Discovering the Imola area by camper

Located in the town centre, Imola’s Rocca Sforzesca (Sforza Fortress) is a splendid example of Middle Ages-Renaissance fortification. 

The cannons and bombards once used to defend the fortress can still be seen in the vaults. Explanatory info panels help adults and children alike learn about the various rooms and retrace the life and times of Caterina Sforza, Lady of Imola, who opposed the conquering fury of Cesare Borgia.
A climb up the narrow stairs takes you to the keep, the heart of the fortress and the perfect place from which to spot approaching enemies. Today, the keep provides an excellent view over the town and the surrounding countryside.

With the VisitARe Imola app and the help of some augmented reality, you can even visit the fortress in the company of an exceptionally qualified guide: Leonardo Da Vinci himself, who will reveal all the secrets behind the town’s iconic monument. For a day dedicated to the younger ones, the Civic Museums of Imola organise a range of workshops and activities for children, called Giocamuseo.

Moving on from the Rocca, you enter the historic heart of the town. Our second stop is Palazzo Tozzoni.

This Palazzo preserves the furnishings and memories of the family that lived there for over five centuries in the embrace of an official residence consisting of public rooms, private apartments and areas for domestic use. 

The house-cum-museum discloses the everyday habits of a noble provincial family, divided between their public and private lives: the staircase, the hall of honour, the baroque apartment and the Empire-style apartment all testify to the family’s public role, while the veranda apartment, dining hall, living rooms, old kitchens and library reveal their more personal side.

Visitors are welcomed to the palazzo via the internal courtyard. The centrepiece of the well and the ivy-covered walls offer a timeless atmosphere. Guided tours, conferences, exhibitions and educational workshops for both children and adults are now the order of the day at Palazzo Tozzoni... and unmissable events for citizens and visitors alike.

As you leave Imola along the Via Montanara, you head up the Santerno valley towards Borgo Tossignano. 

This municipality actually consists of two settlements: Borgo, down in the valley, and Tossignano up on the hill. The latter is built around the ruins of the fortress, destroyed by bombing in the Second World War. Today, only the moat and the remains of the drawbridge remain visible. 

Tossignano, instead, is the gateway to the Vena del Gesso Romagnola Regional Park, now a UNESCO heritage site, which has more than 200 caves - many of which can be visited - and a wealth of fauna and flora. Another must-see is the Vena Del Gesso Romagnola Geological Museum: its exhibits provide a detailed explanation of the geology of the Vena del Gesso Romagnola, a unique 25-kilometre ridge of white gypsum. 

You can park your camper along the banks of the River Santerno (lungofiume): follow directions from the town centre.

Continuing the drive up the valley takes you to the mountain town of Castel del Rio. 

Surrounded by centuries-old woods and chestnut groves, it offers a wealth of hiking and MTB trails. 

In the heart of the town, the Renaissance Palazzo degli Alidosi hosts the Second World War Museum: its more than 2,300 artefacts testify to the passage of the front through the Santerno Valley in the autumn/winter of 1944-45, close to the Gothic Line (the imposing defensive line that stretched over the Apennines from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic, which the Germans hoped would halt the Allied advance through Northern Italy).

When visiting Castel del Rio, the one-of-a-kind Ponte degli Alidosi (Alidosi Bridge) is a must-see. 

This single-span stone ‘humpback’ bridge also incorporates five rooms, presumably used by the guards who collected the toll fees. 

To visit the bridge you can leave the camper in the small parking area on the edge of town (as you drive in from Imola).