Imola

Imola stands on the Santerno River at the western entrance to Romagna. Founded in Roman times as Forum Cornelii, it became an agricultural and trading centre known for its pottery. The name Imola was first applied by the Lombards to a fortress and later passed to the city itself.

In the fourteenth century the Alidosi ruled Imola as papal vicars, until a commander in the service of Milan took the city in 1424. Its rulers changed repeatedly thereafter, and the strongholds built during these struggles remained landmarks of the city. Imola passed to Girolamo Riario and Caterina Sforza, whose court adorned the city with palaces and works of art. In 1499 it surrendered to Cesare Borgia; following his fall, the city submitted to Pope Julius II in 1504.