Marradi is a castle placed at the foot of the Alps which divide Tuscany from Romagna: but from the part that looks towards Romagna and where the Lamone Valley starts although without walls, nevertheless the river, the hills and the inhabitants make it strong, because the men are warriors and faithful and the river in a way has worn out the land and has its caves, and coming towards the valley is impossible because, every time a (small) bridge which is over the river was defended: and from the hills steep banks give a sure site – Niccolò Machiavelli.

A view of Marradi

In olden days Marradi was the road net centre of a remarkable importance, because it is crossed by the Roman road which coming from Florence and touching Borgo San Lorenzo reaches Faenza. In the Middle Ages Marradi belonged to the church of Faenza and so it was under the rule of Romagna and the Lords Guidi who kept their dominion constant up to the 14th century.
From the 15th century Florence turned its attention on Marradi: the Lordship made an active centre of exchange out of the city and since 1447 an authorized weekly market.
The most distinguished of the families in Marradi was the Fabbroni family who came from Pistoia in the Middle Ages and who acquired well-known possessions in the territory, they erected numerous buildings in the village and founded sacred buildings.
The foundation of the castle is also attributed to them. In the 18th and 19th centuries other families like the Torriani, the Cattani, the Pescetti together with the Fabbroni knew how to imprint a remarkable development to the village by establishing the local Bank of Deposits and Discount, various industries (spinning-mills and other mills) and founded the Academy of the Animosi (the brave), an emission of the club of the Lords.

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Marradi was the third centre in Italy to have an electric lighting (at the end of the 19th century).