The church of St. Lazzaro is all that remains of an ancient leper hospital erected around the late 12th Century. It was usual that in the ancient leper hospitals in Emilia, foreigners were quarantined before being allowed into the city, especially those coming from the East. During the period of pestilence these hospitals were thought the best place for those suffering from the plague. It was considered that the west winds caused the epidemics and by placing the hospitals to the east of the city that the wind did not blow over the city after blowing over the lazaretto.
