Emilia-Romagna · Forlì-Cesena
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole
A pairing of two towns: a ninth-century fortress on a hill and Cosimo I de' Medici's planned Renaissance garrison town on the plain below, founded 1564.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is on our list
It holds Bandiera Arancione.
Subscribe and you get Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- All year
- By car
- 59 min from Rimini
- Population
- 6,505
When to visit
Best · All year
- J9°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M22°
- J28°
- 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
The commune sits on the Montone river, ten kilometers southwest of Forlì in the Apennine foothills, and is the union of two distinct towns rather than one that simply grew. Castrocaro occupies the hill, its castle controlling the valley from above. The fortress town on the plain below it was built in one campaign to project the authority of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany into Romagna, rather than accumulated over centuries like its neighbor.
It stayed in Tuscany until 1923, when the provincial border finally moved and it passed to the province of Forlì. The two halves of the commune read like two different centuries standing next to each other: one shaped by defense over generations, the other stamped out whole by a single ducal decision in 1564. What the pairing adds up to is a rare chance to see, in the space of one small commune, both how a medieval hill fortress evolved and what a Renaissance planner intended a fortress town to look like when built from nothing, a place called Terra del Sole.
How to get there
From Bologna (BLQ), about 1 h 14 min by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1 h 17 min away.
By car from the center of Florence 1 h 43 min.
Coming by train into Forlì? Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is about 19 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Bologna airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Rocca di Castrocaro
One of the oldest castles in Italy, standing on the hill above the centro with three concentric defensive rings, built to command the valley below.
Terra del Sole
Two squares, four gates, and bastioned walls still standing, laid out with the geometric symmetry of a town designed on paper rather than grown over time.
Palazzo dei Commissari e del Pretorio
On the central square, the residence of the Medici governors of Romagna Fiorentina until 1772, its facade facing the town's planned axis.
Terme di Castrocaro
A thermal complex whose waters still draw visitors, its buildings dating from the late nineteenth century when the springs first came into use.
Concorso di Castrocaro
The stage that gave early exposure to Andrea Bocelli, Eros Ramazzotti, and Zucchero, still filling the town each summer.
From the guides
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
EssentiaRistorante
Two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100), at Essentia.
Before you sit down: how to order at a restaurant, how to spot a tourist trap, what aperitivo is and how the Italian bar works.
Living here
Could you live here?
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole meets our one rule for a small town.
- 6,505 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Forlì, a city of 117,535, is 18 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 6,505, up 1% since 2015
- Nearest city Forlì, 18 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Forlì, 10 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €1,200 to €1,550 per m² to buy, €4.30 to €5.20 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 94% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Forlì airport (FRL), 20 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 16 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
12% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Nigeria and Morocco, against 9% across Italy. 10 of them come from English-speaking countries or western and northern Europe. There are 242 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 20% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Forlì-Cesena province ranks 11th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Forlì, 10 km as the crow flies, and it is a major one. The nearest IB school is International School of Rimini, 51 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 1.04% a year in property tax, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds 0.3% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €10,000. 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 Forlì, the provincial capital, in September 2026, a meal in a pizzeria €12.18 and a man's haircut €22.59.
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. 3% of residents live in a zone the national maps rate high for floods, 8% in a high or medium one. 3% 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.
Thermal baths in town: Terme di Castrocaro - Spa Termale Magiche Acque, Terme di Castrocaro.
Known for
TERRA DEL SOLE
Founded by Cosimo I de' Medici on 8 December 1564, an intact pentagonal plan with walls and a Medici governor's palace.
TERME
Iodine and bromine thermal waters found in 1830 by Antonio Targioni Tozzetti, with a complex active since the late nineteenth century.
CONCORSO DI CASTROCARO
Singing contest running each summer since 1957, the launching point for most of Italian post-war pop music.
PROTECTED PRODUCTS
The commune lies inside the Romagna Albana DOCG and Pesca e Nettarina di Romagna IGP production zones.
Common questions
- What is Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole known for?
- Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is a pairing of two towns: a ninth-century fortress on a hill and Cosimo I de' Medici's planned Renaissance garrison town on the plain below, founded 1564.
- Where is Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is a comune in the province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna, at 68 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Forlì (FRL), about 20 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Florence to Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- About 1 h 43 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- Any month of the year works. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- Battaglia Terme, Sardara and Casamicciola Terme.
- How many people live in Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- 6,505 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is a small town that meets our one rule. The nearest city, Forlì, is 18 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Forlì, 10 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 94% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
The numbers
- Elevation: 68 m
- Population: 6,505
- Surface area: 38.95 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 Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole appears in
- The best hot-spring towns within two hours of RiminiNear Riminihot springswithin 2 hours7 towns · smallest 1,648 residents · closest 34 min away
- The best hot spring towns in Emilia-RomagnaEmilia-Romagnahot springs8 towns · smallest 3,322 residents
- The best wine towns within 75 minutes of RiminiNear Riminiwithin 75 minwine zone8 towns · smallest 6,505 residents · closest 30 min away
- The best hot-spring towns within 90 minutes of BolognaNear Bolognahot springswithin 90 min9 towns · smallest 1,779 residents · closest 39 min away
- The best towns known for what they grow within an hour of RiminiNear Riminiwithin 60 minproduce zone9 towns · smallest 6,505 residents · closest 17 min away
- The best towns known for what they grow within two hours of FlorenceNear Florencewithin 2 hoursproduce zone10 towns · smallest 4,592 residents · closest 98 min away
Similar
Towns like Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole
What all six share with Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole: spa towns
Battaglia Terme
Province: Padova
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both near sea level
Sardara
Province: Medio Campidano
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both near sea level
Casamicciola Terme
Province: Napoli
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people · both near sea level
Rapolano Terme
Province: Siena
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
Castel San Pietro Terme
Province: Bologna
both near sea level
Levico Terme
Province: Trento
both between 3,000 and 10,000 people
The letter
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter: the photo, what is worth eating, and when to turn up. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Turin.
The nearest town we have written up is Arezzo, 79 km away. Read its letter →
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.