Portico was built in ancient times on the road to Florence, famous in Roman times as a marketplace and later as the castle of the Counts Guidi of Dovadola.
In 1386 it became the capital of the Florentine Republic. The town still preserves its medieval appearance, divided into three levels: the upper part, with the castle and the parish church; the central part, along via Roma, with the 13th and 14th century mansions and notary’s palaces, which housed noble families from Romagna and Tuscany who fled here because of political conflicts; and finally the artisan and plebeian villages, with houses built vertically (cellar, kitchen, bedroom and attic).
The name “Portico” comes from the Roman colonisation of Romagna (then inhabited by Gauls), who built the portico here for the market.
The town belonged to the Holy See until 1164, when Emperor Frederick II of Swabia ceded it as a feud to the Guidi counts of Modigliana. The municipality’s coat of arms, an elm tree, comes from the elm tree in the square where, since 1384, the Podestà has had to read the laws to the people every June.
The ridges that separate the Montone valley from the Rabbi and Tramazzo valleys are the starting point for many routes and walks from the centre of the village.
Places to visit:
Palazzo Traversari, with a tablet dedicated to Ambrogio dei Traversari, humanist and general abbot of the Camaldolese, who presided over the Councils of Ferrara and Florence in the 15th century; Palazzo Portinari, 12th century, belonging to Folco, Beatrice’s father, in Florentine style, with balcony and loggias leading to the tower. On the ruins of the castle stand the Portinari Tower, formerly the tower of the Conti Guidi Castle, the 15th century Clock Tower and the Parish Church, and in the upper part of the town the Palazzo dei Podestà, with the coats of arms of the Florentine captains. Further down, the characteristic Borgo Piano is worth a visit, as is the Ponte della Maestà, which crosses the Montone river.
There are many excursions towards Monte Busca, the Tramazzo Valley, the Serra Pass to Premilcuore in the Rabbi Valley or from Querciolano to Berleta in the Bidente Valley.
How to get there:
From motorway exit Forlì km 38, from Forlì railway station km 36 and from Forlì airport km 36. Take the S.S.67 in the direction of Florence.
At the foot of the Muraglione Pass stands San Benedetto, whose history is closely linked to the Benedictine Abbey, one of the oldest in the Apennines. Records attest to the presence of a nucleus of hermits as early as the 10th century, and about a century later Saint Romuald stopped here before founding Camaldoli. Dante also passed through these places during his exile and immortalised them poetically in the Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XVI).
The Abbey’s decline began at the end of the 14th century, when it came under the administration of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence.
Today, the evocative premises of the ancient Mill—once home to the abbey’s mills—house the Visitor Centre of the Casentino Forests Park.
Around the abbey, at the confluence of the Acquacheta and Rio Destro streams, the settlement of Biforco arose. Further downstream, where the monastery mills were located, the village of Mulino developed.
In the Middle Ages, San Benedetto was a fief of the Counts Guidi of Modigliana. In 1440, as a free commune, it passed under Florentine rule. From the 14th century onward, the abbey experienced a gradual decline, culminating in the demolition of the ancient church in 1723 to make way for a new single-nave building. Of the original abbey, part of the crypt, the remains of the cloister with its central well, the cloister portal, the defensive tower, and the monks’ cells are still visible.
A visit to Acquacheta is not to be missed: in the heart of the Casentino Forests National Park, a riverside path leads to the top of the waterfall celebrated by Dante.
Altitude: 554 m a.s.l.
Inhabitants: 320
How to get there
50 km from the Forlì motorway exit, 48 km from Forlì railway station, and 48 km from Forlì airport.
Located 11 km from Portico and 7 km from Bocconi.
This itinerary aims to point tourists to the culinary offerings of our land, with a culinary tradition famous throughout Italy.
Romagna, is in fact endowed with very fertile soils from which excellent natural products are obtained that can be enjoyed as soon as they are picked or prepared within sophisticated recipes to be served on the table.
It starts with the best-known and most popular events held in all the towns in the area. In Romagna, in fact, in every season of the year, it is possible to take part in countless festivals.
Monuments, churches, villas, palaces and relevant places
Natural parks and gardens, landscapes and breathtaking sights
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Send a feedback to the Tourist Information Office of the relevant Municipality. Go to the tourist offices page.
