The town of Forlimpopoli lays on a strategic geographical site where communications between mountain communities, the countryside and the sea are favoured.
The territory had been inhabited since the Lower Palaeolithic period, as evidenced by the flint-stone artefacts found in recent times; in particular, these are fragments of stone tools similar to those found in the more famous excavations site of Monte Poggiolo (in Forlì) and made by individuals belonging to the group of the Homo erectus, about 700,000 year ago.
During the protohistoric period, the territory was crossed and inhabited by people of the Bronze Age and, subsequently, both by the Umbrians and by the Celts, coming from the Po Valley.

The name of Forlimpopoli is clearly of Roman origin (i.e. Forum Popili) and is probably after the name of the Roman Consul Popilio Lenate, who founded the town by 132 B.C.
In the territory of Forlimpopoli, evidence of three successive Roman centurial periods is still visible, as testified by the works of land reclamation and colonization by part of the Romans; certainly the ancient Via Emilia represented the fundamental axis within the urban tissue of the Roman town.

In the First century B.C., Forum Popili became a municipium at the centre of a vast territory limiting with the ancient urban centres of Caesena, Forum Livii (Forlì), Mevaniola and Sarsina, while during the first centuries of the Roman Empire it benefited from a strong economic growth thanks to the agricultural activities and to the furnaces, which produced particular wine amphorae destined to various Mediterranean seaports.

But, during the Thirteenth century, the town fell under the sphere of influence of the Ordelaffi family, who was trying to expand its power from the near city of Forlì to the rest of the Romagna region.

The action of the Ordelaffi was firmly opposed by the Catholic Church, which conquered the territory again, thanks to the powerful counteraction of Cardinal Albornoz, who, in 1361, ordered the destruction of Forlimpopoli as it had decided to remain loyal to the noble family of Forlì.

Ten years later, as described by a document of the period, the ancient town did not exist any longer. The Bishop’s seat had been moved to Bertinoro and, in place of the cathedral, a fortress was built up. It was known as “Salvaterra” fortress, now known as the “Rocca”.

A few years later, once a peace treaty was signed with the Catholic Church, Sinisbaldo Ordelaffi made the town of Forlimpopoli rise again with the erection of fortified walls. During the Fifteenth and Sixteenth centuries, Forlimpopoli was ruled by several dukes, such as Caterina Sforza and Cesare Borgia. In 1535, the city was given by the Pope to Antonello Zampeschi as permanent land estate. At his death, Brunoro II Zampeschi succeeded and became a gallant knight in service of Venice, the Pope, the Duke of Savoy and of the King of France.

In 1592 the Fortress passed to the princes Savelli, heirs of the Zampeschi, and then to Cardinal Capponi.

After the Napoleonic interlude, Forlimpopoli returned under the domain of the Papal States. During the Risorgimento (the movement for the birth of a Kingdom in Italy), the town actively participated into the liberal risings of 1831.

In 1851 it was sacked by the band of the notorious bandit Stefano Pelloni, known also as the "Passatore"; among the victims of the sack, there was also the father of Pellegrino Artusi, who was the author of the culinary work entitled "La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene" (“Science and the art of eating well”).
At the end of the Nineteenth century, the high school where young Benito Mussolini would study was founded. During WWII, Forlimpopoli was heavily damaged by the passage of the battle front. Many of its citizens actively participated into the Resistance movement, until the liberation of the town, occurred on 25th October of the year 1944.