Cornelius Nepos
In Roman times, Hostilia was a trade hub from Emilia to northern Europe, as it was located on the Via Claudia Augusta Padana. In the 1st century BC it was the birthplace of writer Cornelius Nepos. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was ruled by the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines and, from the 6th century, by the Lombards. From 774 onwards it was part of the Frankish Empire.