Rocca of Forlimpopoli, Medieval fortress in Forlimpopoli, Italy.
The Rocca of Forlimpopoli is a quadrangular fortress with four circular bastions at its corners. The southern curtain wall is reinforced by a keep guarding the entrance below, and the two eastern towers were originally polygonal before being rebuilt on a circular plan around the mid-15th century. The fortress incorporates pre-existing buildings, including the old church that served as the cathedral.
Cardinal Egidio Albornoz had the fortress built between 1360 and 1365, after his papal troops had razed almost the whole town in 1360 following a long siege; it rose on the earlier fortification and incorporated the old church that served as cathedral. Anglic Grimoard already called it Rocca Salvaterra in his Descriptio provinciae Romandiolae of 1371. Sinibaldo Ordelaffi later strengthened it, and on 19 January 1500 it surrendered to Cesare Borgia.
The fortress today houses the Giuseppe Verdi Theater, which hosts regular performances, and the Tobia Aldini Archaeological Museum displaying objects from various periods. These institutions shape the cultural life of the town and show how this structure became a center for art and knowledge.
The west side facing Piazza Garibaldi opens through arches cut in 1815, giving access to the inner courtyard. The municipal theatre, built in 1830 inside the former hall of honour, is reached from here. Visitors should check locally for current opening times of the fortress rooms.
The two eastern towers look round, but archaeological digs showed they were originally polygonal; they were rebuilt on a circular plan around the middle of the 15th century. The ravelin that once protected the entrance has vanished without trace.
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