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Emilia-Romagna · Bologna

Imola

Bologna's Romagna twin, a medieval brick centro anchored by the Caterina Sforza-fortified Rocca, with the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (the Imola F1 circuit) wrapping the Santerno river at the southern edge of town.

Best time
Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
By car
40 min from Bologna
By train
Station in the comune
Population
69,121

Known for

  • AUTODROMO + F1 GRAND PRIX

    The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (April–May) is the year's biggest event. Senna memorial at the Tamburello corner.

  • CATERINA SFORZA'S FORTRESS

    The Tigress of Forlì rebuilt the Rocca in 1499 and held it against Cesare Borgia in 1500 — Renaissance siege history at full intensity.

  • CITTÀ DELL'OLIO

    Brisighella Nostrana DOP olive oil zone 30 km up the Lamone valley. Piadina romagnola dressed in it is Imola in one bite.

  • ROMAGNA-VIA-EMILIA TOWN

    Quietly handsome brick centro 35 km from Bologna; porticoes, medieval cathedral, the Palazzo Tozzoni museum.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

  • J9°
  • F13°
  • M15°
  • A18°
  • M23°
  • J29°
  • J32°
  • A32°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N14°
  • D9°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Imola is two cities sharing a name. The medieval one is a quietly handsome Romagna brick town 35 km southeast of Bologna along the Via Emilia, with the Rocca Sforzesca (rebuilt by Caterina Sforza in 1473–1499 — the Tigress of Forlì, who held this fortress through the Borgia siege of 1500) anchoring the centro. The Palazzo Tozzoni museum, the 11th-century Cattedrale di San Cassiano with its crypt of the city's patron, the Palazzo Sersanti on the central piazza, and the medieval grid of porticoed brick streets all read as a smaller-scale Bologna.

The OTHER Imola is the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari — the 4. 9-km F1 circuit on the south bank of the Santerno, built 1953 and named for Enzo Ferrari and his son Dino after Dino's death. It hosted the San Marino Grand Prix every May from 1981 to 2006 (and again 2020–present), and is the circuit where Ayrton Senna died in 1994 at the Tamburello corner — a memorial still stands there.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April–May is the city's biggest tourist event of the year. Outside race weekends the circuit is a public park; locals jog the track. The food is Romagna: piadina romagnola (the city is Città dell'Olio, and the local Brisighella Nostrana di Brisighella DOP olive oil is what dresses it), passatelli in brodo, cappelletti, Sangiovese di Romagna from the surrounding hills, and the local nocino walnut liqueur made by every grandmother in the foothills.

The Sunday letter

Imola 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 Imola comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.

Read on

Imola in our articles

How to get there

From Bologna (BLQ), about 38 minutes by car.

Rimini (RMI) is about 1h 17m away.

By car from the centre of Parma 1h 31m.

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? Imola is about 32 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Bologna airport.

Imola, photo 1
Imola, photo 2

What to see

  • Rocca Sforzesca

    Caterina Sforza's 1499 four-towered brick fortress at the centro's edge — the Tigress of Forlì held it against Cesare Borgia in 1500. Museum of arms and ceramics inside.

  • Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari

    The 4.9-km F1 circuit on the Santerno. Senna memorial at Tamburello. Open as a public park outside race weekends — locals jog the track.

  • Cattedrale di San Cassiano + crypt

    11th-c cathedral with the city patron's crypt; the Madonna del Piratello pilgrimage church just outside the walls is a major regional sanctuary.

  • Piadina + Sangiovese

    The Romagna piadina with squacquerone and prosciutto, Sangiovese di Romagna from the surrounding hills, and the local nocino walnut liqueur.

  • Brisighella oil road

    Imola is Città dell'Olio; the Brisighella DOP grove zone is 30 km up the Lamone valley, with the Vena del Gesso geological park alongside it.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Imola 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.

Plan your trip

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.

  • San DomenicoRistorante

    San Domenico carries two Michelin stars, two Gambero Rosso forks (87/100), plus a place in L'Espresso's Top 300, among other nods.

  • SempliceBistrot

    Semplice holds two Gambero Rosso tables.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

  • Baccanale Imolafood festival

    usually held across October and November. sagritaly.com

Living here

  • Population 69,121
  • A local hubi
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Bologna, 38 min drive
  • Regional capital Bologna, 40 min drive

Thermal baths in town: Bollitore del Casetto di Campo in Fondo.

Common questions

What is Imola known for?
Bologna's Romagna twin, a medieval brick centro anchored by the Caterina Sforza-fortified Rocca, with the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari (the Imola F1 circuit) wrapping the Santerno river at the southern edge of town.
Where is Imola?
Imola is a comune in the province of Bologna, in Emilia-Romagna, at 47 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Imola?
Bologna (BLQ), about 38 minutes by car.
Can you get to Imola without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Parma to Imola?
About 1h 31m by car.
When is the best time to visit Imola?
Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and December the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Imola?
Yes. Baccanale Imola. October is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Imola?
Faenza, Ferrara and Parma.
How many people live in Imola?
69,121 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 47 m
  • Population: 69,121
  • Surface area: 205.02 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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