Palazzo dei Commissari e del Pretorio - Terra del Sole
Terra del Sole is the Renaissance Fortress City in the hinterland of Forlì, known as Eliopoli, where you can freely visit the city, discover the Church of Santa Reparata, the courtyard of the Palazzo Pretorio, and by appointment enter the Museum, the Governor's Castle, and the Casematte.
Construction began on 8 December 1564, based on Cosimo I De Medici's profound military and engineering knowledge - accumulated over decades of experience as a prince, condottiere and soldier of fortune - with the aim of displaying the power and splendour of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in the land of Romagna. The
town of Terra del Sole is surrounded by high 13-metre-high, rectangular walls with a patrol walkway, 2 kilometres long, while a
longitudinal axis joins the two gates of the town, which is also equipped with four high defensive bastions, each placed on a corner of the rectangle.
Built to guard the border with the Papal State, it retains the charm of a fortress-city: it is surmounted by two castles, that of the Capitano delle Artiglierie (Captain of the Artillery) defending the Florentine village and that of the Governatore (Governor) defending the Roman village.
Worth seeing on the first Sunday in September is the 'Palio di Santa Reparata' with over 300 participants from the historical districts in 16th century costumes.
