metals, and household appliances.

Transport

Forlì railway station
Forlì railway station
Forlì railway station serves the city and comune of Forlì, in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Opened in 1926, it forms part of the Bologna–Ancona railway....

 forms part of the Bologna–Ancona railway. Opened in 1926, it replaced Forlì's original station, which had been opened in 1861. The passenger building
Station building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger train station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers.A station building is not to be confused with the station itself...

 of the original station still stands, about 100 metres (or yards) west of the present station.

Main sights

Forlì is the location of various buildings of architectural, artistic and historical significance, that include frescoes as part of their decorations. At the heart of the city sits the Piazza Aurelio Saffi
Piazza Saffi
Piazza Aurelio Saffi is located at the heart of Forlì, Italy and offers some of the most interesting town sights. It has a trapezoidal shape and is about long and wide....

, which includes a statue of Italian politician Aurelio Saffi
Aurelio Saffi
Aurelio Saffi was an Italian politician, active during the period of Italian unification...

 – who was an important figure in the radical republican current within the Risorgimento movement, headed by Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini
Giuseppe Mazzini , nicknamed Soul of Italy, was an Italian politician, journalist and activist for the unification of Italy. His efforts helped bring about the independent and unified Italy in place of the several separate states, many dominated by foreign powers, that existed until the 19th century...

 in the 19th century. The Piazza Saffi also includes the Abbey of San Mercuriale (named after Saint Mercurialis
Saint Mercurialis
Mercurialis was the Christian bishop of Forlì, in Romagna. The historical figure known as Mercurialis attended the Council of Rimini in 359 and died around 406. He was a zealous opponent of paganism and Arianism....

, a bishop of the city who died in the 5th century), which is the main religious building in the city; and contains Barbara Manfredi's famous work of art – the Sepulchre. Also of note is the Dominican Church of San Giacomo Apostolo
The Dominican Church of San Giacomo Apostolo
The Dominican Church of San Giacomo Apostolo is a late medieval church in Forlì, Italy.Built during the 13th century in the southern part of the town, it hosted friars of the Dominican Order, hence it was better known as Church of San Domenico....

; better known as the Church of San Domenico – a late medieval church built in the 13th century in the southern part of the town.

Other medieval buildings include the Rocca di Ravaldino, a fortress enlarged in the 14th century by the Ordelaffi and Gil de Albornoz, and later in the 15th century.

The city hosts the Palazzo Hercolani
Palazzo Hercolani
Palazzo Hercolani is a palace in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.Until 1844 it belonged to the ancient Hercolani Family of Forlì. The last Hercolani heir living in the palace was Fabrizio Gaddi Hercolani, son of Cesarina Hercolani and Lepido Gaddi Hercolani...

, with decorations dating from the 19th century; containing the artwork La Beata Vergine del Fuoco con i Santi Mercuriale, Pellegrino, Marcolino e Valeriano by Italian painter Pompeo Randi. The Palazzo del Podestà
Palazzo del Podestà
The Palazzo del Podestà is a civic building in Bologna, northern Italy.The edifice was built around 1200 as the seat of the local podestà, the various functionaries of the commune. It stands on the Piazza Maggiore, near the Palazzo Communale and facing the Basilica of St. Petronio...

 is a civic building which was frescoed by Adolfo de Carolis in the 20th century.

Forlì has parks located in green areas, including the Parco della Resistenza
Parco della Resistenza in Forlì
The Parco della Resistenza is a city park in Forlì, Italy.It was engineerd by L. Mirri in 1816 on a typical illuministic framework and renovated twice during the following century...

 ("Resistance Park") city park, and the Parco di Via Dragoni
Parco Dragoni in Forlì
Parco Dragoni is a green area in the frazione Ronco of Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy.The park is equipped with a small arena for outdoor performances, bicycle and keep-fit paths, a roller rink, a skatepark with several ramps, a children playing area, volley and basket courts and a soccer...

 – which provides performance facilities alongside standard amenities. The Teatro Diego Fabbri
Teatro Diego Fabbri in Forlì
The Teatro Diego Fabbri is a theatre in Forlì, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It was opened in September 2000 and is managed by the municipality of Forlì....

 is a theatre opened in September 2000.

Demographics

The inhabitants of Forlì are known as Forlivese (or Forlivian, in English) – , the city's population was at 109,541. Denizens may make use of the Forlivese
Forlivese
Forlivese is the central variety of Romagnol language spoken in the city of Forlì and in its province.In Italian-speaking contexts, Forlivese is often generically called a "dialect"...

 language, alongside standard Italian and Emiliano-Romagnolo.

Notable people

The most well-known painter of the comune
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

was Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì
Melozzo da Forlì was an Italian Renaissance painter and architect. His fresco paintings are notable for the use of foreshortening. He was the most important member of the Forlì painting school.- Biography :...

, who worked in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 and other Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 cities during the brief years of the High Renaissance
High Renaissance
The expression High Renaissance, in art history, is a periodizing convention used to denote the apogee of the visual arts in the Italian Renaissance...

. Other Forlivese painters were: Ansuino da Forlì
Ansuino da Forlì
Ansuino da Forlì was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento period. Born and active in Forlì and Padua in the mid-15th century, he was a member of a Forlì painting school and influed the great Melozzo da Forlì....

, Marco Palmezzano
Marco Palmezzano
Marco Palmezzano was an Italian painter and architect, belonging to the Forlì painting school, who painted in a style recalling earlier Northern Renaissance models, and was mostly active near Forlì.-Biography:...

, Francesco Menzocchi
Francesco Menzocchi
Francesco Menzocchi was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance and Mannerist period, belonging to the Forlì painting school and active mainly in Forlì and Pesaro....

