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.
- Best time
- All year
- By car
- 59 min from Rimini
- Population
- 6,352
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.
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 averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: Nicola di Bari, 6 December and 8 October (in alternate years)
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.
The Medici governed it until 1923, when the provincial border finally moved and the arrangement ended. 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.
The Sunday 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 every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole in our articles
The best hot-spring towns within two hours of Rimini7 towns, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole among them.
The best wine towns within 75 minutes of Rimini7 towns, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole among them.
The best hot spring towns in Emilia-Romagna8 towns, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole among them.
The best hot-spring towns within 90 minutes of Bologna9 towns, Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole among them.
How to get there
From Bologna (BLQ), about 1h 14m by car.
Rimini (RMI) is about 1h 17m away.
By car from the centre of Florence 1h 43m.
Coming by train into Forlì? Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole is about 19 minutes away by road.
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.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
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.
Living here
- Population 6,352
- Commuter belti
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Bologna, 1 h 14 min drive
- Regional capital Bologna, 1 h 16 min drive
Thermal baths in town: Terme di Castrocaro - Spa Termale Magiche Acque, Terme di Castrocaro.
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?
- Bologna (BLQ), about 1h 14m by car.
- How long is the drive from Florence to Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- About 1h 43m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- Best All year. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 12 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: Nicola di Bari, 6 December and 8 October (in alternate years).
- 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?
- 6,352 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 68 m
- Population: 6,352
- 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.
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