Emilia-Romagna · Ravenna
Brisighella
A Lamone-valley borgo under three selenite hills crowned by a fortress, a clock tower, and a sanctuary.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Brisighella is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia, Bandiera Arancione and Cittaslow.
Subscribe and you get Brisighella's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Oct
- By car
- 1 h 2 min from Bologna
- By train
- Station in the comune
- Population
- 7,181
- J9°
- F13°
- M15°
- A18°
- M22°
- J29°
- J32°
- A31°
- S26°
- O21°
- N14°
- D10°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Brisighella sits in the Lamone valley, forty-five kilometers southeast of Bologna, on the Apennine slope where Romagna meets the gypsum vein the UNESCO list added in 2023. Three selenite hills rise above the rooftops, each carrying a building: the Rocca Manfrediana, built in 1310 by Francesco Manfredi and reinforced by the Venetians after 1503; the Torre dell'Orologio, rebuilt in 1850 with a six-hour dial instead of twelve; and the Santuario del Monticino above the town. The Via degli Asini runs through the centro storico as a covered elevated street, originally a fourteenth-century patrol walkway, later excavated into stables for the donkeys that hauled gypsum down from the quarries.
The Nostrana di Brisighella olive, grown on the same hills, makes the Brisighello DOP oil that has carried European protection since 1996. The town holds four designations at once: Borghi più belli, Bandiera Arancione, Cittaslow and Città dell'Olio.
How to get there
From Bologna (BLQ), about 1 h by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1 h 24 min away.
By car from the center of Florence 1 h 42 min.
There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.
Coming from Bologna, Florence or Verona?
Coming by train into Forlì? Brisighella 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 Manfrediana
Hilltop fortress begun in 1310 by Francesco Manfredi of Faenza, reinforced by Astorgio II in the 1460s and held by Venice after 1503.
Torre dell'Orologio
Clock tower rebuilt in 1850 on an earlier defensive structure, with a dial that marks six hours rather than the usual twelve.
Santuario del Monticino
Eighteenth-century sanctuary on the third selenite hill, overlooking the town and the Lamone valley below.
Via degli Asini
Covered elevated street through the centro storico, built in the fourteenth century as a patrol walkway and later cut into donkey stables.
Vena del Gesso Romagnola
Gypsum ridge running along the eastern Apennines, holding over 900 karst caves and inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2023.
Living here
Could you live here?
Brisighella meets both of our rules for a small town.
- 7,181 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Faenza, a city of 58,732, is 20 min by car. Closer than our 30 to 60 minutes: handy for everything, so check the town still keeps a life of its own.
- A station of its own. Trains are the overlooked way to get around Italy: no parking, straight into the center.
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 7,181, down 6.3% since 2015
- Nearest city Faenza, 20 min drive
- Train station in the comune
- Nearest national health service hospital Faenza, 14 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,100 to €1,500 per m² to buy, €4.10 to €5.60 per m² a month to rent
Weighing a move here? See the moving year.
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Commuter belt
- Pharmacy in town
- Nearest high school over ~30 minutes away
- Full fibre reaches 78% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Forlì airport (FRL), 39 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 2 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
10% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Albania, Morocco and Romania, against 9% across Italy. 24 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe, mostly Germany and France. There are 298 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 31% 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 Faenza, 14 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Forlì, 22 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Bologna, 47 km away. The nearest IB school is International School of Bologna, 46 km as the crow flies. The nearest school listed as international is Bilingual International School Borgo San Lorenzo, 43 km away.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.9% 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, with nothing due on income under €6,000. 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. 5% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 8% in a high or medium one. 16% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
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
BRISIGHELLO DOP
Extra virgin olive oil from the Nostrana di Brisighella variety, granted Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Union in 1996.
THREE HILLS
Three selenite outcrops carrying the Rocca Manfrediana, the Torre dell'Orologio and the Monticino sanctuary above the town.
VIA DEGLI ASINI
Fourteenth-century covered street running through the centro storico, named for the donkeys that once carried gypsum from the quarries.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune also lies inside the Romagna Albana DOCG and Pesca e Nettarina di Romagna IGP production zones.
Common questions
- What is Brisighella known for?
- Brisighella is a Lamone-valley borgo at 115 meters under three selenite hills crowned by a fortress, a clock tower, and a sanctuary.
- Where is Brisighella?
- Brisighella is a comune in the province of Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna.
- What is the nearest airport to Brisighella?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Forlì (FRL), about 39 min by car.
- Can you get to Brisighella without a car?
- Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
- How long is the drive from Florence to Brisighella?
- About 1 h 42 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Brisighella?
- Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Brisighella?
- Corigliano d'Otranto, Dozza and Alife.
- How many people live in Brisighella?
- 7,181 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Brisighella a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Brisighella is a small town that meets both of our rules. The nearest city, Faenza, is 20 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Faenza, 14 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 78% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
The numbers
- Elevation: 115 m
- Population: 7,181
- Surface area: 194.33 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 Brisighella appears in
- The 6 best towns inside a nature park that you can reach by train in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnainside a parkby train6 towns · smallest 7,181 residents
- The best hidden towns you can reach by train in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnaby trainhidden7 towns · smallest 3,770 residents
- The best hill towns within 75 minutes of BolognaNear Bolognahill townwithin 75 min8 towns · smallest 1,779 residents · closest 26 min away
- The best wine towns within 75 minutes of RiminiNear Riminiwithin 75 minwine zone8 towns · smallest 6,505 residents · closest 30 min away
- The best hidden towns inside a nature park in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnainside a parkhidden10 towns · smallest 1,191 residents
- The best olive oil towns within two hours of ParmaNear Parmawithin 2 hoursolive oil zone10 towns · smallest 2,309 residents · closest 80 min away
Similar
Towns like Brisighella
What all six share with Brisighella: inland, away from the coast · near sea level
Corigliano d'Otranto
Province: Lecce
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both have a railway station in the comune
Dozza
Province: Bologna
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Alife
Province: Caserta
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both have a railway station in the comune
Longiano
Province: Forlì-Cesena
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Vairano Patenora
Province: Caserta
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both have a railway station in the comune
Sasso Marconi
Province: Bologna
both have a railway station in the comune
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.