, Livio Agresti
Livio Agresti
Livio Agresti , also called Ritius or Ricciutello, was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance or Mannerist period, active both in his native city of Forlì and in Rome, where he died. He was one of the members of the "Forlì painting school"...

. Together, they formed the Forlì painting school
Forlì painting school
The Forlivese school of art was a group of Italian Renaissance painters and artists, a lot of them born in Forlì or near Forlì, between the 14th and the 18th centuries...

. Carlo Cignani
Carlo Cignani
Carlo Cignani was an Italian painter of the Bolognese and of the Forlivese school, active in the Baroque period....

 was not born in Forlì (but near Forlì), but painted important works there.

Other notable Forlivese people are:
  • Alessandro Cortini
    Alessandro Cortini
    Alessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for touring and recording with the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 2004 to 2008. Currently, Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles based electronic-alternative band SONOIO. In addition, he was a touring member of The...

    , one-half of modwheelmood
    Modwheelmood
    Modwheelmood is an Electronic-Alternative band from Los Angeles, California formed by Alessandro Cortini and former Abandoned Pools guitarist Pelle Hillström in 1998.-History:Modwheelmood formed in 1998, initially as a project entitled...

     and keyboard player in Nine Inch Nails
    Nine Inch Nails
    Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...

  • Ercole Baldini
    Ercole Baldini
    Ercole Baldini is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his win in the 1958 Giro d'Italia.-Biography:Baldini was born at Villanova di Forlì ....

  • Ilario Bandini
    Ilario Bandini
    Ilario Bandini was an Italian businessman, racing driver, and racing car builder.-Early years:Bandini was born in Villa Rovere, today part of the administrative region of Forlì in Romagna. Upon leaving elementary school, he apprenticed as a mechanic and turner in nearby Forli...

    , constructor of performance sports and race cars
  • Flavio Biondo
    Flavio Biondo
    Flavio Biondo was an Italian Renaissance humanist historian. He was one of the first historians to used a three-period division of history and is known as one of the first archaeologists.Born in the capital city of Forlì, in the Romagna region, Flavio was well schooled from an early age,...

  • Cesare Hercolani
    Cesare Hercolani
    Cesare Hercolani was an Italian condottiere, or mercenary leader.He was born in Forlì in 1499. The Hercolanis were a noble family, and Cesare became a venture captain under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor....

  • Giovanni Battista Cirri
    Giovanni Battista Cirri
    Giovanni Battista Cirri was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century.-Biography:Cirri was born in Forlì . He had his first musical training with his brother Ignazio and was for a time organist at Forlì Cathedral...

  • Alexander De Franciscis, Bishop of Forlì (1594–1597).
  • Geronimo Mercuriali
    Geronimo Mercuriali
    Girolamo Mercuriale was an Italian philologist and physician, most famous for his work De Arte Gymnastica.-Biography:...

  • Giovanni Battista Morgagni
    Giovanni Battista Morgagni
    Giovanni Battista Morgagni was an Italian anatomist, celebrated as the father of modern anatomical pathology.-Education:...

  • Aurelio Saffi
    Aurelio Saffi
    Aurelio Saffi was an Italian politician, active during the period of Italian unification...

  • Giulietta Simionato
    Giulietta Simionato
    Giulietta Simionato was an Italian mezzo-soprano. Her career spanned from the 1930s until her retirement in 1966.-Life:Born at Forlì, Romagna, she studied in Rovigo and Padua, and made her operatic debut at Montagnana in 1928...

    , operatic mezzo-soprano, 1910–2010


In the period from between 1265 and 1 May 1315, Peregrino Laziosi lived in Forlì.

Villafranca di Forlì

Villafranca di Forlì is a hamlet depending from the municipality of Forlì, located on the north side of the main town, and spans over a territory sided on the west side by the river Montone. The hamlet was the birthplace of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....

's mother, Rosa.

An aerodrome, with a runway approximately 800 meters long and 29 meters wide, is situated close to the hamlet; it is used as a landing field for ULM and R/C model aircraft. It is the seat of the Flight School Ali Soccorso belonging to the Civil Defense
Civil defense
Civil defense, civil defence or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state from military attack. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, or emergency evacuation, and recovery...

.

This recreational aerodrome is complementary to Forlì's main airport, south of the city.

Other Frazione

  • Bagnolo
  • Barisano
  • Borgo Sisa
  • Branzolino
  • Carpena
  • Carpinello
  • Casemurate
  • Caserma
  • Castiglione
  • Ca'Ossi
  • Cava
  • Collina
  • Coriano
  • Durazzanino
  • Forniolo
  • Grisignano
  • Ladino
  • Magliano
  • Malmissole
  • Massa
  • Ospedaletto
  • Para
  • Pescaccia
  • Petrignone
  • Pianta
  • Pieve Acquedotto
  • Pievequinta
  • Poggio
  • Ponte Vico
  • Quattro
  • Ravaldino in Monte
  • Romiti
  • Roncadello
  • Ronco
  • Rotta
  • Rovere
  • San Giorgio
  • San Leonardo in Schiova
  • San Lorenzo in Noceto
  • San Martino in Strada
  • San Martino in Villafranca
  • San Tomé
  • San Varano
  • Vecchiazzano
  • Villa Rovere
  • Villa Selva
  • Villagrappa, Villanova.

  • Twin towns

    Forlì is twinned
    Town twinning
    Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

     with: Aveiro, Portugal
    Portugal
    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

     Bourges
    Bourges
    Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...

    , France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

     Peterborough
    Peterborough
    Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

     Szolnok
    Szolnok
    Szolnok is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. Its location on the banks of the Tisza river, at the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, has made it an important cultural and economic crossroads for centuries....

    , Hungary
    Hungary
    Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...


    External links

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