Nice place 102 – Rocca Sforzesca (Imola)
The Rocca of Imola, also known as Rocca Sforzesca, was built in the 13th century and it’s one of the best preserved examples of fortifications built between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Its structure is composed of four perimeter towers and the central tower.
However, few traces of the original work remain due to the fortification to protect it from firearms between 1472 and 1484, at the behest of the Milanese court of the Sforza family. However, when Imola subsequently came under the papacy, the fortress abandoned its military function, since it was no longer necessary.
Today it is still possible to admire the portal with its pointed arch and the central tower with its dungeons, the characteristic rooms on the ground floor and the terrace from which the view sweeps over the whole city and the nearby hills.
Converted to prison use from the sixteenth to much of the twentieth century, the fortress was reopened to the public only in 1973 and is still open to visitors. Inside you can see a collection of ceramics and weapons of great importance.
Photo: Vanni Lazzari – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, bit.ly/2UvGJr0
Appassionato fin da piccolo di computer e tecnologia, sono programmatore per lavoro e per passione. Ho una laurea magistrale in Informatica conseguita all’Università di Bologna. Co-ideatore e sviluppatore di Nice Places.