Astorre lived for a while in Pistoia after his father had lost his last possession in Romagna; three years after the latter's death, in 1375, he managed to recover Granarolo.
In the meantime, his brother Francesco has attempted to attain power in Faenza, and Astorre imprisoned him in the castle of Solarolo.
In the Battle of Portomaggiore (April 16, 1395), he defeated the Ferrarese rebel Azzo d'Este, which he kept as a prisoner in Faenza in the following year.
His excessive pretenses, however, pushed Niccolò III d'Este, lord of Ferrara, to capture his son Gian Galeazzo, who was later exchanged with Azzo.
In 1400, the possession of the castle of Solarolo caused a war against Giovanni I Bentivoglio, the Papal vicar of Bologna, who had hired the famous Alberico da Barbiano.