Emilia-Romagna · Ravenna
Bagnara di Romagna
A 22-meter plain commune in the Bassa Romagna, the only fully preserved medieval castrum surviving in the Romagna lowlands.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Bagnara di Romagna is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- By car
- 47 min from Bologna
- Population
- 2,361
- J9°
- F13°
- M15°
- A18°
- M23°
- J29°
- J33°
- A32°
- S27°
- O21°
- N14°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Bagnara di Romagna sits on the plain between Imola and Faenza, forty kilometers southeast of Bologna in the Bassa Romagna. The borgo is the only castrum surviving intact in the Romagna lowlands, with its full circuit of medieval walls, moats, civic gate, raised pathways and the Rocca Sforzesca at the center. Barnabò Visconti raised the first stone castle here in 1354; the Riario-Sforza lords of Imola rebuilt it in the late fifteenth century on the older foundations, giving the fortress its current Renaissance form.
Caterina Sforza, who ruled Imola and Forlì for the Riario, used the rocca as a residence. The municipality joined Borghi più belli d'Italia on the strength of the intact castrum layout, the only one of its kind on the Romagna plain. Beyond the walls, the commune is given over to fruit orchards and Sangiovese vineyards under the Romagna DOC.
How to get there
From Bologna (BLQ), about 45 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1 h 24 min away.
By car from the center of Parma 1 h 39 min.
Coming by train into Ravenna? Bagnara di Romagna is about 35 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bologna airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Rocca Sforzesca
Late-fifteenth-century Riario-Sforza fortress built on the foundations of a 1354 Visconti castle, with a central keep and four corner towers in Renaissance form.
Castrum medievale
Intact medieval walled nucleus with circuit walls, moats, civic gate and raised pathways, the only fully preserved castrum on the Romagna plain.
Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Parish church inside the walls, rebuilt in the eighteenth century on the site of the earlier pieve, with a fifteenth-century terracotta relief.
Museo del Castello
Civic museum inside the Rocca, displaying weapons, ceramics, and finds from the fortress and the surrounding territory across the medieval and Renaissance centuries.
Living here
Could you live here?
Bagnara di Romagna is a village with a town close by.
- A village of 2,361, with Cotignola (7,348 people) 13 min away for the shopping and a meal out. Our rule is a town within 15 minutes.
- Imola, a city of 69,403, is 17 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 2,361, down 2.8% since 2015
- Nearest city Imola, 17 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Imola, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,100 to €1,550 per m² to buy, €4.60 to €6.50 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 79% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Forlì airport (FRL), 40 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bologna, 47 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
11% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Romania and Ukraine, against 9% across Italy. There are 175 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 10% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Ravenna province ranks 19th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Imola, 10 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Forlì, 25 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bologna, 42 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Bologna, 41 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.06% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.8% to your income tax. 7% pensioner tax: this town is not in a qualifying area.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Emilia-Romagna spends about €2,500 a month, €560 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €604 a year for water, on the Emilia-Romagna average. In Ravenna, the provincial capital, in September 2026, an espresso cost €1.44 and a meal in a pizzeria €13.05.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. 1% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 100% in a high or medium one. They show no residents in a high landslide zone.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
ROCCA SFORZESCA
Late-fifteenth-century Riario-Sforza fortress on Visconti foundations from 1354, with four corner towers and a central keep.
INTACT CASTRUM
The only fully preserved medieval castrum on the Romagna plain, with circuit walls, moats, gate and raised pathways still in place.
CATERINA SFORZA
Used the Rocca as a residence during her years ruling Imola and Forlì for the Riario, between 1480 and her 1500 capture by Cesare Borgia.
Common questions
- What is Bagnara di Romagna known for?
- Bagnara di Romagna is a 22-meter plain commune in the Bassa Romagna, the only fully preserved medieval castrum surviving in the Romagna lowlands.
- Where is Bagnara di Romagna?
- Bagnara di Romagna is a comune in the province of Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna, at 22 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Bagnara di Romagna?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Forlì (FRL), about 40 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Parma to Bagnara di Romagna?
- About 1 h 39 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Bagnara di Romagna?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 13 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Bagnara di Romagna?
- Solferino, Cassinetta di Lugagnano and Morimondo.
- How many people live in Bagnara di Romagna?
- 2,361 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Bagnara di Romagna a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Bagnara di Romagna is a village with a town of 5,000 people within 15 minutes (Cotignola, 13 min). The nearest city, Imola, is 17 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Imola, 10 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 79% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 22 m
- Population: 2,361
- Surface area: 9.96 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
The ranked lists
Lists Bagnara di Romagna appears in
Similar
Towns like Bagnara di Romagna
What all six share with Bagnara di Romagna: in the Po valley · near sea level
Solferino
Province: Mantova
both under 3,000 people
Cassinetta di Lugagnano
Province: Milano
both under 3,000 people
Morimondo
Province: Milano
both under 3,000 people
Pomponesco
Province: Mantova
both under 3,000 people
Busseto
Province: Parma
1 h 57 min apart by road
Fontanellato
Province: Parma
1 h 54 min apart by road
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